Steam Engine JT BR Clan,,stops mid-route

[Muggles]

Currently I am running the JT BR Clan Class 6. The scenario is the School Special - West of Scotland Port Road.

I have about 8 miles to go to the station (50 minutes in to the game) and have successfully travelled through a 1.5 up grade track (about 7 miles), 1.1 down grade track (about 5 miles), then upgrade about 1.5 (about 2 miles). At this point the engine starts to slow as I expect because of the terrain. I then hit a level area where I continue to slow.

I look at my vital signs and everything is where they should be, with the exception of the Steam Chest Pressure (at 0).
Boiler pressure at about 221 psi,
Steam chest pressure -- 0 - this is what concerns me.
Fire mass 815 Lbs
Steam Generator at 3900
Steam Usage at 2891
Water level running about 95%, let it drop to 75% then refill as needed
Coal at about 52%, will let it drop to 47% then refill to about 54%.

Using these numbers I have successfully travelled through up hill section, level sections at speed or close to.

But this one section that is a level grade (0.0 grade), I continue to loose speed and eventually stop. I cannot get going again. I figure it must be the Steam chest at 0, but I don't know how to get this up so the piston fire.

Any suggestions.

[bigmull]

There was a "Community Patch " for this loco,have to installed it?It could be the answer to your steaming woes.

[Trev123]

I have completed that scenario quite some time ago as I have the green tick beside it. Did you have the blower turned on?

[tnleeuw01]

I have completed that scenario quite some time ago as I have the green tick beside it. Did you have the blower turned on?

If the steam pressure is at it's max, I tend to think more of a bug with the regulator...

What happens when you move the regulator to full open, then fully closed, then slowly opening it again?

What is the value of the regulator in the F5 HUD?

--Tim

[Trev123]

I tend to agree with you that something is wrong with this loco. I notice in the F5 that the train brake is only 48% released. I have just tried this scenario again and after picking up the passengers at Dumfries (not sure on spelling) I have trouble getting it going. I would call myself pretty experienced at driving steamers in TS. On the F5 hud the readings for the steam chest pressure is basically unreadable as it is jumping all over the place and also the steam usage reading. As I have said in my previous post it must have worked properly sometime as I have completed the scenario. I have also downloaded and installed it again with no improvement. I shall report this issue to JT.

[Trev123]

I was using advanced mode. mode.

[Trev123]

Currently I am running the JT BR Clan Class 6. The scenario is the School Special - West of Scotland Port Road.

I have about 8 miles to go to the station (50 minutes into the game) and have successfully travelled through a 1.5 upgrade track (about 7 miles), 1.1 downgrade track (about 5 miles), then upgrade about 1.5 (about 2 miles). At this point, the engine starts to slow as I expect because of the terrain. I then hit a level area where I continue to slow.

I look at my vital signs and everything is where they should be, with the exception of the Steam Chest Pressure (at 0).
Boiler pressure at about 221 psi,
Steam chest pressure -- 0 - this is what concerns me.
Fire mass 815 Lbs
Steam Generator at 3900
Steam Usage at 2891
Water level running about 95%, let it drop to 75% then refill as needed
Coal at about 52%, will let it drop to 47% then refill to about 54%.

Using these numbers I have successfully travelled through the uphill section, level sections at speed or close to.

But this one section that is a level grade (0.0 grade), I continue to lose speed and eventually stop. I cannot get going again. I figure it must be the Steam chest at 0, but I don't know how to get this up so the piston fire.

Any suggestions.

You should have the damper on by pressing the M key. Although it says it is on in the F5 hud when it is not. I found that that helped me get going in the end. Ideal fire mass is 760lbs about 45% on the F4 hud.

From the manual.

"General information Tender water capacity: 4,250 gallons Ideal fire mass: 760lb Brake pressure when released: 21 PSI Maximum boiler pressure: 225 PSI Recommended maximum trailing load: 9-10 coaches on moderate/light gradients 7-8 coaches on steep gradients 10-13 coaches on the level Maximum speed: 85 MPH approx. (depending on load)"

[Trev123]

Just got the reply back from JT on how to drive the Clan written by the creators in 2015.

