I've been away from train simulation for a long time but got the taste back after being accepted as a trainee driver here in Sweden, after 8 years on the railway as a signaller. I'll start training in a few weeks.
I recently reinstalled Train Simulator (not sure what year it's officially called anymore) and got myself the AP Class 86 to have a bit more realism. I've been driving back and forth along the WCML Over Shap route during the last few days and really enjoyed it, even though I tend to get negative points in the thousands even though I always try to drive responsibly.
One thing I've noticed with the Class 86, which I assume is supposed to be as realistic as possible, is that the train brake can be gradually released, even when hauling freight wagons. Is this correct? What I'm used to with our hauled stock is the brakes being immediately fully released once you rise the pressure in the brake pipe. Did British Rail use some different kind of air brake system than continental Europe? Some technical details would be interesting!