Is it a Realistic Driving Experience?

[spudder]

So there I was driving the first activity of my freshly purchased London-Brighton route ("a driver's route" say the reviews)... I was quite proud of myself... obeying the speed limits and covering the 20-odd miles to the first station and arriving three seconds early

Anyway, it all ended soon after as I was caught out by a red signal It's not that I ignored the orange signals... it's just I had no idea the next signal was so close!

My question is... are signals really placed at variable distances from each other like this? Does a driver just have to learn where the short blocks of track are and where there is more leeway?

Thinking about it, I suppose you need signals to protect junctions and crossovers, so where a route is complex then you'll get short blocks...

I wish it came with a diagram of the route and where the signals were... I guess I'll learn it after doing it wrong several times

Mark

[buffy500]

Mark,

No some of the signals are a bit too close to each other.

Sorry about that !

[stewart]

When I was a freight guard with BR in the early seventies, before a driver was permited to drive any line solo, He must have signed a declaration that he knows that line and is able to drive it competently. In My days with BR this meant knowing the location of every signal, signal box ground frame,permanent speed limit, bend, siding,siding length, catch point position and gradient on the line.

If a driver (or Freight Guard) had signed for a particular line and then an accident ocurred due to ignorance of the line by the said crew member, then a prosecution could easilly follow.

So as you can see line knowledge was very important. I would assume thing are pretty much the same even now.
Cheers,
Stewart.

[jking]

When I was a freight guard with BR in the early seventies, before a driver was permited to drive any line solo, He must have signed a declaration that he knows that line and is able to drive it competently. In My days with BR this meant knowing the location of every signal, signal box ground frame,permanent speed limit, bend, siding,siding length, catch point position and gradient on the line.

Yep its still like that now. Every driver must sign the road, to know about station stops, signals and specific signal indications, for instance the starting signal on platform 1 at Exeter St Davids shows UW, in its theatre indicator when a certain route is set. Every driver who has signed the road will know that UW means "Up Waterloo" meaning that they have been routed on the "Up Waterloo" line to Exeter Central.

[andrewgadd]

I have driven steam on the Met (LUL) a couple of times and each time the drivers are required to go on a route knowledge coarse (several cab rides with regular drivers) just so you can learn exactly what is around the next corner so to speak!

[Baily9531]

My advise to anyone trying out a new route on the sim which they arnt familiar with is run lots in explore mode,or create an end to end ativity, with no timetable, at a slow speed, taking in locations of things, then when you run an activity, if you get a red un, you know if you have to brake sharply or youve got plenty of space to stop!

[suffolk]

I allways thought that the signals had to be a distance that would still allow a train to stop in time when travelling at line speed, so maybe the the speed limits on the L2B sim are incorrect.

[spudder]

Mark,

No some of the signals are a bit too close to each other.

Sorry about that !

No problem! I just completed the activity and had a great time! I really appreciate the way speed limit in the track monitor changes just as you pass the signs...

I enjoyed using the trackside camera view ('4') at a station to try and get a platform view as I went past, and I think the scenery is excellent... lovely views along the cutting / gorge on the way into Brighton. Excellent route... should keep me happy for a long time.

Can't wait until the next one though!

Mark (in St Denys!)

[Horgy]

Rob Thoburn is best to answer about Signalling, but the signals are placed so that the Slowest Braking train can stop from the double yellow to Red in sufficient time. I don't know what the slowest train on L2B would be, but the passenger trains are better so you should easily be able to stop after seeing just the double yellow..

Horgy

[choccy]

I hope with MSTS2 Track Monitor will show signals at least two ahead. Mark

[Goingnorth]

Yep, the signals are placed to allow for the fastest train to brake to a stand from double yellow (or yellow) to red within the permissible line speed. There are several factors for signal placement and I'm not going to bang on about what they should be, suffice to say there are good books available. The 'W' Curve is used by engineers for placement, along with signal sighting committees.

As for LTB, the signalling is wrong. I don't mean to downgrade the work that has been done, on this otherwise adequate route, however in terms of signalling it falls short. That said, no UK route reflects true UK signalling practice as MSTS is unable to simulate MAS or AB block signalling in the correct working manner.

Most of the routes have incorrect signal spacing. There are one or two routes that do not fall into this group, Eg PDees S&C. It should be noted that the default routes also have incorrect spacing, especially the default S&C.

[ThinLizzy]

A guess the slowest braking train that normally uses the London to Brighton route would be 12 cig, but the route must be able to convey freight and engineers trains

[bigvern]

I admit I tend to put my distant signals too close to the Home signal. Trick of the eye in RE.

[TomB]

I usually take a look in AE before driving anything new, to see the basic route of the line, crossovers, and layouts at complex bits.