Well, I'm stumped. I'm trying to figure out how to set a parking brake or a handbrake or something like that on the F125 and the Rotem so when you do an air brake test (required on US trains prior to movement) the train doesn't roll once you cut in the air. Every single keyboard command for anything related to a holding brake or anything like that doesn't work at all, kind of not to my surprise that they wouldn't. So is there anyway to do this?
Not exactly, no. In order to do a proper Class 2 terminal air test, the brake stand must be cut in. In the case of the F125, set to passenger. In the cabcar, just set to the cut in position. (The cabcar doesn’t have a “TEST” setting anyways). Then you release the brake handle to charge the air brake system. But when you do this, the train will start rolling if you’re on any kind of grade. This in itself would fail the brake test. So I’m wondering if there’s a way to set a holding brake, hand brake, parking brake, etc. so a proper test can be performed without the train moving. Like I said, none of the keyboard assignments for anything close to this work. I’ve pushed them and nothing happens at all.
So, possibly it has an automatic parking brake. Upon releasing auto and indy, the parking brake indicator is still red. EDIT: Seems it's just not simulated... stays red when driving. (Those coils look quite ugly...)
Thanks for showing this. Yeah, obviously not modeled. In real life, there would be a way to set a parking brake so you can properly do the air test. I mean this in the nicest way possible but I feel confident that DTG completely skipped over a detail like this and how a proper air test is done in the US. As has been well established and proved on here, US stuff always ends up getting a back seat to everything else.
Yeah I understand that for sure. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Metrolink stuff, I wouldn’t have even bothered with TSW4. This is my first once since TSW 2020. Hopefully someone might reply with further insight on this issue cause like I said I’m stumped at this point.
With the F125, you would do a Class II by having the independent applied and doing a set and release with the automatic. With the Rotem's not having a parking brake, the test could be done by setting the hand brake that is in B end of the car.
I tried setting a handbrake. I set 4 actually because setting one, which in real life would be enough, didn’t do anything. It had no affect at all. And even with 4 set, it still didn’t do anything. As soon as I cut in the air in Lancaster from the cabcar and charged the brakes, the train started rolling backwards. With 4 handbrakes set on a 0.7% grade. One would have been enough to hold the train. So either they’re incredibly weak or the option to set one is just for show and doesn’t actually have any affect on the train, which seems silly since setting handbrakes is so common. I guess nothing surprises me from DTG anymore. Either situation seems quite plausible to me.
Brake hold - CTRL + ] Brake hold decrease - CTRL + Shift + ] Along with all other brake related keyboard functions don’t do anything at all. Not counting stuff like just setting the automatic or independent brake. I’m specifically referring to stuff related to holding brakes and parking brakes.
