Helpers aren't so... um... helpful

[tg626]

At least with Steam locomotives helpers seem to be rolling anchors, adding little to no tractive effort and (I think) borking up the boiler so I accumulate no pressure in the boiler even tho the F5 hud clearly shows I'm generating more steam then I'm using by a wide margin.

NOTE: I drive with the autofireman because I want to play train simulator, not one-legged-man-in-a-butt-kicking-contest simulator. I know some of you do it, but I've never really tried on the principal of "It's a two man job for a reason".

I haven't extensively tested this with Diesels, but if I put a 15 car cut of the RSC Empire Builder coaches behind ONE Pere Marquette Berkshire I can summit Marias Pass going eastbound with little trouble doing around 20mph on the 1.8% grade. If I put the same cut behind TWO PM Berks I stumble to <2 mph and I have no steam even tho I should etc (see above).

I'm thinking this is why the Smokebox Connie has an "AI Helper" version?

Just double checking if this is a known thing (I seem to vaguely recall this being an issue with the double headed K4s on the Horseshoe Pass route years ago) and if there's any "community fix" for it.

[buzz456]

I always use the manual fireman and the second locomotive does add tractive effort at least on the ones I have run. If you are referring to the Berk specifically from the RWA, I'll run some tests tonight and see what I find.

[tg626]

Yeah, the RWA Berk but I don't think it's specific to that loco. What I do find interesting is that toady, even running one, it doesn't want to charge the brake pipe up to a full 90lbs, so now I'm wondering if I had brakes dragging...

[buzz456]

Several observations. To start with my copy of the Berk starts with 90psi on the brake line. My firebox fire shows up properly (posted elsewhere) and I hooked one berk up with 35 loaded RWA ore cars. It took almost three minutes to get this lashup up to 15mph. I then hooked a second locomotive up to this and it took fifty seconds to reach the same speed.

[tg626]

Maybe it's the RSC empire builder coaches?

For the record, my Berk starts at 90 psi too, but apply the brakes, stop, then release and the pipe only goes to 88.something or 89.something both on the gauge and in the F4 HUD...