Just trying to see what the correct procedures/sequence of events would be for braking with a heavy loaded Class 87, without the driver getting rag dolled in the seat/whip lash everytime. Is there a more delicate way then letting the power run down and applying train brake or did actual Class 87 freight drivers just experience a mini rodeo everytime they slowed their train?
Do you have any particular service that you struggle with? I ran some of the steel trains and didn't notice anything out of ordinary. Are you letting the throttle taps gracefully run down instead of just using the immediate cut off position? What levels of braking are you using?
I just started the Southbound Liner scenario and it's my first freight route on the new route. Admittedly, this is also my first go at a non modern route/train so still getting familiar with the train itself. I do gradually run down the power instead of going straight to cut off and I always start off braking in the initial position to take the slack out of the train. I'm just not use to so much gap in the cars and the the rest of the train running into/bouncing off of the locomotive so much. Just curious if this is accurate to what actual drivers felt when doing the dame thing or if there was some combo of using the locomotive brake to take up slack first then apply train braking? If I know it's normal then I'd feel a little more better but just a little off-putting/uncanny to feel like I'm being thrown around the cab.
By default brakes on 87 are set up in a passenger mode, so brakes on the loco apply much faster then on the freight wagons. There is a switch in a corridor that allows you to change brakes to goods timings. It's quite hidden, so it might be hard to find, if you don't know, where to look. Here's a screenshot of it's location. The clickzone is a bit weird, so try to aim a little bit above the switch. And you may also want to disable blended brakes, so rheostatic brakes don't engage automatically and don't cause your loco to brake too aggressively. The switch is on one of the ends on a long corridor, near the ceiling. P.S. I don't think that either of those switches are mentioned in the manual for some reason.
Thank you! I figured there was some better set-up but wasn't for sure if there was better way! I will try again using this set-up and see if it feels a little more natural.
I just ran Southbound Liner and found out that jolts aren't really caused by brake settings (though, brake settings exaggerate the problem). Real culprit is a very weirdly done coupling between the loco and the first wagon. Wagons themselves are coupled together by bolt coupling that basically make the consist very rigid with no slack at all. But the loco and first wagon are coupled together by a regular screw coupling, which shouldn't really have much slack either, but only if coupled correctly. And the way it's coupled on that container train is not correct at all. Just look at two pictures below. One shows coupler stretched, and another bunched up. When stretched, buffers do not touch each other. And when bunched up, screw link is sagging. And that's not just a visual bug -- if you watch this coupling with number 3 camera while in motion (especially, when braking), you will see that all the jolts coincide with the moments when either screw link stretches, or when buffers touch each other. So, visuals are synced with actual physics simulation. That's not how screw link coupling is supposed to work. Screw link must always be stretched and pulling wagons together, while buffers must always be touching and pushing wagons apart. That way coupling can still move a little, but without sudden strong jolts. So, basically, current behavior is a bug. And a pretty serious one.
I found the rheostatic brake switch as you indicated. The hitbox for the switch seemed very small indeed, and when I turned it off, I found that it could not be turned on again! It also has the switch indications written on the bulkhead by hand in marker. I agree that with such detail, it is strange that both this and the brake selector switch were left out of the manual. I need to run some services now to discover what in-game effect the "rheo switch" has on braking. This will probably be a but more difficult since they cannot be turned back on!
What it will do is your loco will have worse brakes. On a train with normal couplings it should always be left on, but with what we have at the moment turning it off might help reduce jolts a little. But it will not eliminate jolts entirely.
Just in case anyone's still interested, I have created a support ticket about this issue. I have no idea, if anything will be done, but at least I tried And below I will attach two videos that show incorrect behavior of couplings on FGA wagons, and correct one on BBA.
We could do with being able to tighten the coupling up a bit. The physics are incorrect on some of the FGA wagons anyway because the wheels don't turn on some of them.
I did the Southbound liner scenario yesterday, despite gentle braking the "Bump and grind" effect pushed me past the red signal at Plumpton goods loop. Fortunately I'd saved it already before crossing into the loop so I only lost a couple of minutes. The braking is very hit and miss, sometimes it works like a charm, other times it's like being on a ship at sea in a storm lol. This was after I'd set the brakes to Air-goods. This is on PS5.
This is exactly why I use knuckle couplers whenever available over chain and hook. Lots of slacks. The buffers can only do so much. Albiet, it’s fun adapting to the situation. - Try keeping the throttle open a bit when you make your initial brake application. Should notice a smoother stop.
That’s not going to work unless you cut out the rheostatic brakes. It’s generally not something that’s done on this side of the pond as far as I know.
