But officer, my rear end was only doing ...

[OldProf]

Hey, I'm peacefully and happily retired. I don't need this aggravation!

Against my better instincts, I keep trying to drive the car-rear scenarios on the new Canadian route. Today, I attempted one called CP Train 200 Part 1. The situation is that the player is driving the second part of a 2-part freight and the first message warns about staying comfortably behind the leading part of the two-part train. Frankly, that never became a problem. Rather, I found simply trying to drive at a relatively even speed absolutely impossible. Starting out, I set the power handle at 13% (notch 1) and took off the brakes. The speed limit was 20. I watched the HUD speed (which is the one that counts if you don't want to be harassed by the points-meister) start to climb slowly, but left the throttle at notch 1. Suddenly, the HUD speed started climbing precipitously toward 20. Dropping the throttle to 0, I simultaneously set the brake up to 10%. No dice -- speed and point deductions kept soaring. Quit ... Play Again. On the second attempt, I dropped the throttle to 0 when HUD speed reached 10, but still had to use the brakes to keep from exceeding 20 mph.

And so it proceeded: HUD speed alternating between rapid rises and falls; cab speedometer fluctuating as well, but less rapidly. Yes, I know that one of these indicates speed at the train's front and the other at the train's rear . . . don't ask me which is which. Struggling along while occasionally losing license points for speeding, I nevertheless steadily earned "timeliness" (which in car-rear scenarios is much more important than godliness). Then, with just a few miles to go to the scenario's end point, with the throttle on notch 3, the brakes completely off, and the HUD velocity behaving rather well, B-A-M !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Game over, thanks for subjecting yourself to this senseless humiliation.

==========================================

Okay. End of rant. Can someone please help me understand the driving techniques involved in managing such a train (3 engines and a lot of cars) on grades ranging from 0 to 2.2%? Please keep in mind that I prefer switching scenarios and do quite well on those, especially if they are not of the car-rear variety.

[Chacal]

I'm thinking coupler elasticity.
You are being rammed by your car-rears.

[buzz456]

Thanks Tom. That's my first real laugh today.

[OldProf]

I'm thinking coupler elasticity.
You are being rammed by your car-rears.

Hmmmmm? Thanks for playing, but I find this hard to accept: with the train's velocity soaring up and sliding down at both ends, why wouldn't "coupler elasticity" have kicked in earlier? On the other hand, I have occasionally experienced waistband elasticity issues, so maybe you're right.

[Ericmopar]

I'm thinking coupler elasticity.
You are being rammed by your car-rears.

Yep, Wrong minimum distance, maximum distance, spring coefficient, target distance and probably damping.
Set Minimum distance in the coupler/s bins to: .01
Set Maximum distance in the coupler bins to: .04
Set target distance to: 0
Set spring coefficient to: 0
Damping to: 50

So far works on all "Type-E" coupler folders in Train Sim and also the "coupler/ings" folders in DLC like the SP SD45.
Try it you'll like it. Fixes rubberiness, drifting after stopping, problems and "Slinky" effect. Will also cure the common cold in about 10 days.

Oh yeah. Make sure if you try those settings on one route or DlC, that any test train you use, uses nothing but stock from that DLC! Mixing rolling stock that hasn't all been fixed won't do a person any good.

[OldProf]

Okay, let me try this again. I am seeking driving suggestions, not file modifications. I'd like to hear from folks who have gotten through this scenario successfully and can tell me how to do so. I'm just not one of those tinkerers who feel that editing code is the answer to everything. No offense intended, but that's just not my style.

[jamesphh]

I could understand this if you are going up hill and the rear is on the flat. But, I have had this with the entire train going up hill.
Also tried to run the entire route using two light engines and going down 4% and 5% down grades have had the speed drop. Is there really that much track friction for this to happen?
Edit:
Brain dead day! Should have been .4% and .5%.

[Ericmopar]

Okay, let me try this again. I am seeking driving suggestions, not file modifications. I'd like to hear from folks who have gotten through this scenario successfully and can tell me how to do so. I'm just not one of those tinkerers who feel that editing code is the answer to everything. No offense intended, but that's just not my style.

That's because it's a long standing bug in the way the couplers are set up. They program in things like "spring coefficient" which is for buffer style couplers in Europe.
When you set up the couplers for the proper amount of slack and no springiness, they work like they are supposed to.
You're acting like it's a cheat of some kind.
If it's a "Type-E" folder a person can also install Dick Cowan's Brit-Kit Buckeye's.

It's a bug, like the Sherman Hill couplers that uncouple for no reason at all when driving at a steady speed over Sherman Hill.

[Chacal]

Officer: Good afternoon sir! I've been waiting for you all day!
Driver: Yes, I'm sorry, I got here as fast as I could.

[mrennie]

Yep, Wrong minimum distance, maximum distance, spring coefficient, target distance and probably damping.
Set Minimum distance in the coupler/s bins to: .01
Set Maximum distance in the coupler bins to: .04
Set target distance to: 0
Set spring coefficient to: 0
Damping to: 50

So far works on all "Type-E" coupler folders in Train Sim and also the "coupler/ings" folders in DLC like the SP SD45.
Try it you'll like it. Fixes rubberiness, drifting after stopping, problems and "Slinky" effect. Will also cure the common cold in about 10 days.

Oh yeah. Make sure if you try those settings on one route or DlC, that any test train you use, uses nothing but stock from that DLC! Mixing rolling stock that hasn't all been fixed won't do a person any good.

Thanks! ... I've updated 844's buckeye couplers

[Ericmopar]

Yep, Wrong minimum distance, maximum distance, spring coefficient, target distance and probably damping.
Set Minimum distance in the coupler/s bins to: .01
Set Maximum distance in the coupler bins to: .04
Set target distance to: 0
Set spring coefficient to: 0
Damping to: 50

So far works on all "Type-E" coupler folders in Train Sim and also the "coupler/ings" folders in DLC like the SP SD45.
Try it you'll like it. Fixes rubberiness, drifting after stopping, problems and "Slinky" effect. Will also cure the common cold in about 10 days.

Oh yeah. Make sure if you try those settings on one route or DlC, that any test train you use, uses nothing but stock from that DLC! Mixing rolling stock that hasn't all been fixed won't do a person any good.

Thanks! ... I've updated 844's buckeye couplers

I'm glad I could help Mike! There was quite a bit of testing done there. It was my first adventure into the bins.

[OldProf]

Where's the smiley with the white flag waving???

[Chacal]

Eh. You're talking to a bunch of engineer-types.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

This seems irrelevant, but it is not.

[OldProf]

Eh. You're talking to a bunch of engineer-types.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

This seems irrelevant, but it is not.

To you, perhaps; to me, no. Had I wanted to know about presumed defects in the engine model, that's what I would have asked about. I asked about how to drive the engine as it exists: acceleration, brakes, that sort of thing; not how "engineers" might want it to be.

Good grief!

[RSMattP]

Just a heads up - We are looking to do a small update to the Canadian product very shortly and i'll make sure a fix to this coupler problem goes in there.

Matt.
Dovetail Games.