Stupid question about car hand brakes

[STrRedWolf]

So I'm going through another edit phase of my Throng band train travel novel, and a friend who's helping with editing (and worked with the B&O Railroad back before it became CSX) asked why I used the phrase "hand brakes".

Well, I know about the air brakes (from old MARC operations logs when I was with MTA Maryland and from Trains' latest article on their history). But I've observed on MARC cars that the conductors would set or release some "hand brakes" at the ends of each car. These were on the current MARC stock.

Is that right? Hand brake or parking brake? Anyone care to explain?

[DutchRailnut]

Hand brake is applied with handwheel or ratchet handle, it usually will with chain apply brake shoe to two axles in one truck
A parking brake on trains mainly locomotives or MU sets are spring applied and will release with air it can be just on one truck or like Genesis work on all 8 wheels.

The parking brake in theory is safer as its failsafe , if air bleeds off, the spring will apply the shoes.

[STrRedWolf]

Hand brake is applied with handwheel or ratchet handle, it usually will with chain apply brake shoe to two axles in one truck
A parking brake on trains mainly locomotives or MU sets are spring applied and will release with air it can be just on one truck or like Genesis work on all 8 wheels.

The parking brake in theory is safer as its failsafe , if air bleeds off, the spring will apply the shoes.

Definitely a hand brake then. The ratchet handle is what I saw.

I wonder if the old Pullman equipment had them...

[GOLDEN-ARM]

all revenue equipment is equipped with a hand brake. whether a lever, ratchet, vertical wheel, horizontal wheel, staff mounted or even push-button operated, all revenue.interchangeable equipment has a hand brake.