RR car brake wheel

rrmanOGR Forum Member

I know that you spin the brake wheel to set the car brake when a string of cars are set out and no air. My brake 101 question, do the brake chains release when air is pumped in, can conductor tell by looking or have to climb every car to unwind the brakes? My answer would be the brakes have to be manually "unwound" every time. Do RR have a requirement of so many cars to be braked and is it just at one end of string or do you have to set some at each end of string of cars for safety?

11/21/166:27 PM

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Hot WaterOGR Forum Member

rrman posted:
I know that you spin the brake wheel to set the car brake when a string of cars are set out and no air. My brake 101 question, do the brake chains release when air is pumped in,
No.
can conductor tell by looking or have to climb every car to unwind the brakes?
No, one can not tell by looking at the "wheel". Someone MUST physically release each and every handbrake once the air pressure has been reestablished.
My answer would be the brakes have to be manually "unwound" every time.
Yes.
Do RR have a requirement of so many cars to be braked and is it just at one end of string or do you have to set some at each end of string of cars for safety?
Depending on the percent of grade, and the tonnage of the train in question, the railroad has a policy/formula for how many handbrakes MUST be set. The procedure also requires that the Engineer then release the train brakes and the locomotive independent brakes, in order to test that the train does NOT move. If the train does move, then more handbrakes must be set.

11/21/167:11 PM

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Big JimOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

rrman posted:
I know that you spin the brake wheel to set the car brake when a string of cars are set out and no air. My brake 101 question, do the brake chains release when air is pumped in,
No.
can conductor tell by looking or have to climb every car to unwind the brakes?
You can usually tell by looking at the bell crank to see if there is any slack in the chain. If there isn't, you will have to unwind the brake.
My answer would be the brakes have to be manually "unwound" every time.
Yes, unless it is an electric brake that is on a locomotive, and then it may not work and you will have to hand crank it.
Do RR have a requirement of so many cars to be braked and is it just at one end of string or do you have to set some at each end of string of cars for safety?
It depends a lot on local timetable rules and Rule 102.
You always try to put the hand brakes on the downhill side with the slack bunched.