# undercarriage brake linkages/assemblies?



## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Anyone know of a site that has pics/drawings/ sketches of brake assemblies? I've searched and all I can find are pics of brake wheels. I'm particularly looking for the old type hand brake operation.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

I have no pictures but there is a long vertical rod that reaches from under the frame to above the roof. On the top is the brake wheel. On the bottom, there is a chain bolted to the side of the rod. As the rod is turned, the chain wraps around the rod to tighten the brakes. the chain pulls on the lever that is actuated by the brake cylinder. This applies the brakes. There would usually be a metal loop fastened to the frame that would cradle the chain so that it didn't droop down too far when the brake wheel is released.


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

You might try http://westerfield.biz/ and look at some of his kit instructions. (He's well known in the HO community for his accuracy)


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Right here on the home turf! I couldn't really get enough of an idea from the pics. Guess I'm going to have to go to one of the museum places and crawl underneath with my camera!


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## Allegheny (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is a great article on modeling AB Brake systems:

http://www.steamfreightcars.com/modeling/articles/brakes.pdf

Brian


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Here's a photo of a car I built. 










I model the pre-airbrake era, so there's no automatic brake equipment on this, just the manual stuff. The long lever on the right connects to the brake wheels on either end of the car. (If you're modeling a freight car, then there would be no need for the other half of the arm, just the pivot and the arm going to the end with the brake wheel.) The arms in the middle go to the brake levers on the cars. 

Later, 

K


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Yea! That's what I was looking for and especially the old 'strong arm' pre AB.


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

The history of freight car brakes is a long one well chronicled in White's book on American Freight Cars. 

Essentially uo to the 1880's brakes were mainly manually applied by brakemen actuating levers as shown on Kevin's model. In 1883, trials were held to find a better braking system ... westinghouse proved the efficacy of air brakes over vacuum brakes ... and subsequently safety laws were introduced to bring all cars in interchange service to an airbrake standard. Several variations in air brakes were used over the years the two most popular being the K and then AB systems.

Beneath the cars, train lines and air actuated levers were introduced and above, brake wheels on staffs for manual operation continued from the roofwalk till the early 20s. These were then replaced by wheels on the carends of housecars This remained the standard for the next 50 years when safety changes led to the wheels being placed low on the car ends and roofwalks were removed from all housecars.

The differences between K and AB as well as other systems are explained in White's book.

Regards ... Doug


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

I found a 'print'/ picture of an archbar truck that showed the actuating lever sticking upward, midway-above the axle. The linkage would attach to this and apparently pull the lever(s), toward the middle of the car thus setting the brake. In the pic, it appears the brake shoes are pulled outward to the 'off' position by springs attached to the bolster. Of course there would be another lever arrangement connecting the second axle in the truck. I'm building some 'skeleton' log cars and wanted to duplicate whatever braking they had-turn of the Century and before. In pictures one can see the wheel and locking pawl system that wound /pulled the chain-in this case mounted on the center 'beam'. I can not, however, see brake shoes as described above. Therefore, I'm still not sure how the bracks actually worked, or if they were somehow hidden inside.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Cap,

I don't have a pic. But they're out there on the web, try Googling 'disconnects'. The earlier ones had a beam on the 'outside' of each truck, to which the brake shoes were mounted in the 3 & 9 o'clock position. By some magical (and very simple--which is why I didn't keep the pic-- [slaps self upside the head]) the crew walked alongside and turned the brake wheel, which pulled the two beams together, in the direction of the kingpost.

Obviously, if they let the train get going faster than a slow trot, things could get grim.

Best I can do. Good luck.

Les


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Yep, it's always that simple....yet magical, stuff that evades us! I've seen some of the pics with the 'bar' carrying the shoes. They never seem to think about the guys who scale build. You know, here's a pic of the wheel and here's one of the brake shoe......


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Brake systems worked off of simple leverage. As soon as one shoe made contact with the wheel, it became something of a fulcrum which then allowed the other shoe to press against the other wheel. In the photo above, the linkage in the middle that ran to both trucks also served a similar function. As soon as both shoes on one truck were applied, the lever stopped moving, and became a fulcrum which began to pull the lever on the other truck (First against one axle, then the other). Once all brake shoes are firmly against the wheels, that's the point at which the brakewheel goes from simply moving the shoes against the wheels to applying serious pressure to stop. 

Here's a drawing of typical brake rigging on a truck. 

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/misc/brakes.jpg\ 

Later, 

K


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

K,

I _think _the one I have in mind(?) was a tad simpler than that one. Seems like it had just one pivot bar. I kick myself for not copying it but I remember thinking, "Huh. That's simple enough."

