Device used to slow railroad cars in classification yards
The retarders grip the sides of the wheels on passing cars to slow them down.Classification bowl of Kornwestheim classification yard (near Stuttgart, Germany). Two retarders are clearly visible in this photo.A type of car retarder. As the cylinder 15 pushes an end of the lever 2A, the rotation motion of the lever 2A pivoted at the rod 4a makes the brake shoe 11A at the opposite end thrust against the wheel 13, so as to brake the car. Peter M. Noble, United States Patent 3,827,533, 1974.
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