I’m sure it’s not just me but when trying to use the duchess I have a problem where all the steam just pours out like no tomorrow which makes it fairly difficult to use or get up to any sort of speed as your constantly bogged down by the lack of pressure. I’m aware there are other third party patches out there that people have recommended however I’d like to ask here first before I go make any rash decisions so could anyone possibly help with this?
Also, once you get going, are you moving the brakes up to the "running" position? I'm not up to much when it comes to kettles but I understand this conserves steam somehow.
Another dumb question (these are beginner level questions so far but the impression is that you're new to driving steam). Are you adjusting the regulator as you accelerate? Unlike Diesel or electric traction where the reverser puts you in forward, reverse or neutral, a steam loco's reverser is variable- you'd usually start with it all the way forward (or reverse of course- not familiar with the Duchess but I guess this would show as 100%*) then bring it down as you gather speed. Having the regulator wide open is like driving a car in first gear- it will use more fuel and won't go that fast but you only need it to get moving. The reverser setting determines not just when steam is admitted to the cylinders but when in the engine's cycle steam stops being admitted- the cut off. When you are starting maximum power is desirable so the cut off is wide open at perhaps 75% meaning that steam is admitted until the piston is 75% of its way along the cylinder then cut off but, because the steam is still at pressure, it continues to push the piston until it is exhausted ready for the return stroke. Once you've picked up a bit of speed just as in a car you don't need the same power delivery so you dial the reverser back until, at top speed, you're likely to be at 15% or so. As a steam loco' speeds up obviously the cylinders go through their cycle more quickly. If the cut off is high for the speed the steam might not have time to exhaust effectively at the end of a stroke and any steam remaining in the cylinder at the end of one stroke can interfere with the next which will limit your speed too. (Pistons in a steam loco' are pushed in both directions- every stroke is a power stroke.) * Because some time is needed at the end of a cylinder's stroke to exhaust the steam the cut off will never go up to 100%- 75% seems to be the maximum. I presume that when the reverser in TS goes to 100% (which seems to common in older DLC) it actually means the maximum extent which would be that 75% or so.
The engine blueprints define the maximum, which is what you see in the F3 or F4 HUD when the reverser slider is all the way up (or down), whereas value in the F5 HUD is normalised so that it reads up to 100% (in other words, when the reverser is fully forward, the F5 will say it's at 100% but the F3/4 will indicate the actual maximum cutoff). Most locos have 75% as the maximum cutoff, but some go farther. For example, the FEF-3 and Big Boy have a maximum cutoff of just over 80% (in real life).
I hadn't noticed that but then I don't drive steam very often though it's nice to have for variety. I've certainly got some steam DLC where the (F3/4) HUD regulator goes from 100% forward to 100% reverse as well as in the F5 figures though that seems to be older models. Perhaps it was thought helpful to have consistency between different classes and types of loco'- if so there appears to have been a change of heart. I only have British kettles (unless there's one in the US Loco's and Assets I've overlooked). Given that US loco's, especially the Big Boy, are all about getting big trains moving their having as high a cut off as possible doesn't surprise me.
I’ve had TS for a good few years and I have got the hang of driving steam in that time but I do everything the same whenever the psi goes to red I wind the reverser down and let speed build etc but with this whenever I open the reg regardless of where the reverser seems to be it always loses pressure
