It seems that I just can't gain gold medal on any service with the Class 101. I know, I know.... it is not the easiest thing to drive, changing gear, lap brake, etc....but it is even harder for me then the German routes with all their PZBs SIFAs where I can gain that gold medal nearly always. So what is the trick if there is any other then driving over and over again along the route? Where is the ideal braking point? It seems I just can't find it. I did read the manual and I am trying to drive accordingly but so far not so good.
The 101 is indeed one of the most difficult trains to drive, but it is also one of the most satisfying when you get it right. A few things I would suggest: - the braking point depends, as with any other train, on speed of the train, gradient and other factors. However, to help you to learn the braking points, you need to establish a brake pressure at which you normally apply the brake - otherwise you’re trying to match distance against an inconsistent brake pressure. So I always apply the brake initially at 10 inches of vacuum (as shown on the brake gauge). - as the train slows, constantly monitor your deceleration against your distance from the station (as soon as you can see the station, judge it by eye and ignore anything you have on the HUD). If you think you’re coming in a bit too fast, apply a bit more brake. If a bit too slow, release the brake slightly. The key here is making small adjustments, to avoid the need for big adjustments later, which become difficult to control. - don’t forget that the ‘/‘ key takes the brake straight back to lapped. That’s much easier and quicker than manoeuvring it back using the ; and ‘ keys, and makes it easy to hit the brake pressure you want. - make sure you’re consistent that you’re in 4th gear throughout the braking, only going to neutral just before you stop. If you’re braking in a different gear on different occasions, it affects the braking and makes it difficult to learn. - have a target speed at the point at which you want the rear of the train to stop. So if it’s a 3-car DMU, if you pass the point at which you want the rear of the train to stop at 15mph with the brake at 15 inches of vacuum, you’ll land in about the right place (gradient will affect this, of course, but you won’t be far off). As with anything, practice makes perfect, and it’s well worth investing the time for the satisfaction when it comes good.
Thanks for this very helpful explanation. I always started with 15 and usually overbraked. Then I didn't no the / key function. Also that I should aim the back and not the front of the train was new to me. I did brake in gauge 4 but never put it into neutral befor stopping. I really like this DMU, I am going to buy all the routes where it could be driven. Allow me another question: when you change gear, first put the throttel to idle and rev goes down. I guess you have to wait until it completely revs down to switch the next gear? Or you can switch next gear right after you put throttel to idle, then you wait to rev down and reapply throttel? I hope it is clear what I intemd to ask...
It is possible to change gear while the revs are still dropping, I usually find when the rev gauge drops below the change down yellow marker, the gear can be successfully changed. One thing to note notching up or down the throttle in the sim can be done very quickly, but in practice drivers would move through the notches slowly to prevent wear. By the time you’ve done that the engine revs will be at minimum anyway.
Strictly speaking you should idle the throttle and then wait a second or two before switching gear and then wait another second for the gear to engage before throttling up again. I do it that way, but I'm not sure it's required in the simulation. I used to drive a car using stick shift and that's how I changed gear, listening to the sound of the engine. The penalty for rushing it was that horrible sound of the gears clashing, but, of course, that's not simulated in the Class 101. The lapped brakes actually help me when stopping, I can " stair step " when approaching a station stop. As Icyrrjp said, it's all down to practice, but who cares when it's such a fun train to drive! PS. Paul Pavlinovich has a video tutorial on driving the Class 101 on YT, worth a look, however he uses Raildriver.
With regards to changing gear, if you watch the gear number on the HUD it changes colour to indicate when you can apply the gear, on the rev meter (the blue and red bars to the left of the HUD) there are min and max lines which show the gearing range (if you're above the max, go up a gear, if you're below the min go down a gear). With regards to the gauges in the cab the gauge almost in front of you marked "ENGINE RPM" is your guide and is even marked "DOWN" and "UP" to help you. As a rule of thumb I let the engine rev down to the first white mark to the left of "DOWN" to change gear. Luckily I have a raildriver which makes the thing so much easier to control than a keyboard!
I always try to drive without HUD, but indeed engine rpm is very well visible. Ok, I cheat with HUD sometimes I check on screen for line speed changes when I don't know the route well enough. Probably the only exception is Bakerloo line, where speed boards are just invisible.
