User Guide

MICROSOFT TRAIN SIMULATOR ENGINEER’S HANDBOOK

OPERATIONS | 65

COUPLING & UNCOUPLING

Coupling and uncoupling cars and locomotives is a fundamental skill you’ll need to master, especially

for Freight Activities. With a little practice, picking up and setting out cars on sidings, assembling

consists in a yard, and cutting in additional locomotives when ascending steep grades will become

second nature. In the real world, you have some help: crew members on the ground connect and

disconnect brake hoses and cables, set and release brakes on the cars, and guide you by radio and

hand signals. In Train Simulator, the process is simplified.

Note: The 2000, 7000 LSE, and Acela

Express are semi-permanently coupled trainsets. The

Acela

HHP-8 is the only electric locomotive included in Train Simulator that can be coupled to

and uncoupled from its cars.

Coupling should always be done at low speeds (no faster than 2 mph, or 3 km/h) to avoid damaging

equipment. Just move slowly toward the locomotive or car you want to couple to, and the couplers

will automatically close when contact is made. Use Coupler view (press the 6 key) to watch the

coupling process from an overhead vantage point, and to visually inspect the couplers to make

sure they are locked. A distance indicator tells you how far apart the two couplers are. Once you’re

coupled, open the Train Operations window (press F9) and release the hand brakes on all the cars

you coupled to. To learn more about Coupler view and the Train Operations window, see Chapter 4,

Tools for Driving.

Uncoupling requires the use of the Train Operations window (press F9). After stopping, apply the

hand brakes on the locomotives and cars that are to be uncoupled (so they don’t roll away after

being uncoupled). Then, open the desired couplers. Close the Train Operations window, and move

your consist away from the equipment you just uncoupled.

USING MULTIPLE UNITS

More than one locomotive is often required to supply enough horsepower to pull a long, heavy train,

especially up a steep mountain grade. Remotely controlled locomotives are called “distributed power

units” (DPUs), controlled from the lead locomotive. The supporting manned locomotives are called

“helpers,” and are sometimes added temporarily to the end of a train to help push it up a short,

steep grade.

In Train Simulator, while you can couple more than one locomotive to a train, you cannot individually

control the additional locomotives. They will simply mirror the performance of the lead unit

you’re controlling.

Note: In Train Simulator, you can couple only locomotives and cars that have the same type

of couplers. If you want to add more locomotives, they must be the same type (steam/diesel/

electric) as the lead locomotive.