Hey all, I have two questions about braking using the F40 and MP36 on Peninsula Corridor. QUESTION 1 The first is a specific question about braking with the F40. There's another thread (I didn't want to narco a 2.5+ year-old thread) stating that you should release the auto brake just before stopping so that the train doesn't bunch up. What I'd like to know is this: What do you do once you stop so that your train is secured? QUESTION 2 Are there any guidelines on how to brake "realistically" using the MP36? I tried using the same guidelines for the F40 stated in the aforementioned linked thread (reduce brake pipe pressure to ~100 psi for a nice, controlled stop, reducing it further down to ~96 if you need a bit more stopping power), but the response isn't the same. There is much less braking power. I find I need to put the auto brake to 40-50%, which seems much too high compared to the F40. Any tips/guidelines would be appreciated. Thanks!
Use the independent (loco) brake. The F40's brake is self-lapping and therefore has a different effect than that of the MP36. Both systems work differently and can therefore not be compared 1:1. Some older trains use a vacuum instead of air brakes. These two systems also work differently in their handling.
Thanks! Is this the standard for all locomotive-hauled North American passenger services? To secure the train with the independent brake and not the train brake? Is a 40-50% application (according to the tooltip) what I should be aiming for on the MP36 then or is it too high?
It’s standard practice in Germany. I don’t know if it’s done in the States as well. As I can’t access the games right now, what sort of pressure readings does this give you for the brake pipe and cylinder?
If I'm going 79 MPH in the MP36, then when I'm about 0.6 miles from the station, I set the train brake to ~50%. This takes the brake pipe (white) down to 90 psi and the brake cylinder (red) to 50 psi. (The brake cylinder eventually drops down to ~20 psi once the dynamics automatically kick-in.) This gets me to stop at about the correct point, and allows me to release the train brake when I'm below 4 mph.
That sounds rather hard to me, which might be accurate given that we know trains are started in Run8. Personally speaking, I'd probably brake a bit earlier and try to stick to reducing the brake pipe no more than 15 psi, but that may just be my freight and German bias shining through.
Minimum reduction (9-10 psi in game, actually quite a bit more than RL 6 psi) about a mile out should have you hitting the platform at 15-20 mph, without pitching your passengers out of their seats. Adjust for grade. A 20 psi reduction is pretty savage.