Turbo Bill
08-03-2008, 01:06 PM
Will the weather environment impact the performance of the player train, namely wind? wind has an effect on real trains. I've had trains with 30 to 40 empty Bulkhead and centerbeam flatcars that could not get above 35mph with three GP39-2's on desending water leval grade pushing a strong headwind. Remember that one needs to double the frontal area on empty bulkhead and centerbeam flatcars due to the double bulkheads. Also empty gondolas and open top hopper cars should have the frontal areas about 1 and 1/2 times the loaded version. This is why the aforementioned cars have lower maximum allowed speeds for empty versions in a real train. At speeds greater then the posted allowed, in each Railroads Sytem Special Intructions documents, the cars can actually "lift" themselves off the tracks from wind forces on the front and rear bulkhead walls. I always reset the empty railcars frontal area in MSTS-1 to compensate these multiple bulkheads on freight cars. I'm hoping we will have a working environment that will effect the train.
Also will the new sim model Truck Hunting and it's effect on empty railcars? Truck Hunting is a condition were an empty railcar's trucks will start to rythemetically oscilate sideways at higher speeds. An empty railcar can actually derail on straight (and curved) track from the truck's wheelsets actually climbing on the flange face and derailing. This is another reason why empty railcars have slower maximum allowed speeds over their loaded versions. The weight of the loads actually minimize Truck Hunting and keeps the flanges on the rail's inside ball face allowing higher max speeds for loaded versions.
Also will the new sim model Truck Hunting and it's effect on empty railcars? Truck Hunting is a condition were an empty railcar's trucks will start to rythemetically oscilate sideways at higher speeds. An empty railcar can actually derail on straight (and curved) track from the truck's wheelsets actually climbing on the flange face and derailing. This is another reason why empty railcars have slower maximum allowed speeds over their loaded versions. The weight of the loads actually minimize Truck Hunting and keeps the flanges on the rail's inside ball face allowing higher max speeds for loaded versions.