Emergency Brake (train)
On trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:
- The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest position, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab
- a completely separate mechanism from the conventional braking system, designed to stop the train as quickly as possible
- a handle or plunger which may be applied by a passenger in an emergency situation, either operating the brakes directly or sending an alarm to the driver so that he can stop the train
The emergency brake applies considerably more braking force than the standard full-service brake. The engineer, motorman or driver will only use the emergency brake as a last resort, since it may cause damage; even with modern wheel slide protection, a train may develop wheel-flats, and the rails themselves can suffer profile damage.
Read more about Emergency Brake (train): Possible Consequences of Operating The Emergency Brake, Passenger-applied Brakes, External Signaling, Images, Further Reading
Famous quotes containing the word emergency:
“In this country, you never pull the emergency brake, even when there is an emergency. It is imperative that the trains run on schedule.”
—Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990)