Hi, sorry for the late reply, I seem to sometimes not get notifications when people ping me. Adding my name to the video is no problem
It's all good. I understand. You have a lot on your plate, as do I, with personal family matters now. I hope you have a Happy and Safe new year.
Hello cwf.green , I've encountered some issues with the Vectron DLC in TSW while building a full-scale control desk using the TSW Raildriver and Joystick Interface software. I contacted the author of the software, Chris (CobraOne), but unfortunately, neither of us knows how to resolve these issues: The AFB lever on the Vectron is assigned to the loco brake control within TSW, but it currently does not function correctly, even with the original PieHid64.dll and a Raildriver controller. According to Chris, this issue lies within the locomotive itself and isn't something that his software can address. The suggested keys for door controls (Y and U) only partially work—specifically, they operate correctly only when the train is at a platform in a station. Additionally, I am unable to find the correct keys for opening left and right doors, as well as closing them while inside the cab. Currently, these functions only work by clicking the respective buttons with the mouse, as none of the assigned keyboard keys seem to respond. As a train driver in Poland, I must say that I have never before seen such a good modeled locomotive with such accurate physics in TSW. Thank you very much for creating the Vectron — I genuinely appreciate the detailed effort you put into it, and I hope to see even more European locomotives represented with the same level of quality and realism in the future! Thank you for your attention and support
yeah, I wish Taurus got the same level of attention and care... not a bad loco by any means, but lets say, it doesnt have prototypical LZB/AFB exit procedure, some ppl reported that using manual braking sometimes doesnt override AFB braking etc... maybe they rectify these things when we see RailJet in TSW one day ... sorry for a bit off topic comment ... back to Vectron, I genuinely love it, hopefully FlixTrain Vectron gets more services for routes in the future, as I like to utilize its power for highspeed passenger stuff
Since I was contracted for the Vectron (in contrast to something like the BR101 Expert of which I am one of the developers) I am not as free to go in and make changes or updates to the locomotive, so your best bet is to make a bug ticket directly to DTG. 1. What exactly is the issue with the AFB lever and the Raildriver? 2. It sounds like you are referring specifically to the Flixtrain Vectron and the Talbot coaches (let me know if I was wrong in my assumption). In this case both the locomotive and the coaches do not support side selection door control but only the basic TB0 system. TB0 only has two states: "unlocked" and "locked". The driver can not choose a side to unlock but instead simply releases the doors and passengers opens the doors adjacent to the platforms. Since we don't want both sides to open in the game the coaches have a (simplified) simulation of passenger behaviour where only doors adjacent to platforms will open when you unlock the doors. This is why the doors don't open outside of a station or why pressing the left button will still open the right doors if the platform is on the right side (or vice versa). Even though there are two buttons they are not to be interpreted as "open left" or "open right" but just two copies of "unlock". That keyboard controls Y/U don't work is definitely a bug though, I will investigate and let DTG know. But working keybinds would still just be "unlock"/"lock", not left/right.
Thank you very much for your detailed reply To explain the AFB issue more precisely: I have been in contact with Chris, the creator of Raildriver and Joystick Interface, and we both tried to investigate this problem. Unfortunately, it seems that the AFB lever in the Vectron is not properly assigned in the game to any controllable axis such as LocoBrake (which is normally used for AFB mapping in other locos). Because of that, the game does not recognize any input from either Raildriver or Joystick to adjust the AFB speed setpoint. Even if I assign the Raildriver or Joystick lever to LocoBrake (which usually would control the AFB in other trains), moving that lever has no effect on the AFB in Vectron. This is unlike other locos where AFB can be mapped and works smoothly via analog input. The AFB speed setpoint in the Vectron can only be adjusted using keyboard inputs, but not through any physical lever, making it impossible to integrate this function into a hardware cab or Raildriver setup. It looks like someone may have simply forgotten to map the AFB to LocoBrake, or perhaps made a typo in the internal control mapping, which now prevents any external hardware from controlling this lever properly. Even the original PieHid64.dll and official Raildriver hardware cannot move the AFB lever in-game. For now, solving this issue with the AFB lever is my priority, as I am building a full-size Vectron cab. Regarding the doors: thank you again for the explanation! That makes perfect sense, and this issue is no longer a concern for me — the main goal now is to get the AFB working properly. Thanks again for your time and help! )
isnt the AFB lever usually assigned to keys R and F? (also often used for some loco/train cruise control)
I really appreciate this guide. I've been sinking a lot of hours into the Vectron lately and it is becoming my favourite loco. I have questions about braking in the Vectron. I am confused between the throttle/brake lever and the train brake lever and their prototypical usage. What brakes would you use to slow the train? What brakes would you use to stop the train?
The brake range of the throttle lever controls the electric (or dynamic) brakes of the loco. Like the direct brake, these brakes only apply to the loco, not the whole train. The driver's brake valve controls the indirect air brakes along the entire train. When you apply the indirect air brakes via the driver's brake valve, the loco will blend in the electric brakes for the same brake force and vent the brake cylinders since this saves on maintenance (not using up the brake discs and pads). Generally speaking, you should aim to use the electric brakes (i.e. the brake range of the throttle lever) for speed reductions or to hold the speed downhill. The indirect air brakes (i.e. the driver's brake valve) must be used for stopping. However, it all depends on context. For large speed reductions with a heavy train, the electric brakes might not be suitable and the air brakes are more appropriate. If there is a surprising signal (possibly with 1000Hz monitoring on top), the air brakes are almost certainly the right call. Hope that gives you a general idea.
Hello! How can I launch a DB Vectron locomotive on the Zwolle - Groningen route? I lower the pantograph, switch to the 1.5 kV NL system, then raise the pantograph. But the craving is still inactive. Can you give me detailed instructions?
In one of my videos about Zwolle Groningen there is a complete setup for the Vectron covered. Check it out, if you like: Video
