Trainz Half — Engine Full

Search for "Trainz Half Engine Full" on YouTube, Reddit, or the Trainz Forum, and you will find thousands of results. It has become a meme, a teaching tool, and a litmus test for skill.

Trainz simplifies this into “Half” and “Full” for keyboard/DCC control modes.

In Trainz, driving a diesel-electric locomotive is not a seamless gradient like a gas pedal in a car. Instead, real-world locomotives use a system of "notches" or discrete power settings. This system is faithfully recreated in the simulator. trainz half engine full

The Notch System Most standard diesel locomotives in Trainz utilize an 8-notch throttle system (not counting Idle).

When the throttle is advanced to Notch 8 (Full Engine), the locomotive is operating at maximum capability. Search for "Trainz Half Engine Full" on YouTube,

Ensure the throttle slider is at 0% (Idle). Never start from a position greater than 0.

After you release the automatic brake, it takes anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes (real time) for the brake pipe to fully charge to 90 PSI. If you yank the throttle to 50% while the pipe is still charging, the brakes will remain partially applied. Trainz simplifies this into “Half” and “Full” for

To master the "Half Engine Full" command, you must understand what is happening inside the virtual locomotive.