Hi guys, I need some help or explanation with DB BR103 and 110.3 sound, that is with a cooling fans/traction motor fans sound. For both locos when Tap Changer is higher that level 9 some loud fans sound is turning on and it never stops, unless I move Tap Changer to level 0. Questions: Is that sound correct and reflecting real life behavior in that locos? Can I turn that fans off (even if that is not prototipical)? Tried it with in-cab switch for traction motors fans but it doesn't work, so either the switch is not working or the sound source is different. I'm asking, because that sound is really loud and completing >1h service with it is tiring although I will swallow it if in real life it is the same. Otherwise I appreciate any workaround to turn that sound off or turn it down a little. In case that matters, I'm on PS5, TSW3.
It's the transformer cooling fans, and, yes, they're loud AF because they have to be: once the tranny starts converting significant power it puts out insane levels of heat.
It is. They’re old electric locos. They need those loud cooling fans. Furthermore, you should manually turn on the cooling fans when you start moving instead of waiting for them to turn on automatically. That’s according to the official rule book.
I didn't know that, but it's good to learn. Thanks! I agree that it can be a bit annoyingly loud, but it is prototypical, so that adds to the immersion. I also like it because these old locomotives remind me of the hungarian V43, which still is a relatively common sight around where I live - tap changer, loud cooling fans, just like these. The BR155 is also very loud when you turn on the cooling fans - though on that one you have to do that manually, because they don't turn on by themselves. So if you want to, you can drive in a bit more comfortable silence using that one. On PC there is a mod that allows it to be used instead of the BR110 on freight services.
I must admit it is a bit annoying as it tends to drown out any other traction noise. Certainly compared to the EU and EP07 locos in SimRail where the traction fan kicks in initially but then subsides so you can hear the motor pitch rise. It would be nice if the effect could be scaled back slightly. Will have to check but I'm sure the TSC 103 doesn't have such a dominant fan noise.
I agree, that is a bit annoying. For example the BR155 has a very nice track join sound effect, but you can't hear it at all once the cooling fans are running, which is a shame.
I remember in TSW3, you could get around this by reducing the tap changer so the fan noise would stop and quickly increase the power. This way, you could go above notch 8-10 without the cooling fans. I don't know if this bug is still present in TSW4, you can give it a try.
I've checked it, it is still there, thanks! If I will be tired of that noise I'll use this bug as a workaround to turn those fans off for some time (I would never thought a bug could actually be useful )
The main problem is not how loud they are in real life, its the poor broken implementation of the sounds in the cab. There is no sound occlusion or sound isolation whatsoever so you are hearing the same sound as you would hear in the engine room. The loud fan noises (and they are from the group that cools the traction motors and power converters on top) drown the running sound of the unit completely. DTG completely refused to do anything with the loud traction cooling fan sounds even if it was reported quite a few times Real footage from a BR103 cab ride: Does not sound the same does it?
Sadly there seems to be a wall of arrogance at DTG whenever poor quality or poorly implemented sounds are mentioned. And once again, it’s not the quality of the source material it’s the levels and mix in game, just as we saw with the botched UK Class 700 where to even have the traction audio at a reasonable level, the sound of passing trains then blew out your speakers (or eardrums).
You can draw the conclusion that the cooling fans sound do not blow your brain out from being ultra loud for start
