Gang;

A further point is that this arrangement of cars without their own individually operable brake, was obviously not ideal. PRR for one, had flats and gons which had: a) removable brake staffs, b) rotatable (and still operable) brake staffs in the USRA-design G25, and didn't much like either. This led to a long discussion of what might be better, and resulted in the adoption of pump brakes, and sideways-mounted vertical wheel handbrakes, mounted on the left yoke, an elegant solution for the gons. Many of the later flat cars had two sets of brake gear and hand brakes on either end, also a deal allowing at least one set operable when needing to knock one down onto the deck. See classes G26, G27, G28, G30, G31, F25, F28, F29, etc., if you are interested in the progression.

Elden Gatwood