The brake shoes are at the end of their “life” and needs to be replaced. Before you start to slow down your train, you have to be aware about the working of the brake system.

The brake system at steam locomotives contains a several major issues;
– Air pump / ejector
– Main reservoir
– Helper reservoir
– Main brake pipe
– Mechanical brake system
– Brake shoes
– Hand brake
– Locomotive brake with the additional reservoir and pipes.
– Main control equipment
– Emergency brake system

The Knorr brake controls

Additional;
– Vacuum brake
– Steam brake

Non steam brake system (electric and diesel only):
– Dynamic brake
– Electrical brake
– Regeneration brakes
– Magnetic brake

Brake shoes. Used directly on top of the rail
These are used to block a wheel directly, mostly used when shunting.
and trains with no brakes.

Read carefully the next issue in order the brake properly

Check out the ejector. The brake pressure in the brake pipes should be at 21 PSI or 6 ATM.
Press [ J ] when the ejector does not work. You will recognize this on braking because the brake does not release and the pressure remains equal or drops further.
Decrease the regulator until about 15-20% and reduce the reverser completely to 0% open the cylinder drain pipes so water can be drained off. Your regulator is open causing steam to appear at of the cylinder drain pipes blowing out water condensation.

Open up the injector and feed the boiler with water because steam pressure should be rising now, make adjustments to the blower and check out the air damper.

Brake positions : (See sketches)
Press F4 for HUD to show the brake pressure.
Just above the pressure gauge you read out the present value of the active braking;

Working: 
Releases the pressure out of the brake pipes accordingly the shown amount in % (Broken Yellow)
The helper reservoir activate the brakes (red)

Self lapped:
Brake pipes does not fill, helper reservoir does not fill. brake amount does not change

Running: 
Brake pipe does not fill up. Helper reservoir is filling (light bleu)

Release: 
Brakes are released. Brake pipe is filled up at 21 PSI / 6 ATM (Yellow)
from the main reservoir

Read your brake gauge, when the needle is at 0 (Zero) then turn on the ejector.
If done the brake gauge will increase until 21 PSI (6 ATM)

About 0.70 miles (1 Km) prior to the stopping spot and depending the actual speed you have at that point. Reduce the brake pressure in the brake pipe until the train slows down smoothly, not exceeding 25 Mph./40 kmh. 

Reduce the pressure to 15 PSI. (Slow braking) Continue to reduce the pressure and at the start of a platform you should have reached a max. speed of 20 Mph / 35 Kmh.

  
Click with your mouse on the brake control lever and move the lever to the left to apply the brakes on the train. 

At German engines, you have the brake controls at the right side of the cab and are mostly equal to the Knorr controls.

Reduce then the pressure to 10 PSI which is equal to normal brake. or reduce with 0,5 – 1.0 ATM less on the brake pressure gauge.

Try to find the balance of braking and stop at the end of the platform or about 15 yards from a red signal. This is one of the most difficult acts you have to deal with and to do this at once you need to have up-to-date knowledge and improves skills to perform such a stopping handling in one step.

Avoid emergency brake. An emergency brake occures on:
– a passenger has pulled the emergency brake due to some major occasion.
– AWS kicks in.
– Air depressurisation due to a leakage. mostly in the coupled hoses between the brake pipes.

An Emergency brakes will result in flat spots on the wheel surface. When the flat spot is too much flattened out, the wagon or locomotive needs to go the to workshop and needs to be restored or replaced. A flat spot on the wheel surface will also demolish the rail surface of the track when the wagon or engine is continuing running.

Every loop-around of that wheel will slam the surface of the rail causing tiny cracks and finally will end in a broken rail.

Cracks in the wheel will also appear in a broken wheel rim that is able comes of the wheel.
One of the major accidents that has occurred due to a broken wheel rim was the ICE accident near Eschede (Germany) where ICE type 1 at full speed (125 Mph / 200 km/h) derailed and smashed into a bridge pillar. The bridge did collapse and the most of the train crashes causing many casualties.

This small documentary shows you the cause of this major accident in 1998

When you had stopped in the middle of the platform or stopped too far away from a red signal, open up the regulator and speed up until about 5 Mph. / 8 kmh. About 30 yards prior to the stopping spot, apply the brakes again.

In this case you have “failed” the brake sequence as it should be. This requires all your skills.

Now when you are overrun a platform that occurred due to some or a follow up from many issues. make contact with CTC and report the overrun. Inform the train chief. He will notify the passengers.
When you are driving a EMU or DMU or in ,most cases an electric or diesel locomotive mostly have a communication system to inform the passengers about the ongoing things. 

Spinning and slipping

Another issue is slippery rail surface. Slippery rail is often cause by oil and grease or by weather conditions. After a dry period a sudden rain fall can cause the dried oil on the rail surface to come loose and causing slipping and spinning that can avoid the whole train to stop at a platform and can even be the cause of overrunning signal at danger.

The use of sand on these type of conditions will not always pay the desired effects. When the weather conditions are changing slow down by just cutting off and brake down slowly much earlier as usual in normal conditions.

In the autumn, falling leaves will even result on slippery rail surface. Special when you are passing areas with forest and fields, expect slippery rail surface due to fallen leaves. Act on this spots like above. Using sand in addition.

Braking needs the most attention of stopping a train properly. Dealing with the issue in order to prohibit any failure will result in some negative results. The use of the brake is therefore magnificent important.

It is not because you are now running a simulation or driving a vehicle, but regardless the vehicle you drive on, the brake system of your vehicle needs to be in proper condition. It is because of your own safety and others.