steamman
Private
- Joined
- May 26, 2020
- Location
- Columbus, Ga
I will start by describing the Brakeman of the pre-air brake Steam locomotive age. The brakes are simple affairs of brakes pressing on wheels. Details later.
Brakes were engaged by turning a wheel, normally at the top of a car. Each car had a brake and each brake had to be engaged. Brakemen had to run across the top of slippery box cars, leaping from car to car, frequently falling to death or serious injuries.
Running across freight car roofs to engage the brakes on each car as quickly as possible was a hazardous affair. In winter the planks atop the freight cars would be slippery with ice and snow. Furthermore, tracks were not always aligned horizontally resulting a rolling motion as the cars passed over uneven areas of track. At a height of 12 or 14 feet above the track grade, the rolling was much magnified and posed a grave danger to the unlucky brakeman riding atop the freight car. In the worst case, the brakeman would be thrown to his death underneath the wheels of the train.
The Brakeman of a Logging Train
An example of a brakeman’s club or hickey.
..
Brakes were engaged by turning a wheel, normally at the top of a car. Each car had a brake and each brake had to be engaged. Brakemen had to run across the top of slippery box cars, leaping from car to car, frequently falling to death or serious injuries.
The Life of a Brakeman
To apply the brakes, the brakeman would turn a large brake control wheel located atop each freight car of the train. Every brakeman carried a thick brake “club” to help give them leverage in turning the wheel. This meant that they would have to run along the top of the railway cars and leap from one to another in order to apply or release the brakes on each car. Generally, the rear brakeman, or flagman as he was also known, would advance from the end of the train whilst the head brakeman or the conductor would advance from the engine to apply the brakes on each car, one by one. On a moving train, especially in bad weather, the application of brakes was a risky proposition, at best. Worse still, a stuck brake wheel might suddenly free up and throw the brakeman off balance. All too often this would result in the brakeman falling between the cars to his death. Riding in the open, frequently exposed to the bitter cold of winter, the brakeman’s job was fraught with danger.
Running across freight car roofs to engage the brakes on each car as quickly as possible was a hazardous affair. In winter the planks atop the freight cars would be slippery with ice and snow. Furthermore, tracks were not always aligned horizontally resulting a rolling motion as the cars passed over uneven areas of track. At a height of 12 or 14 feet above the track grade, the rolling was much magnified and posed a grave danger to the unlucky brakeman riding atop the freight car. In the worst case, the brakeman would be thrown to his death underneath the wheels of the train.
The Brakeman of a Logging Train
An example of a brakeman’s club or hickey.
..