"Introduction
Important Notes to Read Before You Hop on the Footplate!

The "Clan" performs best in Advanced Mode, with Expert Controls on, and Auto-Fireman off. I know, this sounds daunting to some players out there, but that's what Just Trains optimized this engine for, and where it really shines, so you need to have these settings engaged before starting a scenario with the "Clan" present, otherwise it won't work properly and will leave you a very frustrated engineman!

Section 1: Notes on Driving
Be ginger with the regulator, opening and closing it's best to move it slowly and smoothly with the mouse, although you can "nudge" the regulator slightly by using Ctrl-A and Ctrl-D in addition to the normal keyboard controls if you prefer. The F5 HUD Regulator section also doesn't function as normal, being more an indicator of the engine's steam chest activity and simulated valve events. Likewise, the HUD Steam Chest Pressure section is more of a guide, the in-cab gauge is the one you should be looking to for accurate readings.
When starting off, gradually apply steam with the regulator until the engine begins to move, then back off and slowly bring it up again, otherwise you will be giving the cars a hefty jerk, which can result in damaged cargo or angry passengers (never a pretty sight when the patrons of the dining car end up wearing their meals instead of eating them) at best or broken couplings at the worst. It takes a little practice, but a nice smooth take-off where the engine gently picks up the slack in the train is what you should be aiming for.

When coasting, you have to have the regulator open a bit so the pilot valve is feeding a little steam into the cylinders to keep oil coming to them, otherwise you'll damage the cylinders and it will negatively affect the engine's performance for the duration of the scenario. The way you tell the pilot valves are working is a stream of steam from the pipes just above the cylinders and the hiss-hiss noises coming from the snifting valves (which suck air through the boiler's superheater elements to keep them from overheating when there is no steam going through them), and there's usually 0 steam chest pressure as well.

The vacuum brake has a realistic strength and operation, so you'll have to bring down the needle more than in the default steamers, and you'll have to keep rocking the brake valve back and forth to hold the vacuum where you want it. A good "trim" application is around 17in, 15-14 for slowing for a station or signal, and with 10in being the equivalent of a full service hard braking, with 0 being emergency of course. As with the regulator, be gentle, and take off a little at a time to avoid throwing your passengers or freight about. Also, when making a station stop, it helps to let the vacuum come back up a little just before the train comes to a complete stop, that way you avoid yet another jerk when stopping. It's much the same sort of thing one days in a car when coming to traffic light that's red, you let up on the brake a bit so you don't throw yourself up against the steering wheel (or through the windscreen). Smooth and gentle, remember?

The HUD section for the reverser is more of a guide as well, the in-cab reverser scale should be used instead when setting the cut-off, don't forget to put on the reverser lock when you're done moving the reverser!
If the wheels get to slipping uncontrollably and you can't get the regulator shut, immediately open the cylinder cocks and put the steam brake (engine brake) hard on, otherwise you will throw the rods and/or break the crankpins (yes, really, the lads at Just Trains thought of everything). The "Clan" can and will thrash herself right to pieces if you don't keep on top of her!
It's best to use the engine brake with the mouse, for that way you can make gradual releases and applications (important for running unfitted freights for realism purposes as well as preventing the drivers from locking up and skidding).

Section 2: Guide for the Fireman/Firing Tips
TS2015's Auto Fireman CANNOT KEEP UP with the "Clan" due to the unique physics engine for the locomotive, which means it doesn't fire the same as more conventional steamer for the sim, so you MUST fire the engine manually if you expect to get anywhere without the steam pressure constantly falling away and leaving you stranded. "Otto", good though he might be, is out of his depth with this engine, so you need to give him the boot, and with practice you can do better than him anyway.

