ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Heberlein brake

Okay, so imagine you are riding your bike down a hill really fast, and suddenly there's a huge rock or tree in your way that you need to stop to avoid crashing. How can you stop your bike quickly and safely?

Well, one way is to use your brakes - those are the parts on your bike that help you slow down or stop. But not all brakes work the same way, and some are designed specifically for bigger and heavier things than bikes, like trains or trucks. That's where the Heberlein brake comes in.

The Heberlein brake is a type of braking system that is used for trains, specifically for the cars that carry heavy goods like coal or ore. It works by using a rope or cable that is wrapped around the car's wheels or axles, and this rope is then pulled by a series of mechanisms that can be operated manually or automatically. When the rope is pulled, it tightens around the wheels or axles, creating friction that slows down or stops the car.

Think of it like a really strong and powerful version of your hand brake on your bike. Instead of just squeezing the handlebars to apply pressure to the wheels, the Heberlein brake uses a rope that can be pulled with a lot more force to slow down the huge and heavy train cars.

The Heberlein brake was invented in the late 1800s by Swiss railway engineer Eduard Heberlein, and it quickly became a popular and reliable way to stop trains that were carrying massive loads. Today, many trains still use the Heberlein brake as part of their braking system, although newer and more advanced technologies have also been developed over time.

So, in short, the Heberlein brake is a type of braking system that uses a rope to apply pressure to a train car's wheels or axles, helping to slow down or stop the car safely and quickly.