Atomic Systems

G'day there all...

Nothing to worry about here, I haven't found some secret code in KRS that'll make your DVDs self-destruct on a certain date or anything... just want to know the opinion of those who favour using the Class 55 locos on passenger trains, or even freighters. Do you happen to think the brakes on these locos are a little "weak" or slow-acting perhaps ? When I have one on an 8-car passenger train of Mk1 cars, and am doing around 25-30 mph at the start of a platform of say, 1 1/2 times the train's length, not including the loco itself, it seems that I have to really apply the brakes to get the train stopped before reaching the end of the platform, and on freight trains, if I don't brake slowly at a known position well before I reach a red signal, I tend to overshoot the signal.

Yet, with a Class 47, Class 66, or any other diesel or DMU, I'm fine with the braking. It's just the Deltics that seem to be a bit on the "slow" side to brake quickly, as though I'm driving a coal train of 30 loaded HTAs. As just a thought, the Class 66 handles these 30-car coal trains' stops very well indeed, but the Class 55s seem to act like they have a 20-car coal train instead of an 8-car passenger rake, behind them. There seems to be some physics updating going on with RSDL, and this may cure the problems, hopefully.

Regards...

Jim McDermott

I suspect I'm wrong but do Deltics have vacuum brakes rather than air brakes that you might find on a 66?

Jon

Hi Jim,

Physics updates wont touch anything Brake related.

jonnysmooth wrote:I suspect I'm wrong but do Deltics have vacuum brakes rather than air brakes that you might find on a 66?

Jon

Vacuum brakes ? More than likely they do/did have 'em. I can't be a witness to vacuum brakes at all, because here in New Zealand, they've had Westinghouse air brakes since the early 1900's, and I don't know if any older locos actually had vacuum brakes not. I think the Westinghouse brakes arrived on the Wellington & Manawatu Railway (Wellington to Palmerston North via Johnsonville) with the delivery of some Baldwin steamers, before the W&M RR was sold off to the Government from it's private ownership before the North Island Main Trunk Railway (426 Miles) was opened through to Auckland in 1908. I'm not much of a historian, and someone else may well wish to refute my statement and correct me here ?

But I'm not 100% sure of the advantages of air brakes over vacuum brakes, but I'd assume the vacuum variety might be slower to activate ? Anyone care to provide dates for the British introduction of these brakes, and whether or not they're totally out of use in GB now ? And how did they "feel" when in use on passenger trains, to those who "grew up" with them, and if the air brak is considered better or not ? Not intending to start a flame war here, either.

Regards...

Jim McDermott

jonnysmooth wrote:I suspect I'm wrong but do Deltics have vacuum brakes rather than air brakes that you might find on a 66?

Jon

Deltic's and 47's are dual braked, so they can operate in both modes, albeit not at the same time.

RSAdam wrote:Hi Jim,

Physics updates wont touch anything Brake related.

Doesn't really worry me, Adam. The brakes are all working exceptionally well on everything else I'd have to admit, but learning this about the Deltics, I just have to start braking sooner before the actual stop is made, if indeed, I have to stop. Little and often would be the best approach I reckon. It's kinda fun, you know

Regards...

Jim McDermott

Hi,
It's a shame they don't have any smoke as yet.
I think it's an excellent model though.

Cheers
John

navyman1 wrote:Hi,
It's a shame they don't have any smoke as yet.
I think it's an excellent model though.

Cheers
John

Heehee... I think I know what you mean there about smoke. The former New Zealand Railways bought some General Electric U26-C model diesels of 2750 hp back in 1972. They finally got them running in regular service after about a year, after numerous union problems with crews wanting more pay for handling newer and more powerful locomotives, and man, did those U-Boats really smoke it up when the throttle was opened and going through the notches !

They corrected the problem with the smoke with the next batch of locos, modifying the exhaust manifolds or something and these smokers were like every other loco. The NSW, Australia, 48 Class Goodwin-Alco diesels, used in branchline service and also mainline service most of the time as well, were pretty notorious for smoke as well. The 44 & 45 Classes were pretty-much the same, but I can't recall seeing any of the Clyde/General Motors diesels doing the same thing. The 49 Class GM locos were of the same vintage as the 44/45/48 Classes, and I never saw any smoke that I noted from these locos at any time. In this day and age, the heavy smokers wouldn't be allowed to run as they used to, given the anti-pollution laws we have now.

Regards...

Jim McDermott