By Roger age 11
The answer is no. But there is something that looks like a steering wheel. The metal wheel on a boxcar is actually a manual brake. Years ago, the engine was stopped by decreasing the power to the locomotive's wheels and applying a brake. However, the brakes were not strong enough to stop the whole train. So the train was slowed and stopped manually with an independent brake system on each car.
A brake wheel was placed near the top of the boxcars. Also, on the top of the boxcars were wooden walkways. This allowed rail crew to walk or run across one car and jump to the next car and apply brakes, particularly when the train was going to go down a hill or had to stop at a station in town. The roof walks were only 18 to 24 inches wide.
There are still brake wheels on modern boxcars; but they are no longer used for slowing the train, just to keep the boxcar from moving while it is in storage. These days, the trains must have an automatic brake system whenever they are on the tracks and being pulled. So when the engineer applies the brakes, the brakes are applied on each car in the consist (that is railroad talk) of the entire train.
According to my good friend Steven Lynch – who runs a railroad website called www.trainsarefun.com/index.htm – the Federal Railway Administration mandated that beginning in 1966, no new cars could be built with roof walks. He explained that climbing up on a moving train, especially if it was wet and slippery, was super dangerous. It happened a lot that people fell and got hurt – even so, change was slow. The idea of removing the walks was first submitted in 1964. However, it was not until 1968 that the American Association of Railroads legislated the removal of roof walks. The last of the roof walks were to be gone by 1979.
I think it’s cool that the steering-wheel-looking brake system still appears on box cars. The brake wheels have been placed lower down so the manual brake can be applied and released from ground level as the cars are being connected or disconnected from a train.
Not surprisingly, the brake system has continued to improve. Trains are now being equipped with sensors both front and back that apply the brakes if something, like another train, is blocking the track. Also, electric brake systems are replacing air brakes, as compressed air can leak out and cause braking problems.
So next time you see a boxcar, look for the brake wheel and ask your friend if he thinks he could steer a train from there and then just laugh and say, “No. That is just a brake!”
