[proto] vertical brake staff

Mark, good question - I don't *think* that there was any ICC/FRA mandated cut-off date for "stemwinders" to be replaced. Individual cars with vertical brake staffs show up in photos dating from the mid-1970s, so that might be a useful starting point.

You can often figure out whether a car had vertical staffs by the dimenions quoted in the ORER. If the dimension given for extreme height exceeds that given for height to the top of the running boards, it's a fairly safe bet the car has vertical brake staffs.

All the best,

Mark

MN:

Am I correct in thinking that the main advantage of the horizontal 'power' handbrake is that it has internal gears to give some mechanical advantage, while with the staff your only recourse was a brake club? Or was it mainly for safety?

Cordially yours: Gerard P. President, a box of track and some plans

Yes, Gerard, you are. Judging by the ads, and the articles in the trade journals of the time, the main selling point was the mechanical advantage. Many proprietary handbrake mechanisms were referred to as power handbrakes for this reason.

Cheers,

Mark.