Hi there. I'm learning to drive this cool little machine in NTP, but I'm struggling with the gear shift. Is there a direct joypad command for it, without looking at the cursor? Thanks a lot!
I play Xbox and found that moving the right stick up and down controlled the gears, makes it a little easier than having to move all the cursor round!! Good luck mastering it.
I also found that it was possible to change gears without having to move the throttle back to idle as well using the stick method, not sure what long term mechanical damage I was causing to the poor old girl!!
Once i got the hang of driving the 101 it is very fun to drive. Though braking can be difficult some times.
Yes, spent 1 hour and a half today trying to master it. Gears are fun, breaking not so intuitive at first...
I have same trouble, does anyone know exactly how to use the Brakes properly? I end up braking to much or not enough!! Is there a guide or manual available?
Plenty of youtube material out there, and don't forget the same braking system is on any of those period engines and DMUs including on TSx... The main idea is to remember that you have increase, decrease and lap or hold, so rather than setting how hard the brakes are applied you are increasing how QUICKLY they are applied by pushing the lever higher and how quickly they are released by moving towards the off position, so the idea is to watch the brake application needles and find the point which equals step 1 application, step 2 application, full service and so on, then practice applying to those points and then moving the handle into lap. You should find that your braking becomes much smoother when you do that. The question then becomes whether once your brakes are released do you move the lever to off or back to lap in preparation for the next braking application? In a modern DMU or EMU this is all done automatically for you but think of how it works in the Class 66 on GWE, you set the big needle to a certain pressure and the air is moved to match this, in the 101 you're doing that process manually. In both cases look at the brake application gauge and you will see what brake force you're actually using
I have just found a post from earlier on this year about this braking question, HappyJose posted in PS4 section jan2019. Not sure whether I can copy or paste what was posted? Don't want to violate the possible rules.
go to that page, do the usual quote and paste into the text box and then copy paste that quote here, that would then give the trail
This is the post quotation that I found earlier today. Was posted by lcyrrjp, Feb 2, 2019. Seems to explain pretty well the method required. Braking on the real thing - which also works on the sim - is pretty much as TinTin_57 describes. Move the handle from the Lap position to Apply (you don't need a very high %) and wait until you have the level of vacuum you want, as shown on the dial. If you're braking from speed on a falling gradient, you'll probably need 5-10 inches of vacuum to achieve decent deceleration. At lower speeds and on rising gradients then 10-15 inches of vacuum will be sufficient. When the needle reaches the level of vacuum you want, move the brake handle to the lap position (one thing that's useful to know, if you're using a keyboard, is that the '/' key takes you directly back to Lap). From that point on, make small adjustments to the amount of vacuum by moving the brake handle to Apply or Release, to control the deceleration. Each time, you need to return the brake handle to Lap when you have the new level of vacuum you require. At the moment the train comes to a stand, you should try to have a reasonably light brake applied (perhaps 15 inches of vacuum) if you don't want to give your passengers a jolt. The speed entering the platform depends hugely on the length of the platform. If you're coming into Dewsbury you can be doing 35mph (with the brake applied) entering the platform and stop comfortably in the right place. If you're coming into Slaithwaite, with it's very short platform, I wouldn't recommend more than 15mph.
The 101 is undoubtedly the hardest train in the game to drive well. It takes a good deal of practice to make smooth, fast gear changes. Watch the RPM gauge on the HUD, not the dashboard, because it also shows the currently selected gear. When you're ready to change gear, cut the throttle to zero and wait for the needle to fall below horizontal. At this point, change up. If you've timed it right, the gear indicator will show the new gear, and you can immediately apply full throttle. If not, go back to the lower gear and up again, until it's properly selected. When driving, keep the brake control at 'lap'. When you're ready to apply some brakes, watch the brake pressure gauge on the dashboard. The left-hand dial shows the amount of brake you're currently applying. Put the brake control to 'apply' for a second or two until that needle moves to show the brakes are coming on. Now move the control back to 'lap', and the brake pressure will stay where you put it. A pretty small amount of brakes is usually all you need. When you're ready to release the brakes, move the control to 'release' and watch for the pressure gauge to move back to its maximum. Now move the control back to 'lap' ready for the next brake application. The trick is to think ahead and time things correctly so that you only ever need to apply or release a small amount of brake pressure. If you put the brakes all the way on, that takes a long time, and it takes equally long to release them, so you'll tend to over-control. Make small, light control inputs and you'll find it much easier to keep things smooth. Despite all this, precise station stopping is still a real challenge. It's just like learning to drive a car; you need to practice enough that it becomes more or less second nature, and you no longer have to think about the exact control inputs that you're making: you just think to yourself 'slow down...' and it happens.
Only thing I would add to this is that when coasting at any speed you should put the unit in top gear and when stopping you should put it in neutral just as you stop. In real life this stops the gearbox being wrecked (or so I've read)
This might be useful. It's part one (the rest will be easy enough to find from this page) of a BTF short made to introduce BR crews to them new-fangled DMUs: For some reason it won't paste in as a video but should still work as a link. Enjoy. Edit: Eh?!?
I leave the the train in gear 4, make sure the brake handle is in the lap position. Because of the brakes on the 101 i usually apply the brake to about 15 to 25 percent anymore then that and you will stop to quickly
Hi, on the PS4 you can use up/down on the D-pad! I must say the 101 is a blast to drive once you get the hang of it. The brakes are definitely the hardest thing to master but taking it out for a service on Tees Valley line can be an absolute blast. (Although I hope we get a more “modern” passenger train on that route.)
I actually found that skipping gears is pretty good way to get around of gear change. I usually go straight to second from standing position and when it's time to change then I skip the third gear. No idea if it's right or wrong but it works for me and I'm happy like that.
Is it possible to turn train lighting on, looks a little dark for passengers. I'm on PS4 finding this DMU, little hard to drive, for some reason, engine cuts out, can't hear any sound. Think I take on a journey, probably, get use to it, a little, just takes time.
Train lights on the 101 are on the right hand side of the desk. You can't reach them from the driving position so you have to get up and move across to turn them on.