Downtown in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Locomotive Parking Brakes
Before automated hand brakes/parking brakes, setting manual brakes required great physical effort. The brake operator had to use 125 pounds of force on the brake wheel or handle in order to set the brakes.
The use of automatic electrical braking systems, implemented in the mid-1990s, eliminated this challenge and guarantees that the brakes are set properly regardless of the operator's strength.
Automatic brakes also provide computer feedback to a locomotive's control system. If the brake is not released properly, the computer will prevent the locomotive from moving. Moving locomotives when the parking brake is set can damage the wheels.
Erected by Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 37° 16.386′ N, 79° 56.749′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Downtown. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Norfolk Avenue Southwest and 3rd Street Southwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 303 Norfolk Ave SW, Roanoke VA 24016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Graham-White Manufacturing Company (here, next to this marker); Norfolk & Western Safety Instruction Car #418
this page online
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 24, 2021
3. Additional plaque about Locomotive Air Dryers adjacent to the marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 110 times since then and 7 times this year. Last updated on April 29, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 29, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
