Translations:Air Brake System Overview/6/en

By operating the train brake lever, the driver controls the brake pipe pressure, indirectly affecting the amount of air supplied to each brake cylinder in the train. By moving the train brake lever in the "apply" direction, the driver dumps air from the brake pipe into the atmosphere. The control valves on each vehicle release pressure contained in the auxiliary reservoirs into the brake cylinders and thus apply the brakes. By moving the train brake lever in the "release" direction, the driver pressurizes the brake pipe with air from the main reservoir. This refills the auxiliary reservoirs and the control valves react by dumping brake cylinder pressure into the atmosphere, releasing the brakes.