Retarder (railroad)
In rail transport, a retarder is a device installed in a classification yard used to reduce the speed of freight cars as they are sorted into trains. Construction Each retarder consists of a series of stationary brakes surrounding a short section of each on the track that grip and slow the cars' wheels through friction as they roll through them. Computer control Modern retarders are computer controlled to apply a precise amount of pressure on the wheels so that cars rolling down a yard's hump are slowed to a safe speed for coupling with cars already standing on the yard's tracks. Inert retarder An inert retarder holds a cut of classified railcars to keep them from rolling out of a yard.U.S. Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, D.C. (1983)"Definitions: Inert retarder."''Railroad Noise Emission Compliance Regulations.'' ''Code of Federal Regulations,'' . See also * Dowty retarders *Retarder (mechanical engineering) A retarder is a device used to augment or replace s ...
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