SD70ACe loco (sherman hill)

[Rebrecs]

Wow .. gotta learn to drive all over again. (?)

Either, I am setting up the SD70ACe locos incorrectly, or the braking functionality is a major departure from any other loco I have driven so far.

What I am seeing is;
while using the dynamic brake, when I also engage the automatic brake, or the independent brake, the dynamic brake quits. Quits, as in, force reduces to 0.

Am I alone in seeing this? Is there a trick ?

[jorgen3]

You must "bail off" with the train independent brake then the dynamics come again. I think this is a error. They know it.
Newer loco do this automatic. this is so that there is not too much braking so the wheel stops rolling.

[Rebrecs]

You must "bail off" with the train independent brake then the dynamics come again. I think this is a error. They know it.
Newer loco do this automatic. this is so that there is not too much braking so the wheel stops rolling.

Thank you.
I will try that.

[Rebrecs]

You must "bail off" with the train independent brake then the dynamics come again. I think this is a error. They know it.
Newer loco do this automatic. this is so that there is not too much braking so the wheel stops rolling.

Well, you were correct. It is possible to get the dynamic braking system to come back alive albeit not very quickly and not to the same level it was previously running. Nothing in that loco happens very quickly. Lots of lag.
Although it is possible to restart the dynamic , beyond 35 mph neither the dynamic nor the automatic are capable of slowing the train by themselves on the 1.5% downhill.
IMO, the choices become:

1) Try your best to honor the speed limits but be prepared to hit the emergency brake several times before reaching the bottom.
2) Ignore the speed limits and the fact that you are driving a runaway train, and forget about it.
3) never exceed 30 MPH and you can get down the hill with dynamic only.

If you select #1 or #3, be prepared for the devious demon train from hell that sneaks up behind you and rides your tail ====

Yep, that really happens. So they don't have time to fix the brakes but they had time to program up a behavior enforcement device (the demon train) ? That wouldn't make sense - so one must suspect they believe the loco is working per "real-world" spec.

Who knows. Maybe it is.


Have a great day.

[jorgen3]

You must drive slow downhill.20-30 Mph. In area there the dynamics is a strongest. If you dont have high HP/ton then you can drive faster.

[Rebrecs]

You must drive slow downhill.20-30 Mph. In area there the dynamics is a strongest. If you dont have high HP/ton then you can drive faster.

Hey jorgen3,

Thanks again. I have tried many of the timetables and scenarios and am having a lot of fun with Sherman Hill now. Your advice was spot on. It is all about understanding what you are driving, and what to expect. I am now amused by my initial assessment that this route was impossible.

These are long and heavy trains. Nothing on Sand Patch to compare with 11k tons - 1-1/2 miles long. I also really like the fast speed limits. They allow you to make time and have some fun if you are in a train that can handle it. The speed thing is what drove me away from Cane Creek. I could not take the mile after monotonous mile at 25 MPH with nothing at all happening. Sherman Hill is like - hey you can go 50 MPH if you know what you are doing. (and have a good consist)

In defense of Cane Creek, they do have those "do whatever you want" scenarios, which makes it a great place to do experiments. I have learned a lot by doing "off the wall" stuff over there.

Anyway, just saying hello, and thanks again.
just FYI, do you think there is any good freight haul in the European routes? I only find passenger trains there.
If you know of any, let me know.

[jorgen3]

Good I don't know, but pretty good. Main-spessart Bahn and Ruhr sigh Nord have freight trains.
I think Main-spessart Bahn is little better. Huge hill in this
Think some English routes to (I don't have any of this)

USA Canada
Clinchfield Railroad (US) is very good to
Oakeville Subdivision (Ca) have much freight (but its boring I think)
Peninsula Corridor (US) (much Passenger trains but there are some freight trains here )