Static grass puffer bottles work by manually charging model grass fibres with static electricity. When the charged...
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How to use a static grass puffer bottleRead more -
What is meant by the term 'Conflat'?Read moreThe term "Conflat" is a contraction of the words "container" and "flat" and refers to a type of container flat wagon...
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What colour should I use to paint brick walls?Read moreIf you were painting a red brick wall, to get a realistic effect, I would, after the wall had been primed with a...
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Can Dapol rolling stock couple to Graham Farish rolling stock?Read moreModern Graham Farish and Dapol rolling stock should in theory couple together with little problem. This is thanks to...
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What is flock as used for scale modelling?Read moreIn scale modelling, "flock" refers to finely ground fibres or particles used to simulate textures such as grass,...
What is the purpose of a brake van?
Brake vans (originally called break vans) were first employed on early industrial tramways and cableways to provide braking should coupling fail. They were needed because early wagons didn't have brakes of their own. These types of wagons are known as un-fitted wagons.
As the railways developed through the 19th century, many practices from the early tramways were inherited, including the use of brake vans.
Brake vans started to appear with enclosed cabins for the guard and creature comforts such as a seat, fireplace and stove were installed. Brake vans also carried a variety of tools to assist the guard with coupling, breakdowns and emergencies. As trains got longer and heavier, brake vans were also used to help with regular service braking as well as runaway situations.
The use of brake vans on un-fitted and part-fitted trains remained commonplace until the mass introduction of fitted wagons during the 1960s and '70s and even longer in some circumstances.
Posted in: Rolling stock
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