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To: Roccus; Venturer
Don't the air brakes lock up when the air pressure in the system falls below a certain point?

In a word, no.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_air_brake

"An air brake is a conveyance braking system actuated by compressed air. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1868. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention. In various forms, it has been nearly universally adopted."

While billed as "fail safe" the Westinghouse air brake system can and does sometimes fail, leaving rheostatic brakes (which don't work w/out engines), manual brakes (which were engaged but on only a few cars), and emergency brakes (which are dependent on air pressure which fell to zero when the engine was shut down). Unlike truck brakes which apply with spring pressure and release when pressure is applied, train air brakes are applied and released by raising and lowering the pressure in a line that runs the length of the train. The individual cars apply their brakes using an air reservoir on each car in response to changes in the "train line" pressure.

Regards,
GtG

47 posted on 07/09/2013 6:39:29 PM PDT by Gandalf_The_Gray (I live in my own little world, I like it 'cuz they know me here.)
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To: Gandalf_The_Gray

Doesn’t sound too fail-safe to me.

I really do believe no train should be left running with no one in it.


48 posted on 07/09/2013 7:01:58 PM PDT by Venturer
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