The Class 66 has two brakes; Automatic and Direct, when should I use each brake? Thank you in advance.
Direct is Independent (Loco Brake) & Auto is the Train Brake. Be warned, the Auto may take long to apply depends on the consist. And the Direct is for the 66 that your driving on only
What challenger said Direct brake is for loco only Auto brake is for whole train including wagons You'll notice that when you apply auto brake, the direct brake gauge changes as well as the auto brake gauge meaning loco and consist but when you apply direct brake only the direct brake gauge changes
Does that mean that the direct brake and the auto brake is the same brake when it comes to the actual physical brake pad on the wheel but the system which applies them are different? Or does the direct brake use one physical pad on the wheel set and the auto brake another? I wondering if it would make any sense to apply both the auto brake and the direct brake at the same time why driving loco + consist?
The direct brake and auto brake both use the same brake pads on the locomotive-that is pretty typical of everything. So no, using both brakes at once does not increase braking force.
