26-L--augh ! Thanks!
Author: one minute to blast off
Date: 04-12-2021 - 09:50
Thank you for the brake-funny-farm-jargon translation!!!
VIVA MR. AIR! GREEN SIGNAL INFINITY!
SP5103 Wrote:
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> The Air Brake part numbers and brake schedules are
> simply a confusing nightmare.
>
> The late Dave Garcia and I one night started
> naming all the valves that had been designated as
> A-1, and when Dave started adding in all the
> traction side it just got silly.
>
> Incidentally, Wabco has an A-1 schedule for steam
> locomotives that included a G-6 for the automatic
> brake valve and a S-3A straight air independent
> brake valve. Some locos used a steam jam brake in
> place of the straight air, and NYAB had their own
> brake system.
>
> This was replaced by the 5-ET schedule (ET =
> Engine Tender) while NYAB had the LT brake system
> (Lt = Loco tender). It was soon discovered that
> the 5-ET had some undesirable design issues, so it
> was quickly replaced by the 6-ET with most of the
> former 5 equipment returned and upgraded. There
> may have been a No. 7, it was common in Australia,
> but in the US it became best known as the 14-EL
> (Electric locomotive) which was a double ended set
> of No 7. There was a No 10, 12 and 14 series of
> distributing valves which were designed for double
> ended equipment, otherwise the stock 6 (or 5)
> series distributing valves were used.
>
> 6 series took a little detour with 6-BL (Branch
> Line) primarily by NYAB with Wabco providing the
> 6-DS (Diesel switcher) and 6-SL (switching
> locomotive) schedules.
>
> There was a 8-ET for late large steam which also
> had a 8-EL for large electrics and early road
> diesels (such as the FT). The 8 evolved into the
> 24RL (Road locomotive). The first generation of 24
> had an ET version, while the second generation
> included pressure maintaining against brake pipe
> leakage while earlier versions could be either be
> converted with factory parts or by railroad
> modification. I'm not sure how they managed to
> jump from 6, 8 and 14 all the way to 24.
>
> In the 1950s, small switchers usually got 14EL
> (real small just had straight air), while EMD made
> 6BL standard with 24RL an extra cost option for
> locos intended for road service (though GMD used
> 6SL instead of 6BL). In reality, almost any common
> valve could be either NYAB or Wabco as they
> cooperated in the common designs to keep from
> getting into monopoly issues and has done so for
> decades. For instance, while 24RL was primarily
> Wabco, I think it was GN that got NYAB 24RL
> because they were a dedicated NYAB customer. GP&s
> and F7s could have either 6 or 24 depending on
> what the railroads ordered.
>
> 25 was only built as a single test set. An ill
> fated attempt to convert 24 from ring and piston
> to rubber diaphragm. It reportedly only made one
> actual test trip on either Pennsy or NYC.
>
> 26L actually originated from the transit side of
> Wabco and was used on some of the early
> articulated lightweight trains. The freight side
> of Wabco adapted it to regular heavy passenger and
> freight service around 1957 when it was fairly
> quickly adopted, though 6BL, 14EL and 24RL was
> still available. 26L initially started as numerous
> brake valves mounted to individual pipe brackets
> and everything connected by pipe or copper tubing.
> This evolved to many of the components under the
> cab being mounted to a panel which also had some
> of the internal connections and volumes mounted to
> it. There is also a 26-LU schedule (Universal)
> that included a F-1 selector valve to allow a
> 26-LU equipped engine to MU with any one pipe
> system (unmodified 6 or 14) or two pipe (24 and
> modified 6) as well as 26 (which is typically two
> pipe).
>
> 27 is a lighter and simpler design that saw some
> limited application in the US on small diesels and
> things like cranes and trackmobiles. It seems to
> have been much more common in export use,
> including a hybrid 28 system that combines the 26
> automatic and 27 independent, and presumably the
> 27 control valve?
>
> Not sure what 29 was supposed to be.
>
> Schedule 30 was the "desktop" brake valve which is
> basically uses the 26 brake arrangement except for
> largely separating the engineer's brake handles
> from the valving.
>
> As Dr. Z mentioned, 26-C was a control valve
> arrangement primarily for heavy rail passenger,
> while 26-F is for locomotives. They have different
> pipe brackets and some other differences, and 26-C
> has an emergency portion while 26-F has a quick
> release portion to allow the engine brakes to be
> "bailed off" after a brake pipe reduction. There
> was also a 26-D control valve which is a
> simplified 26-F but didn't allow for graduated
> release that only saw limited application
> primarily on switchers at least in North America.
> To add to the confusion, the 26 control valves
> have about 12 different versions depending on
> where they are used, but are visually identical.
> And the common engineer's brake valve is also
> designated 26-C. There is also a version of 30
> only for passenger and one for freight that aren't
> compatible but look almost identical. There is
> also a 26-E and 30-E which are position brake
> valves apparently used for PS-68 braked cars. And,
> there are versions of 26 for passenger or freight
> that use common ABD series valves in place of loco
> design valves.
>
> Schedule 31 was the first electronic controlled
> brake system from Wabco. The first design was 3101
> which used "pneumacards" basically trying to make
> the system with plug in modules for easier
> troubleshooting and repair. The weight of the
> "cards" and inability to keep them from leaking at
> the plug in rack resulted in it quickly being
> replaced by the 3102 which returned to the more
> typical bolting of components to a panel.
>
> I have no clue what the modern electronic control
> brake valves are designated as though there is
> obviously several generations and variations in
> design. Wabtec/Wabco and Knorr/NYAB have gone
> their separate ways, though I believe you can
> still mix and match the Knorr DB10/DB20 portions
> with Wabtec ABDX on freight cars per AAR standard.
> Funny thing - even the most modern electronic
> system still has a fully pneumatic "triple valve"
> to still apply the brakes if an engine is moved
> dead in train.