Throttle Position

I sometimes ride east and west of Denver. I am always curious about throttle position. I bet that when they head west into the Rockies they are in the 8th notch. But how about on the relatively flat plains at 80 MPH?

On a side note, that ride from Fort Morgan, CO to Lincoln, NE was rough and tumble in a sleeping car. Wow.

I am in no way qualified to answer your specific question. But FWIW, there are many variables which affect a train's handling besides grade. Weather - strong wind can have an effect. Wet rail can make loco wheels want to slip, but on a long train it can slightly lower rolling resistance especially on curves. The length and weight of the train consist may vary from one day to another, and different cars have different handling characteristics. Lastly, different locos, even of identical models, behave differently. Many of these items are subtle, but add them up and there can be noticeable difference. It's not unusual for an engineer to remark "They are pulling heavy today" or "This train just doesn't want to stop worth beans".

Whether there is much variation on the run you mention I have no idea. But in general, there is a lot more to train handling than just putting the throttle in a given notch and go.

BR&P wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 8:18 pm It's not unusual for an engineer to remark "They are pulling heavy today" or "This train just doesn't want to stop worth beans".

At one time during a pre-pandemic winter, I was on MARC 445 stopping at Odenton, MD off the NEC... and it slid through the station. The engineer had to reverse all the way back to at least a door so I and a good chunk of people were able to get off. Afterwards, those of the gaming persuasion could swear GLADOS was saying "WHEEEEEEEeeeeee *bzzzrt!* *bloop*"

Denver Dude wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2024 6:04 pm I sometimes ride east and west of Denver. I am always curious about throttle position. I bet that when they head west into the Rockies they are in the 8th notch. But how about on the relatively flat plains at 80 MPH?

On a side note, that ride from Fort Morgan, CO to Lincoln, NE was rough and tumble in a sleeping car. Wow.

I’m not qualified on that territory but I can say that at track speed on flat territory, notch 3 or 4 is usually the sweet spot to maintain speed.

8th Notch wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 3:47 pm

Denver Dude wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2024 6:04 pm I sometimes ride east and west of Denver. I am always curious about throttle position. I bet that when they head west into the Rockies they are in the 8th notch. But how about on the relatively flat plains at 80 MPH?

On a side note, that ride from Fort Morgan, CO to Lincoln, NE was rough and tumble in a sleeping car. Wow.

I’m not qualified on that territory but I can say that at track speed on flat territory, notch 3 or 4 is usually the sweet spot to maintain speed.

Not qualified out there either. I'm lazy, set the cruise control for those long sections of MAS and leave it in the 5th notch. The pong style computers in the GEs will take care of the rest. Cruise works great for climbing mountains too. I cant speak to the new Yugo's NQ.

I'm lazy, set the cruise control for those long sections of MAS and leave it in the 5th notch. ...I cant speak to the new Yugo's NQ.

Regarding the new Siemens motors, if cruise works anywhere as well as it does in my German car, it freaks out every time some bug lands on the distronic sensor at 75mph and shuts off. Folks behind me love that!

I’m slowly refining the art of setting off the auto panic-stop on luxury cars. I just don’t get to Long Island enough to practice it much. Makes lane changes in heavy traffic easy…

Tadman wrote: ↑Mon May 27, 2024 4:25 pm

I'm lazy, set the cruise control for those long sections of MAS and leave it in the 5th notch. ...I cant speak to the new Yugo's NQ.

Regarding the new Siemens motors, if cruise works anywhere as well as it does in my German car, it freaks out every time some bug lands on the distronic sensor at 75mph and shuts off. Folks behind me love that!

Honda, we build it simple... Owned them for years nary an issue. Anyway, back to the Siemens product. Everything I have heard through the grapevine from mechanical and an engineer who has plenty of stick time. We have a Cali transfer amongst us in Rennselaer (dramatic drum roll). They are junk and no better than the current P42 fleet. One thing they do better is accelerate.

STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 10:55 am

BR&P wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 8:18 pm It's not unusual for an engineer to remark "They are pulling heavy today" or "This train just doesn't want to stop worth beans".

At one time during a pre-pandemic winter, I was on MARC 445 stopping at Odenton, MD off the NEC... and it slid through the station. The engineer had to reverse all the way back to at least a door so I and a good chunk of people were able to get off. Afterwards, those of the gaming persuasion could swear GLADOS was saying "WHEEEEEEEeeeeee *bzzzrt!* *bloop*"

Wait a minute! I rode MARC for the first time (bucket list item) back in March, and the engineer blew through Odenton and had to reverse! What are the odds?

It's not clear what happened in my case. I just remember the conductor going to the cab car knowing something was amiss & a few passengers were annoyed, understandably. As for me, well, I power walked when we reached WAS, bought my return ticket and boarded the next MARC as doors were closing.

NortheastTrainMan wrote: ↑Sat Jun 01, 2024 3:52 pm

STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 10:55 am At one time during a pre-pandemic winter, I was on MARC 445 stopping at Odenton, MD off the NEC... and it slid through the station. The engineer had to reverse all the way back to at least a door so I and a good chunk of people were able to get off. Afterwards, those of the gaming persuasion could swear GLADOS was saying "WHEEEEEEEeeeeee *bzzzrt!* *bloop*"

Wait a minute! I rode MARC for the first time (bucket list item) back in March, and the engineer blew through Odenton and had to reverse! What are the odds?

It's not clear what happened in my case. I just remember the conductor going to the cab car knowing something was amiss & a few passengers were annoyed, understandably. As for me, well, I power walked when we reached WAS, bought my return ticket and boarded the next MARC as doors were closing.

Hehehe... at least back then (as it is now) those one-way tickets were good for six months!