Air brake distributor valves

I'm trying to find information on the distributor valves used in air brake systems. Most of what I can find is about the early "triple valve" form that IIRC was never used on British railways.

 

Triple valves were part of the Westinghouse system used by quite a few pre-grouping companies, and therefore by sections of the LNER, SR and (I assume) the LMS as well.

What are you trying to understand?

 

I'm trying to find information on distributor valves, as I said.

 

I have various things on the Westinghouse brake, but if it's later you are after I cannot help, sorry

 

Distributor valves replaced Triple Valves as used on the single pipe Westinghouse air brake system as referred to by andrewtoplis above. The triple Valve as fitted to individual vehicles performed three functions. (1) To apply the brake, (2) To release the brake, and, (3) To charge the air reservoir on each vehicle. To all intents in use this system is non-gradual in. operation, particularly as far as releasing the brake is concerned

With the Oerlikon Buhle (Swiss) designed two-pipe system of around 1945 this uses a 2nd smaller pipe merely to charge the air reservoirs on the vehicles. The coupling heads on them have self-sealing valves fitted so in the event of the train becoming divided the reservoirs retain air pressure. What was the Triple Valve (now called the Distributor) has only two functions, to only apply and release the brake. In this case it means that both application and release can now be graduated. Unlike Casey Jones who ran out of air with the single pipe system, it is claimed with the 2-pipe system that the air supply is inexhaustible, this assuming that the air compressors can keep up with the demand.

The first application of the 2-pipe system here appears to be with the introduction of the BRCW/Sulzer locos of the Type 3 D6500 series, later as Class 33. BR vehicles for Continental use were running around Europe with the air brake in use, but on arrival back here the Vacuum brake was often found in need of attention, so the decision was made to run them with air brake here as well to avoid delays.

More can be found in the book 'Davies & Metcalfe - Railway Engineers to the World' by Richard Metcalfe, OBE, ISBN 086 317 202 4 (Senior Publications), or, ISBN 1 870119 59 2 (Foxline Publications).

 

. Exactly what information are you trying to find? If you simply Google railway brake distributor valve there’s a wealth of information available to you.

 

General overviews of both mechanics and history. Searching "railway brake distributor valve" primarily brings up manufacturers' sites.

 

This presentation includes a section on the distributor system, which I have found very useful when teaching new volunteers, it might help.
https://www.advanced-steam.org/wp-c...lls-Brakes-presentation-Part-2-Air-Brakes.pdf

 

That's very helpful. I'm trying to improve the Wikipedia article on air brakes - do you have any published books etc. that cover the same ground I could use as sources?