Train mass

[Natvander]

I think I know the answer, but is there anything in game that displays a train's mass?

[bigvern]

I don't think there is, Nat. Particularly when allocating motive power to a consist would be useful to know. A Class 25 might haul 20 empty hopper wagons up a 1 in 50 gradient, but a different story if they're loaded. For passenger stuff it's a bit easier, a Mark One coach is roughly 35 tons, not sure whether the sim recalculates for the number of passengers on board - I suspect that's not even a consideration. However 60 people weighing an average of twelve stones each comes out at around 5 tons extra!

[Kariban]

Only in a lua call - which you can get to output to Logmate in real time, but that's not particularily convenient.

Didn't they used to average 16 passengers per ton?

[transadelaide]

However 60 people weighing an average of twelve stones each comes out at around 5 tons extra!

Didn't they used to average 16 passengers per ton?

A ton is 1,000 kg, so one sixteenth of that is 62.5 kg. That is too light for even the average weight of British women, let alone men, let alone for transportation when it's best to overestimate.

Vern's figure of 12 st (76.2 kg) is a more reasonable approximation of average weight, if still a little too light for transportation use. It makes for about 13.1 people per ton.

A quick search reveals the average weight of men in Britain is 79.8 kg, and women 66.7 kg. If you take the male weight as average (because it's better to overestimate and overengineer) and add a couple of kilograms for luggage you get 82 kg, which is 12.2 people per ton. Round that off to 12 people per ton (83.3 kg) and you get a generous figure that allows for clothes, luggage and overengineering.

In my opinion, allowing for fractional loadings would be a great thing. You would just need a slider like the loco/tender/DMU fuel level slider, and could be applied to all freight wagons and coaches. The effect on vehicle mass could be automatically applied, with new stock to have visible fractional loads included. Previous scenarios done with the tick box for loading wagons would then be automatically set as being 100% loaded.

[bigvern]

I forgot about luggage!

Interestingly, the last Densha de Go game - "Final" - did have a visual indication of the passenger load leaving each station. This varied up and down and according to the time of day - very dynamic effect. It also affected train handling (slightly) as with a 130% load factor, crush loading, you are going to be much heavier than 33% full, also need to consider standing passengers when accelerating and braking.

It's this sort of feature which could add a bit more fun and dynamism to running routes in RW.

[transadelaide]

Allowing for a passenger train to start a scenario empty and then load up at the first stop would be good, as would an "unload passengers" instruction for the end of scenarios.

Whether the carriages involved have variable passenger loads visible or not would not make an impact, but the weight difference could be instantly applicable to all existing scenarios and rolling stock.

[Natvander]

I thought that was the case, which is a bit of a downer because train mass is one of the more important bits of information you need.

[Natvander]

So next question (sorry mods - should have included this with my previous post. Feel free to merge them). What's Railwork's email address for suggestions?

[AndyM77]

support@railsimulator.com

Silly I know, but that that's how RSC want to play it.. *edit* to make it clear, I think it's silly because ideas and suggestions make the support email queue longer, meaning it takes longer for real issues to get replied to, and an Idea & / or suggestion isn't "Support" now is it?...

[FoggyMorning]

support@railsimulator.com

Silly I know, but that that's how RSC want to play it.. *edit* to make it clear, I think it's silly because ideas and suggestions make the support email queue longer, meaning it takes longer for real issues to get replied to, and an Idea & / or suggestion isn't "Support" now is it?...

It takes longer to check two email inboxes than it does to check one!

[martinhodgson]

Didn't they used to average 16 passengers per ton?

FWIW the bus industry uses 15 people per ton as the standard.

[mikesimpson]

Each freight wagon's .bin file contains both 'Mass' and 'Capacity' entries.
Mass is the empty weight of the wagon and Capacity is the mass of the cargo.
So weight of an empty wagon is the 'Mass' entry
Weight of a fully loaded wagon is Mass + Capacity.

I would not have thought it would be all that difficult for TS 2012 to display this in game (it is only in the game that it would be known which wagons were full/empty).

Mike

[AndyM77]

support@railsimulator.com

Silly I know, but that that's how RSC want to play it.. *edit* to make it clear, I think it's silly because ideas and suggestions make the support email queue longer, meaning it takes longer for real issues to get replied to, and an Idea & / or suggestion isn't "Support" now is it?...

It takes longer to check two email inboxes than it does to check one!

True, but perhaps give the ideas email address a lower priority - i.e get the employee to perhaps check the ideas inbox just once per day. With less time spent faffing around on Facebook and other internet sites!

[transadelaide]

Didn't they used to average 16 passengers per ton?

FWIW the bus industry uses 15 people per ton as the standard.

If that's true in Australia as well, it would explain why on a hill with a 10% gradient near home I can overtake buses on my bicycle even though I'm only going about 12 km/h and properly out of breath at the top.