Westinghouse Vaccum brakes

[29 Chandler]

Does anyone have any information on Westinghouse Vacuum brakes? We have them on our 1929 Chandler. I have an ad that shows them as a new option on the 1928 Chandlers. They were produced by the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. I have been told that they are the same system that was used on Pullman train cars. <BR>On our all mechanical brake system there is a rod that goes in one end of the vacuum booster and comes out the other, not unlike the systems of today. I understand your brakes still worked even when the booster would not, unlike similar systems of the time. <BR>Does anyone know of any other cars that used the Westinghouse brakes? Recommend anyone with experience rebuilding the vacumm unit. I could probaby do it myself, but I first want to find out what information or resources are out there first.<BR>I can send pictures of the unit to anyone interested.<BR>Thanks in advance.<BR>

[1937hd45]

I think Westinghouse also made shock absorbers, they were tall cylinders that mounted on the front of the frame horns. White trucks used them in the teens.

[Guest]

I've seen ones similar to what you mention, large vertical cylinders mounted on the ends of the dumb irons,sometimes with nickel plated caps,seen them on some Pierce Arrows, Mcfarlans daniels and other large cars but I thought they were called Gruss Air Springs? perhaps westinghouse made similar ones? I would like to know more about this.

[1937hd45]

L I Stellite/Interstate, Just looked them up in my 1918 edition of Dykes, page 26. Nice cutaway of the Westinghouse shock. Special note: I got this copy the first time I met Les Cutting, at the Rhinebeck N.Y. swap meet.

[Guest]

Good, I'll get my dyke and open 'er up, the book that is.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

'29 Chandler,<P>If you find a MoToR's or other shop manual from that goes back to at least 1935, they do mention "vacuum brake boosters", although I think these were primarily Bendix units<BR>(Lincoln "K" through 1940), but still used on car with mechanical brakes.<P>These boosters basically supplemented the car's regular mechanical brake system- usually the booster is connected mechanically to the brake pedal or the main equalizer cross-shaft,and has a "control" linkage connected to a vacuum valve, which senses movement from the brake pedal, and then admits vacuum (or atmospheric pressure, as the case may be) to the booster piston, hwich then applies additional mechanical effort to the brake "input" linkage.<P>The basic concept is the same for brake power boosters up through the advent of ABS, at least.<P>Generally, beyond the specific control valve gizmo, there's a large leather piston inside that booster cylinder(like a big tire pump), and every now & then, one was supposed to add a half oz. or so of "vacuum cylinder oil"(Anyone got any "Socony Vacuum Oil" laying around ?) to keep the leather pliable and the cylinder from rusting. <P>Someone "lurking" out there is bound to have specific info on the W-house system.<P>If not, I just checked my 1935-'42 MoToR's manual that lives under my desk, and it looks like the system used on the 1935 Buick may be pretty similar.<P>My two cents-worth. If you do try to take it apart, go slow & easy, I'm sure that "hard parts" are probably scarce, and watch out for any little springs that might "take-off" and migrate, if you're opening up the control valve. <P>Sound's interesting; George Westinghouse's first big sucess was the "air-brake" for rail-road applications; I'm sure that the vacuum brake booster owes a lot to it's rail-road cousin.