runaway freight.

toot · **Joined:** Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:51 pm **Posts:** 42

I am reading the book. THE RR CABOOSE. AND IN ONE CHAPTER, it says - the runaway freight was doing 50 mph.so the break man went top side with his BREAK CLUB. what was it and how was it used?

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Mon Aug 26, 2024 1:26 am

The brake wheel was how you applied the brakes on an individual car manually.

Maybe 100 years ago (that's the 1920's!) the handbrake on a car was at one of the ends of the car and had a chain attached under the floor to the brake rigging at one end and to a shaft at the other end. The shaft ran to the top of the car where there was a large wheel that turned the shaft. To apply the brakes, you turned the shafe to pull the chain and the brake rigging, tightening the brake shoes on the wheels There was a ratchet to keep the brakes from loosening.

The brake club was to go inside the brake wheel and get extra leverage.

Phil Mulligan

toot · **Joined:** Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:51 pm **Posts:** 42

E J BERRY. thank you so much for the great reply & history lesson, on breaking runaway freight cars. sound's like not a job fore the faint of heart? I'll bet that a lot of them lost there lives? toot.

LV95068 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:58 pm **Posts:** 12

You may find it helpful to Google "brake club railroad". You want to know about the old brake clubs, not the modern brake sticks.

toot · **Joined:** Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:51 pm **Posts:** 42

LV95068, I google searched break club rr, rr break club, and nothing came up. no match found. so I tried, I would rely like to see a picture of one. thank you for trying to help me.

toot · **Joined:** Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:51 pm **Posts:** 42

LV95068, I spelled out the whole word break club railroad, instead of break club rr, or rr break club and all of the information on them came up, even ones, made of hickory for sale. thank you so much for the great help on the subject. toot.

Ed Horan · **Joined:** Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:30 pm **Posts:** 83

toot wrote:

LV95068, I spelled out the whole word break club railroad, instead of break club rr, or rr break club and all of the information on them came up, even ones, made of hickory for sale. thank you so much for the great help on the subject. toot.

Try typing "brake" instead and see if that will get you somewhere.

toot · **Joined:** Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:51 pm **Posts:** 42

ED, I tried what you said, I googled searched, ''BRAKE CLUB'' and a site came up called TRAIN'S SITE. with great information on the TRAIN'S BRAKE CLUB VS BRAKE STICK. it said that brake men had a higher rate of death, than that of coal miners, 8 out of 100 died due too un eaven track's , iced top walking boards, broken top walking boards, speed, wind gusts etc. toot.

Ed Horan · **Joined:** Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:30 pm **Posts:** 83

toot wrote:

ED, I tried what you said, I googled searched, ''BRAKE CLUB'' and a site came up called TRAIN'S SITE. with great information on the TRAIN'S BRAKE CLUB VS BRAKE STICK. it said that brake men had a higher rate of death, than that of coal miners, 8 out of 100 died due too un eaven track's , iced top walking boards, broken top walking boards, speed, wind gusts etc. toot.

You're welcome.

Ed

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