At any rate, the dwg doesn't show where the brake wheel/chain would hook up, though there's only one obvious place: the bar with the holes in it. Right?

Cap: get yourself a truck and fasten it down. Build up the brakes 'n beams and hang 'em. Now, locate the bwheel and chain wheresoever it suiteth thee. With K's dwg and a length of trial chain, I bet you'll come up a happy camper.

Les









I'll go looking this afternoon. Got to go spend some more of my FIRST EVER retirement check.









To think, I was going to save it.

Right.

Les


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Kevin and Les,

I hand-built a set of brakes EXACTLY like your drawing, for my 1 1/2 inch scale gondola. It worked great! Stopped two adults and a steel Baldwin electric with a caboose pretty fast.


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

SteveC: not sure why your post didn't show up here, came to my email. Good references, I especially like the Trainz layout..great aid in designing a layout. Good pics of the AMS disconnects! Bill


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Cap'nBill on 02/03/2009 2:38 PM
SteveC: not sure why your post didn't show up here, came to my email. Good references, I especially like the Trainz layout..great aid in designing a layout. Good pics of the AMS disconnects! Bill
Bill

Don't know, it was there to begin with, I did go back to edit something. Maybe I clicked something at the wrong time and wiped it out???? Sorry about that.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Cap,

It took me a bit, but here's a clear, crisp shot of a disconnect truck. BTW, looks like I was wrong about where to attach the brakewheel chain, it looks like it goes on the u/left piece of linkage on this one. http://cumberlandmodelengineering.com/image-files/SG%20archbar%20trucks.JPG

There ya go. Hope this helps!

Les


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Gary,

I'm having trouble doping out where the brakewheel chain should attach to K's dwg. Should be simple, but I'm sorta tired at the moment. Could that be an air-operated setup? No, it'd still have to have a brakewheel... I'm goin' ta bed!

Les

BTW, nice pic of that big train!


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Les,

Whoops my mistake on my last post of our train. The two gondolas do not belong to me. The electric and the caboose are mine. Here's the picture of my gondola with the working brakes.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I added some notations to the drawing that might help clarify some things. 

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/misc/brakesnoted.jpg 

Later, 

K


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Les: that's a beautiful piece of work! I sure would like to get a description as to how the brakes are built. Looks like most of it is fairly straight forward, but a few details are hard to figure. E.g., can't tell if thats channel stock or'I' beam. The pins, cotter pins, where do you get anything that small. Shoes....Ozark?


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Maybe this?

*Car_Builders__Cyclopedia_of_American_Pra_1881.pdf
*File Format: PDF / File Size: 27MB
Left-click to open - Right-click to Download


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

What a great resource, Steve! That's a real keeper for anyone doing earlier stuff. I've printed out a number of pages of 'trucks' for reference. What's surprising is the number of variations of 'freight' trucks there were. Thanks for putting that up! Bill


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

K,

The added notes are much appreciated. Thank you, I've copied the link into my file.

Since my era is ca 1875 SL (not 1st class) none of my cars will have air/vacuum brakes. All will the handwheel. Therefore, perhaps you'll see how valuable this addendum was.

Les


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Posted By Cap'nBill on 02/04/2009 6:39 AM
Les: that's a beautiful piece of work! I sure would like to get a description as to how the brakes are built. Looks like most of it is fairly straight forward, but a few details are hard to figure. E.g., can't tell if thats channel stock or'I' beam. The pins, cotter pins, where do you get anything that small. Shoes....Ozark? 








Cap,

I'm quoting because I've been out all morning and am a tad foggy. You need to know, I didn't build that truck, it's a pic I found. But I don't see a thing to hesitate about. If you mean 'is the brakeshoe beam channel stock or I beam', I believe the ones I build will be a solid rectangle of wood, i.e. a wood plank. The older era I model would practically demand it, I think. If you're modelling a flat instead of a disconnect, I imagine either channel or I-beam for the frame would do fine. I don't know for certain. I do know I'll make mine from wood, thus, rectangular or square. I also think (though the pic is not before me, so beware) that a wooden beam ran along the top of the archbar frame on each side and served as brake hangers. That is, the brake beams mentioned above were attached to it. You should check w. someone who's acutally built one, though.

As for the pins, I intend to use small nails/brads, cut off to length and either a dob of epoxy or preferably, peened. Small cotter pins are available from places like McMaster-Carr. Shoes, I intend to make. Point of fact, I intend to make everything possible. Mostly just to see if I can.

Les


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Gary,

Ownership doesn't matter to me, those are some nice cars--and that engine's great too. That scale is a tad beyond my powers, anymore! But it'd be a nice way of getting my firewood in every evening.

Les


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