Hello Space Cadets If there was any place to ask, it's got to be here with the fine folk that frequent these forums... I've been having a massive resurgence in my love for all things PZB as it's such an engaging feature to use during my drives, but one question remains... At what point do you decide your freight train is a type M or U? Ok, back to work
I Guess IRL they measure by weight and the number of locomotives, considering it's something rare or non-existent more than 3 locomotives pulling freight on Germany I guess. So in game the only services I know that must use Mode U are the Main Spessart Bahn freight with tankers. I'm not sure about the others services...
Just about all the MSB services are set up to be U - the wagons are in Goods mode timing and they are all at the max weight for the loco (or thereabouts, depending on the loco) so those all qualify for not just U but in fact 90km/h speed limit, not just the U speed limit. This becomes especially important on the westbound services where you need to manage your speed going down the 2.2% Spessartrampe. What I do though is get the train up to some speed and then try stopping it - if it looks like it reacts pretty well to the brakes then i'll use PZB M, if it seems sluggish due to weight - OR - I know i'm going to be hitting a steep down hill - then I'll use PZB U to be safe. The reason for the modes is to make sure the train stays safe and can stop in time for signals, by limiting the max speed and reducing the descending speeds. If you can reduce speed quickly then you should be fine on M. Matt.
Hi Northlander, In the real world I believe it's a calculation of total brake performance vs total mass of the train which determines which mode you set. I personally find it just easier to drive my consist up to the maximum speed defined in the PZB chart, and then seeing whether I can reduce below the given value within the time/distance allowed using a set amount of brake force. So, what this means is, I would get my consist up to 165 km/h and then using a starting 40 kN brake force value, see whether the train will actually get below the 85 km/h limit within the 23 second limit. If it does, I set Mode O. If it doesn't, then I'll see whether I can do 85 km/h to 45 km/h in 29 seconds and, if it does, I set Mode M. If that's not possible, I then move to 55 km/h to 25 km/h within 38 seconds. If I can't do any, then I'll go back up to 165 km/h but increase my starting brake force value to 50 kN and repeat the process until I either find the ideal setup or reach the max brake force of 80 kN. Hope this helps. Best, Steve
Thanks for all the great advice, I guess I should have said, I'm running a mix of freight routes using the 182 on both RRO and RSN...Mode M seems to work nicely, but I did also find 'pretending' that the Petroleum tanks on RRO would make my consist "heavy" Mode U worked too (I think more enjoyable too, it helped focus my attention on PZB due to running at the reduced speeds)
The used PZB train mode always depends on the calculated "Bremshundertstel" (Brh) (brake hundrets) formulas: Brh (train) = ( Brake weight consist (t) / consist mass (t) ) * 100 Brh (vehicle) = ( Brake weight vehicle (t) / vehicle mass (t) ) * 100 Brake weights are written down to each loco and wagon. < 65 Brh = mode U > 65 and < 111 Brh = mode M > 111 Brh = mode O
Great to see proper calculation. But lack of consist data from game make this harded to use. Maybe "Bremshundertstel" (Brh) should be writen in service description and this tab added to manual.
In TSW you have some feet to walk on, like in the real world. Or maybe just fly around like a drone that is controlled by the driver (maybe he is too lazy to walk along the train^^). Simply check each wagon and all locos, note down the brake weight of each, add them together and do the calculation. That is what you can do and what's done in the real world.
Thanks for posting this (and other) PZB related threads - this is really very useful. I was also really happy to see that you got some excellent and useful feedback on your questions from the Devs - it would be good to see this sort of stuff in a manual, which can be accessed from the game's front-end on PS4.
Thanks for the info, but there are A LOT of markings on German locos and cars. Maybe you could share a screenshot as to where they are written? Also, do you add the consist weight with the vehicle weight, or do you just use them if there is a consist or a just a loco?
