Marias Pass Dynamic Brakes

[OlPaint]

Could somebody explain to me how to operate the new Dynamic Brakes that are in the new Marias Pass BNSF ES44 DC diesel. I have not been able to figure out the instructions in the 'Engineer Training Advanced' tutorial for the life of me.

Apparently the DB must be pre-charged before they will operate, so with the Throttle at zero and brake lever at 2% the DB will charge up. And once the DB are charged, the throttle is deactivated. And to regain throttle control, the brake must be returned to zero application. Is the DB enabled at the top of the downgrade? Can the DB be enabled as the train drifts down the slope? Can you control the amount of braking force while decending to control your speed?

Please, please, someone explain the operation in plainer terms. I have tryed every thing imaginable but I still can not get the DB to operate at all.

OlPaint

[buzz456]

Say what? You gotta do what? Have you tried going in the cab and just pushing the handle forward? I couldn't get it to work and did that and it worked but I can't remember if I was driving the ES or the SD40.

[Chacal]

Dynamic brakes have to be set up before using them. It takes a few seconds to switch the circuits.
So you have to think ahead: about10 seconds before you need them, set throttle at 0, set dynamic brakes at Setup, wait around 10 seconds.
Then you can apply more or less dynamic brakes as needed as you go down the grade, never touching the throttle. You can use air brakes though.
ATthe bottom of the grade you return the dyn brakes to Setup for 10 seconds, then to 0, then you can use the throttle again.

Be aware that dynamic brakes will only brake engines, not wagons, so if you apply too much without air brakes the train will bunch up, wheels may slip, the train may derail. If you can apply a minimum reduction on air brakes before using the dynamic brakes it is usually better.

[OlPaint]

Chacal

I understand setting Throttle to Zero as preparation to enable the Dynamic Brake. But what is the "Setup" position you are speaking of? I see on the HUD that the top brake option is Train Brake control, The middle brake option is Loco Brake control, and the bottom brake option is Dymanic Brake control.

So tell me again what options am I supposed to use to do "setup" for enabling, controlling , and disabling the dymanic brakes. Do I have to be in the Dynamic Brake option selected to do all this? I am still struggling to understand.

OlPainter

[BNSFdude]

Every locomotive has to set up the field divert for the traction motors to send power to resistors and to recieve power. It takes roughly 2 seconds on new ones, but computers still hold it for 10 seconds due to that being the AAR standard.

[Chacal]

I understand setting Throttle to Zero as preparation to enable the Dynamic Brake. But what is the "Setup" position you are speaking of? I see on the HUD that the top brake option is Train Brake control, The middle brake option is Loco Brake control, and the bottom brake option is Dymanic Brake control.

That's not options, just a limitation of the interface.
There are actually 3 separate brake systems. The F4 HUD only shows you one brake system at a time. Forget about this.
Look at the control stand: there's a lever for train brake, one for loco brake and one for dynamic brake.
The engineer can use any and all of those at any time.
You can do so with the mouse, or with the keyboard. That's what I do, I drive entirely with the keyboard.

So tell me again what options am I supposed to use to do "setup" for enabling, controlling , and disabling the dymanic brakes. Do I have to be in the Dynamic Brake option selected to do all this? I am still struggling to understand.

Just like the throttle and the train brake, the dynamic brake lever has positions, or "notches".
First notch is "0" or "OFF".
Next notch is "Setup", as mentioned before (the game may display something else, like "2%". It depends on who made the loco).
Next notch is "1", next is "2", etc. Each notch corresponds to an increasing braking %, which depends on who made the loco.

So let me repeat my previous instructions more clearly:

You have to think ahead: about 10 seconds before you need the dynamic brakes (when your train starts to get momentum), set the throttle lever at "0", set the dynamic brake lever at "Setup", wait around 10 seconds.
Then you can apply more or less dynamic brakes (slowly moving the lever one notch at a time) as needed as you go down the grade, never touching the throttle. You can still use air brakes though, especially if there's a temporary steeper grade, or if the loco wheels are slipping.
At the bottom of the grade, you return the dyn brake lever to the "Setup" position for 10 seconds, then to "0", then you can use the throttle again.

[OlPaint]

Thanks, Chacal

Now that is a great tutorial for the Dynamic Brakes.

BTW, to change the subject somewhat...Have you edited your cab camera for the right seat/engineer's eyes so that he does not have to unscrew his head every time, to look over his left shoulder, to see the control stands? I recently purchased Claudio Mussa's Cab Camera Position utility but have not yet learned how to use it. If only I was able to move myself backwards just a little in the engineer's seat to widen my Field of View, then driving with the mouse/hand on the 3D controls would be more intuative.

OlPaint

[Chacal]

No, I don't need it because I never look at the controls. I use the keyboard for driving.

[OlPaint]

Ok, Chacal, I understand. But personally like the visual feed back of seeing the "Hand on the Throttle". Each to his own.

BTW, the 10 second "setup" time was the missing piece I needed for the instructions. The DB is working as advertised now. Thanks again.

OlPaint