How coupling works in Open Rails

[longiron]

I believe it's ALT + Home or End to reset camera after coupling

[jkcooney]

Thanks will give it a go.

[seagoon]

When in the sim press F1 and you will be able to cycle through various screens, one of which lists the key-codes.

[jkcooney]

Thanks for the tip. I have the directory of key codes on desktop but this makes it much easier.

[sidp]

There have been some major recent additions to ORTS's ability to model the behavior of the air lines in coupling and uncoupling. You can now operate the angle cocks on individual cars so that the air lines do not lose air when you uncouple; you can park cars with air sealed in their hoses so that you can pick them up again after dropping cars; you can uncouple cars that have had their air bled off so that they will coast in a hump yard.
The current Draft 1.0 copy of the Manual (.doc or .pdf, dated December 2014) included in the weekly update download describes many of these new features. The topic "Initialize Air Brakes" in the Forum "Maybe its a Bug" on the Elvas Tower Open Rails forums contains a lot of discussion.

Sid P.

[finky555]

Hi everyone

I'm new to Openrails. I could not get 2 newly coupled cars to close the bleeder. The program also did not recognize that I picked up the cars. I could open and close the bleeders on the previous 3 cars I picked up but not the newest 2. Niagara Corridor activity CN393. Meantime I'll try it again tomorrow.

MG

[conductorchris]

There is a keyboard command (U for the North American keyboard) that allows uncoupling with the mouse. How exactly does this work? It doesn't do anything that I can see and I can't find it documented in the manual.
thanks
Christopher

[baldwin]

It works in an outside view. Press and hold U then mouse click on the coupler. It has however usurped the normal MSTS key for applying steam heating.

[conductorchris]

Thanks. That is exactly what I've been trying to do. I will have to keep trying, now you have given me confidence.
Christopher

[railrunner112]

If you don't want to wait the prototypical amount of time to charge the train brake line, press SHIFT + Question mark (?) key to immediately charge the train brake air line. For the quick charge key combination to work, your speed must be ZERO and the locomotive power must be set to ZERO. If the throttle is in a power position, or the train speed is NOT ZERO, then the quick charging key combination will not work.

Or like in real life release all the air of the auxiliary reservoir, in which I agree with Derek, in my opinion that is a function I really miss in the new braking system in open rails. I am a volunteer switcher at a local musseum line and releasing air from the auxiliary reservoir is such a big part of it, some engines we have don't use air brakes, so when we remove our Pullman from the train we need to release all the air from the auxiliary reservoir otherwise we can't move an inch. By the way at my museum line it is ussual the engineer is alone on the train (to few people) so in that case he must release the hand brakes/remove the shoes. Couple up himself and even throw the switches himself. So I don't find it to far fetched, though I admit there should be an "Automatic coupling" option for those who only want to work like the engineer on an actual railroad with enough employees.

[baldwin]

You can in fact do all of those things in Open Rails. A study of the manual will help tremendously in this.

[ngoclinhtran]

Thanks. That is exactly what I've been trying to do.

[tieudv89]

Thanks. That is exactly what I've been trying to do.