Brake van

Railways were a formalised development of industrial tramways, which, on occasion, had to add braking capacity by attaching an empty truck to the rear of a group of tramcars. This allowed the "locomotive" — often a cableway powered by a steam engine at the surface — to operate both safely and, more importantly, at higher speed. The first railways, such as the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway of 1830, used a version of the tramway buffer-and-chain coupling, termed a screw coupling. Vehicles are coupled by hand using a hook and links with a turnbuckle-like device that draws the vehicles together. Vehicles have buffers, one at each corner on the ends, which are pulled together and compressed by the coupling device. With no continuous brake across the entire train, the whole train was reliant on the braking capacity of the locomotive, and train lengths were restricted. To allow for longer trains, early railway companies from the 1840s onwards began replicating industrial tramway practises by adding "break vans". The term was derived from their name on the industrial tramways, in which they controlled the (residual) train if there was a "break" in the linkage to the locomotive. Early railway couplings was prone to breakages. The term was only replaced by "brake van" from the 1870s onwards. Because of the combined risks of shortage of brake power and breaking couplings, the speed of freight trains was initially restricted to . The brake van was marshalled at the rear of the train, and served two purposes: • Provided additional braking for 'unfitted' goods trains • Put a man (the guard) at the rear of the train, who could take action in the event of a breakdown or accident While the UK railway system persisted until post-nationalisation in 1948 with "unfitted" (discontinuously braked) trains and loose couplings (the final unfitted trains ran in the 1990s), other systems, such as North America's adoption of the Janney coupler, addressed the same railway safety issues differently. ==The guard's duties==

On unfitted trains, the brake van has several purposes and, hence, several jobs for the guard: operating the brake, supervising the train, and providing illumination and communication. Firstly, and most importantly, the guard would use the brake van's brakes to help keep the train under control on downward gradients and whenever they saw that the locomotive crew was attempting to slow the train. Route knowledge would allow the guard to initiate the braking before the driver. To aid in this, signalling regulations mandated that signals be left at clear until the entire train (including the guard's van) had passed, as the guard would immediately apply the brakes upon seeing a signal at danger. Secondly, they minimized the risk of snapped broken couplings by application of the handbrake wheel, which would keep otherwise-loose screw couplings taut between unfitted wagons. This helped mitigate the risk of a coupling failure from uneven acceleration ("snatching" or jerking). This was particularly a problem as locomotives became more powerful. Because coupling failures were a fairly common occurrence when starting an unfitted train, train crews were given specific instructions upon starting a freight train that the footplate crew look back towards the brake van for a signal from the guard (by flag or lamp) that the entire train was moving. All couplings were taut before accelerating to higher speeds. "Queen Mary" bogie brake van - most British brake vans had just four wheels and a rigid wheelbase. This one has all three side lamps visible. A later job for the guard was to provide side lamps on brake vans. The white lamp is the tail lamp, whilst the grey lamps are the side lamps, along with the standard tail lamp (showing red to the rear and sides) required on the rear of every train. The side lamps showed a white light towards the front and a red light to the side/rear. The front-facing lamps indicated to the locomotive crew that the train was still complete, whilst the provision of extra red lights at the rear was an additional safety measure. Due to the very low chance of all three lights being out at once, it was stipulated that a freight train passing without any lamps on the rear had split, and that the rear portion was potentially running away. These side lamps were used on passenger trains before the adoption of continuous braking. Another purpose of these side lamps was to alter the colour of their illumination. Because a removable filter provided the red indication, a white light could be shown to the rear of the train when needed. This could be used to indicate to a train on a parallel, faster line that the slower freight train showing the white light was travelling in the same direction but on another line, posing no danger of collision. The white lamp would be on the side closest to the faster-running line and would be deployed on relief or slow lines where faster-running lines ran parallel with no more than one intervening line, or on loops or refuge sidings next to running lines. In an emergency, the guard could attract the attention of other railway staff by reversing these side lights, so that red lights shone forward to alert the locomotive crew and any other railway staff who saw them. ==Country overview==

