Railway brake

Component of railway rolling stock

Railway brakes are brakes which are used for the cars of railway trains. The brakes are used to enable deceleration, to control acceleration when going down slopes or hills and to keep the cars standing while they are parked. There are several types of brakes, including vacuum brakes and air brakes.

A railway brake. The brake shoe (brown) bears on the surface (tire) of the wheel (red), and is operated by the levers (grey) on the left