The restricted mode of the PZB is extremely stressful without AFB, as soon as you reach 45 km/h for 0.1 milliseconds, you immediately get Zwangsbremsung. And in general, the S-Bahn could benefit from the AFB as much as any other train that has it, perhaps even more due to more variable speed limits on its way that also change every day according to different issues in real life, why didn't they put one in the 422?
You aren't supposed to be going 45kmh. That's the max limit and you want room for adjustment. Like you could be on a gradient or bad weather conditions so you want to go slower so you don't get ebraked. Afb is probably not needed on the sbahn trains cuz you aren't really going long distance or traveling fast all the time such as for high speed trains. High speed trains go fast and go really far distances, so afb and lzb helps so the driver doesn't have to constantly focus on twiddling with the throttle to stick to a speed limit. Sbahn trains are more like stop and go so afb would be kinda useless for a short distance between stations. Idk about german train history or engineering or why they made it that way but I would assume afb doesn't really serve a purpose for sbahn trains.
DB regs state that drivers must stay at least 5 km/h below any PZB speed limit. So under monitoring you should be holding 40. Anyway, AFB is intended as a cruise control for long hauls, not as a substitute for driver control in traffic.
Most German commuter routes in TSW it's rare to even get line speed between stops - 80 or 90 km/h, shut off to coast and brakes in at 700 to 800 metres from the stop. In fact I find AFB a PITA on those locos where you are forced to use it, like the 143. I would much rather keep fine control of the throttle myself.
Yeah, the 143 is a weird one. It combines all the negatives of the different throttle & AFB systems, in my opinion. Having this amount of complexity, imprecision and input delay in a loco which is supposed to do either frequent stopping (Dresden) or long-distance running over steep gradients (Ruhr-Sieg Nord) is just soooo bad. Wish I could just drive it with a regular throttle lever like (almost) any other loco. At this point, it’s more tedious to drive than the steam trains
You can drive the 143 like any other loco using the auxiliary control located to the right of the force selector which is located to the right of the speed selector which is located to the right of the reverser. can't remember the keyboard control for it though. And yes, you are supposed to be 5km/h below the speed required for PZB.
The reason that I can think of is that it's not going to help for stop and go services due to short distances between stations. However some S-Bahn systems that actually use a locomotive and coaches have the option to use AFB (Automatische Fahr und Bremssteuerung link German Wiki) best examples for this end game are S-Bahn Leipzig DB Baureihe 182 S-Bahn Dresden Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe VVO DB Baureihe 143 VVO Doppelstockwagen
It really depends on the use case. In real life some non-ICE DB EMUs have cruise control built in (not as sophisticated as AFB, but a simpler version dubbed "Tempomat") where the driver can set a maximum speed. Those units are used on both S-bahn services and slightly longer local/regional services. Those include the BR1442 and BR442 (both modelled in TSW) and the BR429 ("FLIRT") have it on board. Pure S-bahn units like the BR422 and BR423 don't need it, as the average distance between stations is very short.
It is satisfying when you get it right. You really need to use the force selector and AFB modes regularly. Unfortunately when you have to look down to select controls like that it can be annoying and disruptive, especially when you’ve got PZB to deal with. It’s an engine that would be easier to drive in real life as you would be able to touch the numerous controls without looking down. If we could map our own controls that would go some way to make it easier to drive. I tend to avoid passenger runs with the 143 as it’s such a faf. Freight is nice though.
The force selector can be controlled with the R and F keys, like speed control settings would be on other locos.
Actually, since I wrote that comment, I’ve spent tons of time with the 143 on different routes and really really like it now. You’ve just got take some time to familiarize yourself with all the mechanics, and then everything makes sense. I summarized my thoughts in the how to drive the BR 143 thread.