Great Britain brake van of the Great Western Railway Past In Great Britain, freight trains without a continuous braking system throughout the train or in the rearmost section ("unfitted" or "partly fitted", respectively, in UK railway parlance) were still prevalent in the 1970s but were mostly eliminated by the 1980s. Early brake vans were heavily weighted, adapted open freight wagons, equipped with an externally mounted, hand-operated brake that acted on all four wheels. The term brake van began to be adopted from the 1870s onwards, when bespoke-designed vehicles had a specific hut added to house the guard away from the weather. In keeping with tradition, most brake vans had an open area, but from the 1870s onwards, this "veranda" became partly enclosed with the addition of a roof. Some vans were fully enclosed but equipped with windows at each end, allowing the guard to view the entire train. All operating equipment, specifically the brakes and sandboxes for improved traction, was located in the open area of the brake van. Brakes were normally controlled using a hand wheel mounted within the veranda, although some early designs continued with an externally mounted shaft. To improve the guard's visibility, many were fitted with look-outs on the roof, but side look-outs (termed "duckets") were the more common. The North Eastern Railway, Great Central Railway, London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway all built brake vans with a raised look-out at one end of the roof. Two issues always added to brake power: wheels and weight. Hence, many companies tried both approaches to improve their brake vans. Brake vans often had a significant amount of ballast, in the form of concrete, cast iron, or water tanks built into their structure, to increase the available braking effort. Whilst most brake vans had two axles with four wheels, many railway companies built brake vans with three axles and six wheels. The Great Northern Railway built a few eight-wheelers for very heavy coal trains, the only rigid eight-wheeler brake vans built in the UK. In the 1930s, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) built three bespoke twin-bogied vans (four axles, eight wheels), for use on a particular branch line, where they replaced pairs of four-wheeled vans. The design covered the entire chassis length, with two extended verandas on either side of a cabin equipped with twin duckets. To further improve braking, some LMS and LNER brake vans were fitted with vacuum brakes in addition to their normal brakes, which the guard could operate. Almost all War Department brake vans were fitted with vacuum cylinders, as they were exclusively used on ammunition trains. The Southern Railway built 46 twin-bogie brake vans: the first 21 on redundant electric locomotive chassis, termed the "Gondola" brake vans; and the last 25 on new chassis, termed the "Queen Mary" brake vans. Designed for high-speed operation on milk and parcels trains rather than stopping power, they had a lengthened cabin. Still, they did not cover the entire twin-bogie chassis. Equipment and Furniture Equipment carried aboard the brake van, which had to be checked by the guard before the train's departure, consisted of: • A shunting pole: a wooden pole about 6 feet long with a twisted hook on the end, which was used to couple and uncouple 3-link and instanter couplings without the guard having to position himself dangerously in between the vehicles, • At least 2 "sprags": A section of wood designed to be shoved into gaps in the side of a railway wagon wheel, that physically prevents the wheel from rotating, effectively immobilizing a wagon. They were often used during shunting operations, or when wagons needed to be detached from a train as a means to prevent runaways. • Brake stick: similar in shape to a square-ended baseball bat, and used to lever down the handbrakes of wagons by placing it under the solebar and applying downward pressure. • Track circuit clips: A pair of metal spring clips connected by a wire used on lines with track circuits to indicate to the signalman that a train is occupying that section. They would be used in the event of an accident in which other running lines were fouled, and trains on them had to be stopped as a matter of great urgency. • A set of red and green signalling flags, In the years immediately before that, brake vans were deemed necessary only by the HM Railway Inspectorate or Network Rail in certain special cases, for example, on trains with unusual cargoes or on track maintenance trains. The nearest equivalent to a brake van still in use on main-line British railways is the driving van trailer (DVT), which is used on locomotive-hauled trains to control the locomotive from the other end of the train in a push-pull configuration, removing the need for the locomotive to run around its train at termini. Although the DVT has braking capability of its own, this is incidental, as the vehicle's primary purpose is to allow the train to be driven from the opposite end to the locomotive and to provide accommodation for bulky luggage. Brake vans are still a common sight on many heritage railways. On occasion, multiple brake vans will be coupled together in what is known as a "brake van special" for people to ride in. Australia In Australia, brake vans (or guard vans; both terms were in common use) were often also used to carry parcels and light freight, and usually had large compartments and loading doors for such items. Some of the larger vans also included a compartment for passengers travelling on goods services or for drovers travelling with their livestock. Cane railways Sugar cane railways in Queensland sometimes have radio-controlled brake vans. The wagons in these trains are unfitted and have no continuous brake pipes. India On Indian Railways, brake vans are still in use to a great extent on freight (goods) trains and on some passenger trains. The brake van in passenger trains (usually the first and last coaches) is a type of coach. It consists of an enclosed room/cabin with two small seats facing each other, one seat with a writing table for the guard to assist with writing and working on his train, and the opposite seat is a spare. The van also has a small lavatory. A special feature of the passenger brake van is a small dog box where passengers can carry their pets while travelling in the same train in a different coach. The guard generally remains responsible for the water and pet food while the train is in motion, and the dog box is designed to allow this. The brake van also contains a stretcher, an emergency train lighting box, and a stand to hold the lamp signal during the night. The vacuum or air pressure gauge is mounted in front of the guard's seat with a lever to operate it in case of emergency. The hand brake can be used in case of a high emergency. The remaining part of the coach consists of space for carrying parcels and small goods. It also has seating for ladies or people with disabilities (wheelchair-friendly). The goods brake van is less attractive, is generally the last vehicle on the train, open on both sides, and does not necessarily have interior lighting/lamps. Still, it does house a small lavatory seat for the guards, owing to their long hours on freight trains. The van is less secure and has fewer features than a passenger brake van. Eight-wheeled brake vans were recently introduced to improve the guards' riding comfort. ==Passenger brake van==

coach with passenger compartments (left) and brake/luggage area (right) A passenger brake van was a combine car originally designed to serve the same purpose as a goods brake van, but, when continuous brakes became standard on passenger trains, its use changed. The van may have equipment to apply continuous brakes in an emergency, if fitted alongside the hand brake, for when the train is parked without a locomotive present. The vehicle also provides a compartment for the guard, a luggage compartment, and sometimes passenger accommodation. Examples Examples of British passenger brake vans include: • Brake Gangwayed • Brake Standard Open • Brake Standard Open (Micro-Buffet) Support coaches In the UK, converted British Railways Mark 1 passenger brake vans are used as the basis for preserved steam locomotive support coaches. ==See also==