Model Railroadings last frontier? "Working Air Brakes"?

[Anonymous]

Forget about air brakes, try live steam UK style. I believe they use steam Vacuum for the brakes so try that if you think air brakes might be too hard to do.

You buy it on Ebay right now.
Hornby Live Steam 4-6-2 Mallard Set HO/OO Brand New!

[Allen Jenkins]

Now, a working handbrake, on HO, I could use that, as I gotta park them strattled across a grade to park'em. Working air brakes? Just stick your legs out in the air, and apply both feet to the ground and Hold On! acj.

[trainfan1221]

I always thought a model with a miniature generator and miniature traction motors would be neat. Impossible, but still neat.

[chutton01]

QUOTE: Originally posted by lonewoof

Seems kinda along the same lines as running the electric power to trackside structures through actual scale-size wires strung on scale size poles...
Not a real practical idea.

Heh, I always thought about doing this, and even did one building as a test a long time ago - fun, but not all that practical.
Now, as for working air brakes, since Hornby's has come out with a working live HO steamer (yeah, others have too), I guess you'll need them soon...

[lonewoof]

Seems kinda along the same lines as running the electric power to trackside structures through actual scale-size wires strung on scale size poles...
Not a real practical idea.
Besides, how are you going to connect/disconnect a "O" scale gladhand every time you couple or uncouple? not to mention 2 aircocks on each car...

[Anonymous]

I've built O-scale British wagon kits by Parkside that featured brake gear that would have been operable had I remade a few parts - at least, the hand brake operation would have been possible. However, I would suggest that this is probably a case of "too much realism". You can get the effect of braking by using an inertia control system, and this would be easier and cheaper to do. I would guess that if it were possible to mass-produce models with this feature they would have been produced for the Japanese market - over there, they offer working HO scale Scharfenberg(sp?) autocouplers, as well as full suspension even on EMU power cars, along with a full set of lights - I'd guess if working airbrakes were possible, they'd have started fitting them!

[willy6]

I hope he doesn't leave his "laptop" in an empty boxcar when it's time to jump.

[cwclark]

so as a hobo ...how many railroad inspectors did you meet that threw you off the train?....Chuck[:D]

[ndbprr]

Ok so you put airbrakes ona train that runs with an electric motor. When you shut off the power it stops. When do you apply the brakes and what purpose do they serve? Could it be done? absolutely. Could it be done to scale with under car air lines. Not by me. Back in the late 40's there was a guy and I think his last name was Zollander or something like that who made some O gauge steam engines that had a tank in the tender which held dry ice. As it evaporated and built up pressure he actually ran his engines using the CO2 gas in the cylinders. He used the power on the rails to work the reverse mechanism and open the valve somehow. It got some great reviews and a charge lasted 2-3 hours as I recall. Obviously most people decided it wasn't practical. Anything can be done with enough money and time. If you want to make a 100% prototypical car have at it. I suspect you will give up before you complete it though.

[Big_Boy_4005]

And your air supply comes from where? And you activate them how? The smallest trains that have air brakes that I know of are 1" scale. The reason they have them is because you can ride them.

[Anonymous]

As a hobo I spend a Lot of time thinking about trains espcilay airbrakes that are critical to my saftety because I have to know when a train is moving or not.
One thing that I think is doiable is working air brakes in O and G scale. With Pnumatics one could see the brakes apply along with the elctronic sounds out there already on the market. I have seen Model Uncouling Levers which are better then using the tweezers to uncouple cars..