Advantages and Developments
The advantages of the EP system are that:
- The driver’s brake valve is self-lapping; the position of the valve activates a specific brake pressure in the brake cylinders and therefore a specific braking rate.
- The distributors are activated instantly and simultaneously, so that there is no longitudinal surging and the response is consistent irrespective of train length.
- Release of a brake application starts instantly in response to the driver’s brake valve, throughout the train; and partial release and re-application is possible.
The electrical control system required control cables throughout the length of the train (in addition to the two air pipes for Westinghouse operation) and a jumper cable was provided at each end of every unit for use when two or more units were coupled to run in multiple. In 1950, no electronic control was possible and the system used four conductors in the cable to achieve graduated braking rates.
The EP brake system was greatly appreciated by drivers and was adopted for subsequent builds of rolling stock on the Southern Region of British Railways, including middle-distance passenger stock.
Read more about this topic: Electro-pneumatic Brake System On British Railway Trains
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