"gapping" On Third Rail

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by squerble, Apr 15, 2022.

  1. squerble

    squerble Active Member

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    I'd appreciate any real driver feedback on this. It seems like trains running on third rail (I'm thinking BML, ECW and SHS for example) very often "gap" between third rails, more than seems reasonable. Each set of 4 cars has 8 pickup shoes but the train is acting like it's only using 1 or two of them, often losing line voltage. I'd guess maybe the game is only checking that the front car of your 4-car set is touching rails. Do trains really drop voltage as much as the game is depicting? Even over simpler junctions it seems to happen often.

    Certainly made more annoying by the wind down sound the electronics (or electronics cooling?) have. Each time the train "gaps" then the sound starts playing. If you go over a complex junction then it happens a few times in a second, and the sound plays each time, as though the electronics have recovered immediately, yet when left to normal the sounds take a little while to come back. So I would guess these sounds are just triggered rather than running against any kind of actual simulation of whatever is making the noise.
     
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  2. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    The depiction in TSW is off, in reality the power is jumpered through the train so gapping, lurching or loss of line light should not really happen.
     
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  3. bescot

    bescot Well-Known Member

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    What Vern said. The only time line lights go off in normal running is passing through a neutral section on *AC 25kV lines. Not 3rd rail which has a bus throughout so any pickup shoe will pass on the power to adjacent cars. No idea where DTG got the idea from.
     
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  4. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

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    Another bug that dtg will fix in 5 years basically
     
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  5. Anthony Pecoraro

    Anthony Pecoraro Well-Known Member

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    Irl, the M3's lights go off while in a gap.
     
  6. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    We are talking the UK third rail EMU's here, North American stuff may well be configured differently.
     
  7. bescot

    bescot Well-Known Member

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    Brings memories of Edward Woodwood, the opening titles to The Equalizer in the 80s and the NY subway trains had lights going off all the time
     
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  8. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

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    True but this is focused on the uk though
     
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  9. FD1003

    FD1003 Well-Known Member

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    Bold of you to assume it will get fixed. Best case scenario the next 3rd rail british DLC will be modelled correctly. About correcting this sort of issues on old DLC... let's say that I'll believe it when I see it
     
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  10. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    The 72 Tube Stock gaps (no through bus on those)
     
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  11. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    That is correct and I've been on the tube numerous times when you get a lurch and the lights go out, at least on the older stock.

    Other point to bear in mind is there are relatively few locations where you would get a gap in the conductor rail, when changing sides or even at points every effort would be made by the Civil Engineer to ensure there is an overlap.
     
  12. RobSkip

    RobSkip Well-Known Member

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    An effort is usually made to make gaps as small as possible, but there's still places with enough complex pointwork to gap a full unit. Lovers Walk has a notorious spot where it was possible to gap a 442, which is no mean feat, but it's all on a gradient so easily recoverable.

    Most DC units have a bus line through them, one notable exception being 313s as-built, which had a 750DC bus that was only active in the AC power mode. This however was changed at refurbishment for Southern, also adding DC shore supply connectors at the expense of AC operation. 72 stock does have bus lines, but only between the DM and adjacent T for auxiliary power.

    The gapping is a nice touch, but simply doesn't behave properly for the stock we have. I'd rather they put their time into realistic OHLE neutral sections, a notable omission at present.
     
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  13. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

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    Lol. In life you just gotta have a little optimism ;)
     
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