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Re: Horizontal Brake Wheel Above Running Board Question

Ray Breyer
 

Here's a link to a downloadable version:

Ray Breyer
Elgin, IL


On Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 04:59:31 PM CST, Nelson Moyer <npmoyer@...> wrote:


Thanks for posting this link, Dennis. Fascinating video. One thing that caught my attention was that sometime it is necessary to stop the engine and manually adjust the knuckle for reliable coupling. We modelers do that too, using an uncoupling pick reposition the coupler shank or open the knuckle. Now I know that it’s a prototypical move and not just something we have to do because the coupler spring isn’t working properly on a particular car.

 

Nelson Moyer

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Dennis Storzek
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2022 1:26 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Horizontal Brake Wheel Above Running Board Question

 

On Tue, Jan 11, 2022 at 05:15 AM, ron christensen wrote:

Thinking more about it, it would seem a brakeman would want the brake wheel in a position where he can get the most power on the wheel and that probably is table height, which is 28 to 32 inches.
Having a brake platform or not would change the height above the running board

But horizontal brake wheels were typically tightened with a brake club, the angle of which added to the effective height of the brake wheel.

My favorite railroad safety film, Why Risk Your Life? spends several minutes illustrating the proper way to operate both horizontal and vertical wheel hand brakes, beginning about 16:00.

It also illustrates the right and wrong way to drop a car by the engine at about 5:00, something that many modelers insist is against the rules.

Dennis Storzek

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