I’m cross-posting this video because it may have been missed buried in another thread.
The video starts with a Christmas Eve plow extra run to be sure the line was clear for the MU train. Then we catch the MU train both East and Westbound at Coal Dump Curve. Enjoy!
EDIT to add: If you want to skip the snow plow portion, the MU chapter begins at 2:40
Great video Jon!!! That is a good sales video for Ring, getting them to all play nice like that, I am looking forward to more installations on my locomotives.
Cool part is, all I did was to select the locos in the correct order and confirm the direction of travel. The electronics did all the rest! Putting the Shay in the lead was key as it runs much slower as a percentage of throttle than the C-19s and diesels. Being first, it sets the pace.
The Shay has only ever set the pace for the Tortoise.
I read that it was easy to MU a consist , and as diverse as the was it’s proof enough for me !
So fill me in, how is it able to run different locos with different motors and gear ratios automatically? How is it knowing which ones to speed up and which ones to slow down and by how much?
That @Devon_Sinsley is the Million dollar question!
Ring has developed software that communicates to all the modules in a consist. It can tell by the varying load on the motors if it is pushing or pulling the attached locos. It bucks just a bit for maybe 3 feet when first consisted as the software figures out each units correct throttle setting. When it is doing that you can watch the couplers go slack then compress as speeds adjust. Once it is all figured out the couplers stay in compression, but not pushing enough to swing them sideways. This all adjusts in real time on the fly as grades and curves change the dynamics of the consist.
The details are part of Rings patent.
A little side note: The MU chapter that begins at 2:40 is shot on Coal Dump Curve which is a curving 4% grade. First upgrade, then downgrade.
Today I upgraded #345 to utilize the chuff input on the LM. It’s a simple circuit, just one resistor, but requires soldering inside the tender as wires are pretty short.
When steam locos are MUed using the voltage controlled chuff, once they speed match the chuffs also match nearly perfectly. This is NOT a good thing! But, with the chuff input enabled on both locos, the chuffs vary between the two, as they should! It was well worth the effort to implement.
Very cool indeed. I dont really ever do a consist but that is a neat feature and something to file away
Now I must have missed the first post. Because I am lost on this whole Ring thing. What is that?
Thanks Jim some how my plugged up brain missed that