貫通ブレーキ

In order to stop or slow down, trains need a lot of braking force. For this reason each individual vehicle in a train is equipped with compressed air brakes , which allow synchronous brake application throughout the entire train. This is called a train brake.

Train brake is applied by a control device found in motorized rail vehicles. Applying brakes on a fully charged train functions by getting air dumped from the brake pipe to the atmosphere. This forces auxiliary reservoirs to feed their stored pressure to brake cylinders , pressing brake shoes against the wheels and braking the train.

Train brake is released by the same control device. Releasing brakes on a fully charged train functions by the brake pipe getting pressurized by main reservoir . This forces auxiliary reservoirs to recharge from the pipe and no longer feed the brake cylinders, depressing the brake shoes from the wheels and no longer braking the train.

貫通ブレーキは、ほとんどの動力車に搭載されている制御装置 (通常はレバー) によって操作されます。列車に複数の動力車がある場合、ブレーキが最もかかっている車両が優先権を持ちます。

Train brake should be used when a train contains cars . If the train only contains a single motorized vehicle, or multiple ones in MU configuration , using the independent brake is a better option.

To aid the train brake and prevent brake shoes from overheating , some motorized vehicles are equipped with dynamic brakes , too.