[markus_GE]

Some thoughts on your problems, from things I´ve experienced too:

OpR seems to render tractive effort a little differently than MSTS, so trains that might start in MSTS might not do so in OpR. Try (after backing up the .con file) to add another locomotive.

When releasing the trian line air brakes before starting, wait a minute or so to make sure they really release. You can check that by first enabling the HUD (should be enabled by default) by pressing f5, and then scroll through the HUD pages until you reach the Brake info tab by pressing (multiple times) Shift F5. If not all brakes have released, you might not be able to get your consist started.

It might, however, also be a bug, as other memebers here have reported similar problems recently...

Cheers, Markus

[Genma Saotome]

IMO the most common problem in getting a consist started comes from not waiting for the air to be pumped up -- IOW the brakes are still limiting movement. A long consist requires several minutes (go make a sandwich, hit the bathroom, whatever). At present the brake information can be found in one of the f5 screens (press f5 to get the first one, shift f5 to cycle thru all the others, f5 again to close).

[railguy]

OR operates pretty prototypically concerning air brakes--the longer the train, the longer it will take to recharge the brake system. Also, it depends on the amount of application made prior to release. For example, with a 100-car train and a emergency application, it may take 15 minutes to recharge the train line and brake reservoirs once the engineer initiates a train brake release. This is very prototypical. What I don't know is whether OR counts all of the locomotive air compressors in a consist when computing the air-compressor rates to recharge the air system. MSTS only counted the player locomotive. In prototypical operations, all the MU'ed together locomotives' air compressors will contribute to recharging the brake system. I know that OR recognizes the individual locomotives' air tank pressures for purposes of actuating the compressor sounds in each loco's sound file, but I don't know whether it does any more than that.

[roeter]

The brake release rate also depends on engine settings.
There is a setting "MaxReleaseRate", and I found that values for this parameter can vary quite a bit between different engines - I've seen values approx. between 0.2 and 15.
Admittedly, I have no idea what a realistic value would be - and it seems that some engine builders did not have a clue either.

Edit : Just a further remark on this : that it takes a 100+ freight train some 10 mins. to fully release the brakes sounds realistic, but that it takes 5 mins. for 3 light engines to release the brakes seems very unlikely. Those were engines that had "MaxReleaseRate" set to 0.2 or there abouts.

Regards,
Rob Roeterdink