Railway brake

A traditional clasp brake: the cast iron brake shoe (brown) is pushed against the running surface (tyre) of the wheel (red), and is operated by the levers (grey) on the left.
A band brake fitted to an 1873 steam locomotive of the Rigi Railways

A railway brake is a type of brake used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration (downhill) or to keep them immobile when parked. While the basic principle is similar to that on road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control multiple linked carriages and to be effective on vehicles left without a prime mover. Clasp brakes are one type of brakes historically used on trains.


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