Can overheated brakes start fires?

[HuskyDynamics]

I just had something rather interesting happen, and I'm not quite sure what it was exactly.

I rolled into the harbor from the west with an S060 towing a DM3 and a caboose, as a storm came in. The brakes on both locomotives were fully overheated (don't ask), and the caboose brake was not applied. I took the corner to head towards the roundhouse, but as I went around the turn I saw a glow from behind me and heard several unusual sounds, which turned out to be a large swath of the ground catching fire behind me. I hastily applied the train brake (read: the caboose brake, since the others were overheated), came to a stop, and hopped out to investigate, seeing immediately that a fairly large area around the track on the curve had caught fire (see screenshot below). Oddly, I didn't get charged any environmental damage beyond the S060's emissions.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3009941389

The thing is, I have no idea why this area caught fire. I wasn't pulling anything flammable or explosive (and wasn't going fast enough to derail even if I had been), there were no cars on the wye or nearby, and I know for a fact that I haven't derailed anything that would have leaked there prior to now (other than once when I was messing with the S282, after which I rolled back to an earlier save). Did the brakes set the grass on fire? Is that even simulated? Did I get struck by lightning? I seriously have no clue what happened here.

[Pops]

That is a good question. I know I left the hand brake on for a car from SM to MF and didn't notice until IMW(I think maybe MF) when they where cherry red.

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970159801/screenshot/2015974039036788429/

Caused no damage to the car although brakes should be an expense when you cook them. Maybe some smoke particle physics should be added. And if the load is flammable it should combust too.

Wouldn't that be a sight a hell train rolling into OWC

[ThunderSkunk]

Unrelated, but brings back a fond memory; there’s a few ways to turn flanges on locomotive wheels as they wear. One of them is a special brake shoe with a cutter on it: someone drives the engine with the brakes applied while some poor bastards run along either side with a can of cutting fluid. I was the dude with the cutting fluid. There’s a high chance of things catching on fire. Not so bad if you’re on the drivers side. On the opposite side, you have to sprint far enough ahead so he can see you and wave like crazy. Mechanics weren’t special enough for radios. I’ve still got a few 3 foot long chips laying around somewhere.

[Pops]

It's not mechanics aren't special we just don't want to be found cause people always want stuff fixed :P (Ship Engineer & former power plant operator)

[coenvijge]

Yes, overheated train brakes can cause fires. Once you have seen a (heavyly) overheated set of wheels you'll will remember it for the rest of your life and you understand that grass or bushes near the track can start burning caused by overheated brakes.

[Pops]

Originally posted by coenvijge:

Yes, overheated train brakes can cause fires. Once you have seen a (heavyly) overheated set of wheels you'll will remember it for the rest of your life and you understand that grass or bushes near the track can start burning caused by overheated brakes.

But does it happen in game? I never noticed with my brakes and the OP saw it but was it a bug or does the game simulate hot brakes causing fires.

[Altfuture]

Terrain fire can happen only if there's a spill of flammable liquid already there. The unburned spill must have been there from some previous collision?

It was likely the locomotive's firebox that set it on fire as you passed over it. IIRC overheated brake shoes don't cause fire currently. However, wheelslip/slide, collision sparks and lit lantern/lighter do.

[HuskyDynamics]

Originally posted by Altfuture:

Terrain fire can happen only if there's a spill of flammable liquid already there. The unburned spill must have been there from some previous collision?

It was likely the locomotive's firebox that set it on fire as you passed over it. IIRC overheated brake shoes don't cause fire currently. However, wheelslip/slide, collision sparks and lit lantern/lighter do.

Interesting. The only spill or collision I've had there (post-Simulator, anyway) took place right before I went back and loaded a prior save to undo it and some other incidents that occurred around the same time, but maybe the spill itself stuck around for some reason and got lit off by the firebox.

[Rick]

I know you said "don't ask" but how do you get brakes to overheat with such a light load? I've never had brakes overheat in this game...

[grolbu]

Originally posted by Rick:

I know you said "don't ask" but how do you get brakes to overheat with such a light load? I've never had brakes overheat in this game...

Been there done that. After you slog up the hill from the farm turnoff after the steel mill and get to the end of the flat along the top it's downhill all the way to the Harbour, you don't need to touch the power again, just use some brakes to keep your speed under control on the way down.

Pro tip : Use mostly the train brake not mostly the independent brake, unless you're doing this at night and you want to look at the pretty glowing engine brakes :-)

[HuskyDynamics]

Originally posted by Rick:

I know you said "don't ask" but how do you get brakes to overheat with such a light load? I've never had brakes overheat in this game...

I was checking to see if the S060's brakes glowed (turns out they don't yet) by basically pulling through the independent. Once those brakes lost effectiveness, I added the DM3's handbrake just for fun.

Originally posted by grolbu:

Pro tip : Use mostly the train brake not mostly the independent brake, unless you're doing this at night and you want to look at the pretty glowing engine brakes :-)

Glowy brakes pretty :)

[ThunderSkunk]

I like to live dangerously: Hauling ridiculously heavy loads of flammable hazmat with a steam locomotive. I didn't think I'd spilt any, but I must have since each time I drive the locomotive near, everything catches on fire like above,

Maybe worth having a hazmat inspection tool on the com radio? Just a thought.