The old fireman's maxim of "little and often" is going to serve you well with the "Clan, for if you try to load the fire up with too much coal, the steaming will suffer, for as in real life with the prototype, the "Clan" can tend to lag in responding to the fireman's efforts with the shovel due to having only a single chimney fitted. It helps to know the route that you are to be traveling over and plan at least 10 minutes ahead of your current location to make efficient use of your coal and water supplies.

When steaming down the main line, you should be adding coal every 2-3 minutes and/or when the smoke directly above the funnel turns white. 4 to 5 shovel-fulls from the fireman should be plenty (the sound effects of the fireman at work are not just for atmosphere, they are useful in firing and if you bring up your HUD, you will see the fire level going up in time to the shovelling noises). If you're using the injector or are going up a stiff climb, add one or two more, and if that is still not enough to keep the steam pressure up, maybe one or two more than that on the next firing cycle. A good fire level to maintain for these speeds when you're using steam is around 620-640lbs.

If you know you're going to be idle for a while, say a long station stop or you're being shunted to the sidings to let other traffic by, you should shut the damper and stop firing about a mile or so from where you're going to stop, this lets the fire simmer down and keeps you from popping the safeties and wasting steam. When you re-start from a stop like this, wait for the first few chuffs before opening the damper again, then wait a little longer before resuming shovelling and gradually building your fire back up. A good fire level for these "idling" periods is around 530 to 550lbs.

The fire door has an active role in providing secondary air to the fire, thanks to the Clan's custom physics. You should leave it open a little after putting on fresh coal until the smoke lightens up to a grey colour as the coal you've just put on ignites fully and starts to burn good, then you should shut it again. If you have black smoke even after doing this, you've either got too much coal on and/or the fire isn't getting enough air through the dampers.

Remember that the firing on the Clan isn't a slow steady stream like on the other TS2015 steamers, it's in big scoops from the shovel just like the real thing, and you only need to hit R once. Little and often, remember, so don't forget to shut off the firing with Shift+R or by closing the fire door to kill the shovelling, otherwise you'll be putting a giant heap in the firebox that'll make the engine choke with the steam production and kick up a ton of black smoke, which is nothing but waste.

If you need to bring up the steam quickly (say if you've lost a lot of pressure and you need to use the injector too), gradually build the fire up to about 740lbs, then back off and let it drop back down to normal as the pressure comes up. It's a little tricky to do this without blowing off or priming, but it can be handy if you need it.

With the water, you need to keep it at roughly 74%, that way you've got room to put on more water if the steam starts climbing out of hand and thus not prime the engine and damage something (yep, that's simulated too), and you've got enough water to cover the crown sheet when you go up and down grades (for the water level is dynamic and sloshes around like on a real engine, the gauge reflects this accurately). It's best to use the exhaust injector for when you're out on the road and working steam, for it lessens the impact on your steam pressure and doesn't cool the boiler as much, although if you need to knock back the steam pressure or are really low on water, the live steam injector is best.

Section 3: General Tips
Don't start by driving the "Clan" in scenarios, it's best to learn how to drive/fire the engine at your own pace in Free Roam and Quick Drive, that way you've got the railway all to yourself and you've got the time to learn all the little quirks of the engine. Once you've got the hang of things, then you can try driving in scenarios to a timetable.

Remember, YOU are the driver and fireman, which means you have to stay on top of the engine at all times and be the boss, otherwise it can and will get away from you and cross you up, which can be really frustrating. The "Clan" is a lady among engines, and if you treat her right, she will do almost any job you ask of her and always bring you home again afterwards. If you try to take shortcuts or do a shoddy job, she will not perform for you and can make you look like a right fool.

Be patient and try to have some fun, you're not going to be perfect at running this engine straightaway, I've had my "Clan" for several months already and I'm still learning things with every trip, which is really how it is with real steam engines, no two trips are ever the same. With practice and patience, you will get better at it, trust me on this. Once you get the hang of it and get in synch with all the little quirks and habits of this engine, running her well is a very rewarding feeling, and who knows? She might grow on you and become a favourite much like she has done with me."

Hope this helps.