Dear TSW 2 engine drivers, I am new to TSW 2 (xbox one x platform ); therefore I am interested to drive my train as real as possible. 1. How to use the "automatic brake system correctly" ? - especially position "neutral" ,"suppression" - what does that mean ? Is there a Tutorial for the brake systems ??? 2. Dynamic brake system - when and how to use correctly ? 3. Independant (engine) brake system - when and how to use correctly ? Thank you very much for any help! N ey tiree
Automatic Brake Uses compressed air (or vacuum) to apply the brakes along the whole train (the train cars/wagons are fitted with brakes as well*) Usually the brakes are gradually applied and released from the front to the rear of the train, generally the "action that triggers the brakes" to be applied or released is a reduction in air pressure along a long pipe that travels all the way through the train, so it takes a while for the pressure to drop along the entire lenght. This is very noticeable especially for American trains, which are really long. It can for example take 10-15 minutes for the brakes to release completely at the back of the train. It will still have a noticable impact on all trains. On the german passenger trains (DoStos) the above doesn't apply as the "apply the brake" signal is carried electrically which then applies the brakes on the wagons. This braking system is most often used for major/quick speed reductions, and stopping the train completely. The braking force is fairly constitent at all speeds. Some locomotives/trains will have a different, more "archaic" system (called non self lapping), but I won't go into much detail now, as you don't seem to have encountered it yet. And someone else will explain it better than I could. The "suppression" setting is related to some safety systems, where you have to follow a predetermined braking curve, and the suppression setting will make sure you are always within the correct parameters. Handle off instead is the position you should leave the brake lever in a trailing (non-driving) locomotive. *Except from some old british wagons Dynamic/Electric Brake It Should be your most used type of brake, the "default", its action is instantaneous, predictable and energy efficient. This kind of brake basically uses the motors as generators, converting the train's kinetic energy in electricity, which is either wasted and turned into heat in diesel locomotives or sent back through the catenary/third rail. Remember to be gentle and gradual though, as the whole braking is only done by the locomotive, and you don't want the free rolling wagons to smash too harshly on the loco, especially for extremely long US trains. The effectiveness greatly varies with speed, often these brakes having peak force at a certain speed, and the brake force will drop off with speed, it cannot generate any braking force when standing still, or at very low speed. This is an example of two kind of dynamic brakes Indipendent Brake It's just the air brake (the same system used by the train brake) but it only acts on the brakes on the locomotive. This is only used when the locomotive is isolated (on its own), and in germany is standard procedure to remain still at stations with the train brake released and the loco brake applied* *actually the brakes is automatically applied on the coaches whenever the doors are open. Using different brake types togheter It's generally not a bad idea to bail off the indipendent brake when the train air brake is applied for US freight as the brakes take so much longer to evenly apply on the whole train lenght, and again we don't want the back of the train to smash into the front of the train. It's often mandatory to bail off the indipendent brake if the dynamic brake is applied, this can be done automatically (on for example some german electrics) or you have to do it yourself, for example on the US Diesel locomotives. Blended Braking is often used and that means that, when you apply the train brakes, the locomotive will automatically use the electric brakes instead of the locomotive air brakes, usually the locomotive air brakes are applied, but automatically released as the dynamic brake starts to be applied, and the air brake is then used again at low speed. Many EMUs using a combined power and brake handle will automatically use the dynamic and air brake depending on the situation. Hope that was helpful, Merry Christmas
Welcome to the forums FD1003 beat me to it, but I‘ll still post what I came up with. Oh boy, this is going to be a long one. Let me preface this by asking if you‘re talking about North American trains? Your terminology seems to imply that. All I‘ll type will be for freight trains as I‘m not too familiar with North American passenger operations. I don‘t know where you‘ve seen neutral as a braking position. It‘s not one I‘m familiar with. You use the auto brake to stop your train or slow it down for a speed limit. The latter is better done with dynamic brakes though if possible. To initiate a braking procedure, put the auto brake into minimum application. This should result in a 6 psi reduction in the brake pipe, but is simulated incorrectly as a 10 psi reduction on older routes. Generally speaking, a 10 psi reduction will be enough to stop you - you wouldn‘t really go lower than a reduction to 75 psi for normal service braking. As to the other positions, full service is as the name implies a full service application. It‘s as hard as the brakes will apply without going into emergency. Suppression is the same thing but also suppresses a penalty brake application allowing you to recover faster (if you didn‘t acknowledge the alerter for example) - you don‘t really need to worry about it in TSW. Handle off is for shutting down the cab and emergency is rather self-explanatory. I won‘t mention how the independent brake bail-off links to this unless you want me to. That‘s a few more paragraphs of explanations As a short teaser, you can use it to keep a train stretched while stopping it. Use them to hold the speed down a gradient or to lower your speed for an upcoming speed restriction. Be aware of the long set-up tome before you can use them. In general, apply them gently (since only the locos brake - slowly gather up the slack instead of hammering on the brakes). If you find that you need to all the way up to B7 or B8 to hold the speed down a gradient, apply a minimum application of the auto brake and then fine tune with the dynamics. For this to work, you have to bail-off the loco brakes using the independent brake. Only use them in yards or when traveling with a loco/light locos. You can use them extensively while switching in a yard. The most important bit here is the bail-off position which releases the loco brake independently from the auto brake setting. You need to bail off the loco brakes when using dynamics while the auto brake is applied.
I would add, though, that for small speed adjustments of just a few miles/km per hour, the independent brake is useful since it applies and releases quickly, and doesn't drain the system of air nor require a lengthy recharge period; and doesn't have the built-in delay characteristic of dynamics on older US locos. And all but mandatory on many British locos, which don't have dynamics at all. Blended braking: also can refer, with long, heavy US trains on serious downgrades, to establishing a braking "baseline" with the auto/train brakes, and then using the dynamics on top of that for speed control.
