Frisco 1522	Frisco 1522 close	Frisco close up
Frisco pulling out of the station	Frisco 1522	Frisco "blowing down" the boiler
Frisco 1522	Frisco Leaving the Station	Frisco pulling flat cars

Click here to see the story about the Frisco 1522 at it's website.

Important updates for the Frisco 1522

My original efforts to create a realistic engine config file fell rather short and through discussions with Bob Pearson, he has spent a very considerable amount of time researching steam engine performance and has created a much improved engine config file.  Below are his notes explaining his work.  

My comments on his work:

First I want to thank Bob for his work here and I think that he has done something truly amazing.  I hope that those of you that are interested in taking full advantage of the Trainz experience, by driving this locomotive in 'cab mode', will appreciate his work. 

This locomotive will now drive very different from any other locomotive to date.  One of the biggest surprises comes when you start this engine, if you give it 'full throttle' from a dead start or even moving slowing, this engine is not going to get up and start moving like you would expect.  The acceleration is going to be extremely slow and the engine may even fail to move if it is on a grade with several cars behind it.  This file also is a big improvement over the original file because there is now a reasonable synchronization of the wheels and sound when the engine is working on a grade.  Take a minute to read his comments below to understand why. 

Shane (TheCowboy)

Notes on using the throttle curves:
These curves were developed primarily to allow drivers of steam locomotives in Trainz (T) to match engine sound with engine speed over the full speed range. Because of this the curves are very different from the set up of throttle curves for diesel engines which most steam engines have so far followed. Using the new curves the throttle is handled quite differently from the typical diesel. The accompanying diagram shows the Tractive Effort (TE) available at various notch settings and speeds. The speed range is divided into 8 sections so that an engine sound file can be associated with each range. The engine driver's challenge is now to keep the notch setting in step with engine speed and still meet TE requirements. While it is impossible to synchronize the sound with the piston/wheel animation in the current UTC version of Trainz (T), using these curves it is at least possible to approximately match them throughout the speed range.

The idea behind the curves is that many steam engines were operated on full throttle and speed regulated by setting (with the reverse lever) the cutoff point for steam admission into the cylinders. An engine operating at full throttle above roughly 15 mph will quickly run out of steam and loose boiler pressure unless the cutoff point is advanced from the end of the piston stroke towards the beginning. So with these curves full throttle representing maximum TE is reached in curve 3 at 0 to 18 mph. To increase speed after that the cutoff must be advanced which is represented by curves 4 thru 8 with successively decreasing TE.

A total of 16 notch settings is used with this throttle so Trainz interpolates TE values among the 8 curves. This complicates their use somewhat but increases their usefulness. To aid in keeping the sound and speed in sync each notch has a limiting speed above which the TE drops to 0. The following is a brief description of the 16 notch settings and their use: Notches 1 thru 5 represent partial open throttle with the reverser at maximum cutoff used for starting and low speed operation. Notch 6 is full throttle at maximum cutoff and is used for low speed operation when the maximum TE is required. Notches 7 thru 16 represent increasing speed range with advanced cutoff point but with reduced TE.

1) To start a train release the brakes and advance notch from 0 to minimum required to start train moving.
2) To increase speed on level track generally advance notch setting as soon as engine speed reaches the upper limit for the notch. To achieve maximum acceleration advance the throttle to notch 6 as soon as practicable.
3) Maximum acceleration is achieved by using even notch numbers above 6, that is, advance to notch 8 at upper speed limit of 6 and to notch 10 at upper limit of 8 and so on. Advancing to the next notch slightly before upper limit is reached is preferable to doing it after as the throttle goes to 0 when the limit is reached. Stepping thru each even numbered notch in this fashion is the only way to get max acceleration from the engine.
4) To maintain any speed not exactly at an upper limit for a notch the driver must switch to a notch with a lower TE within that speed range. For example, to maintain 40 mph on level track with the speed increasing and the throttle in notch 12 drop to notch 11 (50% TE of notch 12) or 10 (fully closed throttle at this speed) when 40 mph is reached and/or exceeded until speed decreases below 40 mph. Then increase back up to notch 11 or 12 until speed increases to 40 mph. Repeat as necessary.
5) Climbing up grade while accelerating is handled the same as on level track. Maximum possible acceleration is achieved only by using the even numbered notch for the speed range. When the upper limit for the range is reached increase notch setting to the next even numbered notch.
6) Climbing up grade with speed decreasing. To produce max possible TE the throttle should be in the even numbered notch for the speed range corresponding to current speed. If speed continues to decrease, drop down to next even numbered notch when lower speed limit for the notch setting is reached. For example, at 40 mph in notch 12 as speed decreases to 35 mph drop down to notch 10. Any other operation will cause speed to decrease more rapidly. If speed continues to decrease continue the process until notch 6 is reached. This is the max TE output of the engine. If it can't make it in notch 6 set the brakes and wait for help or break the train apart.
7) To stop the engine set the throttle to 0 (idle) and apply the brake.
8) To slow down to a lower speed as fast as possible set the throttle to a setting corresponding to the new speed or preferably the one below it (or to idle) and then apply the brakes, releasing them slightly before the desired speed is reached. Adjust notch setting as required to maintain the new speed.
9) Use only the even numbered notches if you want to until some familiarity with the throttle is gained. Everything described above can be done using just the even numbered settings and it will simplify its use.

Bob Pearson
treborp@prodigy.net

Click here to download the updated engine config file

INSTALLATION NOTES

Click on the cdp file that you downloaded and install it as you normally would.  Next locate the Frisco engine file on your computer.  It will be located in the following folder scheme:  Trainz/World/Custom/Dispatcher/Downloads/KUID 79097 1001.  Open the config file in this folder and change the the KUID listed behind "enginespec" from <KUID:79097:51001> to <KUID:79097:51002>, then save the config file and close.