Good day everyone, would anyone know the proper way of applying the brakes to the NJT ALP46 in TSW. It seems the braking is a bit abrupt in TSW for the ALP46 compared to other electric locomotives. The behavior of the braking system is different compared to the TSC variant of the NJT ALP46. For TSW, when preparing to stop at a station, I begin to apply the graduated brake and once I reach a certain pressure, I bring the brake into lap. It seems while the brake is in the lap position, the NJT ALP46 comes to a quick abrupt stop causing me to not fully clear the platform. Yesterday, I tried putting the brake in Hold rather than lap immediately after gradually applying the brake for a few seconds, and it seems by doing that, I was able to smoothly bring the train to a stop. According to what I read on Google though, it seems the hold position is designed for operations below 25mph. I am not too sure which is true though. Would someone be able to provide some clarification on properly bringing the NJT ALP46 to a station stop as well as the proper way to slow the train when ATC and ASCES are enabled?
You are correct about the 'HOLD' position being used at & below 25MPH. The mode on the brake handle maintains the current application pressure of the brakes, but re-fills the brake pipe for faster releases as you prepare to leave the platform. I must admit, as a NJ resident, I was super-hyped for this DLC, but never got the hang of the manually-lapped brakes. For the LIFE of me, I cannot wrap my head around what NJT was thinking spec'ing that kind of brake system on their newest locos (this & the ALP-45DP). I end up most times just driving the Amtrak trains on this route.
The process you are using sounds generally correct. I have also heard that standard procedure is to not go into Hold above 25-ish mph, but I don't have a solid reason as to why. Depending on the stop, I usually aim for a 15-20 lb reduction in the brake pipe at my braking point, then move to Lap. At 25 MPH I move the handle to Hold, then, as I approach the stopping point, I move the handle between Release and Hold to fine tune where I actually stop. Once I have stopped, I ensure I have at least a 20 lb set, then move the handle to Hold until I'm ready to depart. If you are finding yourself stopping short often, try taking a smaller initial set. If you're slowing down too quickly while braking, you can move the handle to release briefly then back to lap, in order to let off some of the brake pressure. Keep in mind that doing that will refill the brake pipe to 110, so if you need to increase braking later, you'll see no effect for a few seconds while the brake pipe reduces to it's previous level. The video linked above is where I learned most of my information at. The non self lapping brakes are a pain to get used to at first, but after learning the braking points for this route, it's become one of my favorite to drive hudless
The main mistake I see people making is looking at the brake pipe pressure when they make applications. Don't do that. Use the equalizer reservoir pressure as your gauge and then the brake pipe pressure will follow. The EQ is much smaller than the brake pipe so the pressure changes quicker, but the brake pipe slowly equalizes with the EQ so the final pressure will be whatever the EQ is at. Lets take an example. You want to make a 15 PSI reduction. If you go into Application and then to lap when the brake pipe pressure reads 95 PSI, the EQ pressure is probably down at 90 or 85 PSI which means you'll get a much stronger brake application than you intended. Conversely, if you want to make a small release, say from 95 PSI to 100 PSI and you watch the brake pipe pressure to decide when to go back to Lap you will probably just release the brakes fully (unless you were in EP Hold, but then you wouldn't lower the brake force at all, I'm specifically talking about going into Release and back to Lap).
The reason manually-lapped systems (24RL) have survived is because, unlike 26L, you can partially release them. With 26, you have to release them fully and re-apply.
