Operation Options

Options on the TrainPlayer Preferences Operations tab:

• Maximum speed: the speed at the top end of the dial on the control panel.  Set it lower if you want finer control over low speeds (say, for switching); set it higher if you have a youngster who wants to see what it's like to drive a train at 999 mph.  The settings on this tab are in MPH only.

• Coupling speed: maximum speed at which coupling can occur.  At speeds above this value, attempting to couple will cause trains to pass through each other or crash.
   
• Acceleration: determines the degree of acceleration/deceleration to apply.  Set to zero for no acceleration, i.e., the train starts and stops instantly.  Set to a higher value to cause the train to slow down or speed up gradually.
   
• Collision type:  choice of action when a train comes to the end of a track or arrives at a closed switch or encounters another train.  The default choice is "Bounce," or reverse instantly.  Choose "Crash" if you want the train to crumple and derail the way it would in real life.

This choice dictates what happens when trains encounter each other at speeds above the coupling speed.  In this case, the default behavior is not to bounce but to pass through each other like ghosts.  Choose Crash for a more realistic result.

• Crash severity:  determines how far cars will scatter on crashing.  Set the value higher for more destructive-looking crashes.  The amount of scatter depends on both this setting and the speed at the time of the crash.

After a train has crashed, it repairs itself as soon as you move it.