> Why is there a rope or cable coming from right, wrapping round the
> brakestaff and then going down the end of the car parallel with the
> brake shaft?
It's not. The cable is an overhead line of some sort (you can see its
shadow on the left side of the car roof), and the line running parallel
to the brake staff is the air line for the retainer valve to the left of
the brakewheel.

David Thompson