What do the different traction controller braking modes and dead man mode do?

[markasoftware]

This is all wos3. I went through the tutorial, and I get the basics of how to use the game and how to run the train and everything, but I still have a few questions left unanswered. First off, what does the "dead man" mode (activated by tab) do? Second, what do the different modes on the traction controller do? I know the highest three are different throttle levels, and I know that release and off gets brake pressure but doesn't apply brakes or throttle, emergency applies emergency brakes and releases brake pressure, and shut down shuts it down. The other modes seem to be different types of braking, but could somebody please tell me what exactly they do and the differences between them? Thank you in advance!

[Stuz]

I was interested in this too. Try trainweb.org there is a lot there about the C Stock Cab with photos. Also try railway-technical .com for info on direct current traction motor control.
Regards Stu

[railfan101]

The dead man is a safety feature built into all modern rail vehicles. Basically the engineer is supposed to have it engaged at all times when operating the locomotive, or in this case subway car. If the dead man is deactivated, the train instantly dumps and you can't move it until you re-engage the dead man. Hope this answers your question.

[BNSF4723]

To use the traction controller, you have to have it set into deadman mode (TAB key). If you get up from your seat while the train is in motion, the deadman will trip off and the train will immediately go into emergency braking. You have to turn the deadman back on and release the brakes to resume driving. The older H series subway cars in Toronto had a very similar looking controller to them. If the operator didn't push the controller down, it wouldn't apply power. Similarly if they let go of it while the train is in motion, the emergency brakes would apply. The later subway cars had a similar deadman feature activated by twisting the power handle sideways. I'd assume it's pretty standard on all subway and light rail equipment across the world.

[dcshoe]

In Wos Vol 1 (the PATH), the power lever incorporates the deadman’s switch and controls speed. If the deadman’s switch is not activated in the Options menu, you must keep pressing the space bar to avoid an emergency brake application. This simulates holding down the power lever, required in reality. Up and down arrow keys select the four speed notches. The first two switch the motors into series, three and four switch the motors in parallel for higher speed. In the sim, you won't notice anything special except for a change in speed.

The left and right arrows increase or decrease the brakes. “Del” applies full braking, “End,” emergency braking. Pressing “Space” while driving releases the deadman’s switch and makes an emergency application. If pressed accidentally, you have three seconds to press it again or the train makes an emergency stop. Brakes cannot be released for one minute after an emergency application. Brakes work directly on the wheels, and vary only in degree.

You can, of course, configure the brakes and other equipment to suffer damage or fail altogether. For example, there's an add-on scenario for failing brakes. When brakes drop to 33% effectiveness, it takes three times longer to stop.

Hope this helps. See http://168.156.125.36/wos.html for more.