I bought the route the day it was released. I gave up quite quickly because of the steep grades. It took me a few months before I decided I wanted to give it another shot. I quickly gave up, once more. This is my fifth attempt. It's been months since I touched the DLC. I need some advice on how to drive these trains. I'm currently doing 4mph up a 3,6% grade. I've tried everything there is to try. Put the reverser on 100%, 30%, and everything inbetween. I have also tried to downregulate the regulator, but I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do? I guess it should stay at 100% at all times in the steep grades? Is there any tutorials, either text or video, that will teach me how to drive on this route? Do you have any advice? I'm not asking for much, but I really want to do at least 10mph instead of 2mph!
one other video by him is lets play train simulator 2016 tutorial - driving a steam engine, hoping that either of these will help some. Looks like lots of practice and patience.
Main thing you want to do is maintain your steam pressure. Finding whatever combination of reverser and throttle will maintain the pressure allows me to keep around 10 mph on the steepest gradients and having to throttle back on the lesser. Learn the route and only fill the boiler when you can reduce the cutoff and throttle so you don’t kill the pressure. Fill a little a lot of times. Keep the firebox at the sweet spot for fire level, again like filling the boiler , add a little coal often. Try and keep your fire mass (percentage) from varying more than a few percentage points. I use the F5 hud and adjust my cutoff and throttle by comparing my steam generation to my steam usage to always have a greater generation level knowing on the steepest gradient I will lose some steam pressure till I creast but then can build back up for the next clmb. All in all it takes constant fiddling and adjusting while also driving, but is great satisfaction when you get that 1000 points on a career scenario.
