How Do Train Brakes Work?

Train brakes. Not exactly the flashiest part of a train. But imagine what it took to design them-human hands and minds coming together to solve the problem of stopping a train weighing thousands of tons, speeding down the tracks at over 100 miles per hour. Imagine standing by the railway tracks, watching this massive steel beast thundering past, and suddenly-it needs to stop. Not in a minute, not in five miles-right now. What kind of sorcery makes that possible? Well, it’s no sorcery, but it is an ingenious mix of engineering, physics, and a little bit of history. So buckle up, because we’re diving into the fascinating world of train brakes-where power meets precision!

[@WTC2014]

Freight locomotives have something called the dynamic brake. It works by turning the traction motors of the wheels into generators, and taking the generated current through resistor banks and expelling the energy as heat.

[@grow723]

Thanks for the info!

[@johncrwarner]

All our trams in my city (Bielefeld Germany)
have regenerative braking so it is more common
than you suggest - I think most German trains
also do it but I am not sure.

[@MottyGlix]

How is it that the video says we now know the secret of braking? We don't! Had it described, say, the triple valve function and the pressure reservoir, it would have gone most of the way to telling us the "secret" of train braking.

[@grow723]

Trying to make the video as simple as possible so everyone can understand. The full details on how a train breaks could take an hour to 30min video, which makes everything seem boring
Triple tank function allows air inside, it was mentioned that air is actually used.

[@Drakelett]

1:03 that's the accelerator pedal; there's your problem 😂
Interesting video though.

[@grow723]

I never noticed, thank you.

[@GreyProfessional9575]

Awesome job!

[@grow723]

Thank you

[@grow723]

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