Heberlein brake

The "Heberlein brake" is a continuous railway brake used in Germany that is applied by means of a mechanical cable. Train braking is therefore initiated centrally from the locomotive using a winder. This causes the brake clips to be applied on individual wagons, assisted by a servo system which makes use of the rotation of the axle. The brakes operate automatically if the cable snaps. A typical feature of "Heberlein" brakes is the clearly visible cable run on top of the wagons, but cables can also be led underneath the wagons, as on the "Spreewaldbahn" railway line. "Heberlein" brakes were eventually largely replaced by compressed-air brakes or, sometimes, by vacuum brakes on narrow gauge railway vehicles.

The "Heberlein" brake is still permitted as an operating brake on German railways due to its modus operandi (continuous and automatic), especially at the low speeds on narrow gauge lines.

On several narrow gauge railways in Saxony, numerous vehicles with "Heberlein" systems can still be seen. These include the "Lößnitzgrundbahn", "Weißeritztalbahn" and Rittersgrün narrow gauge museum railway. On the "Preßnitztalbahn" trains using "Heberlein" brakes run regularly, several times a year.

Because of the way they operate, there is a longer delay with "Heberlein" brakes before the brakes take effect when compared with compressed-air or vacuum brakes. As a result, locomotive and train crews have to be given appropriate training and experience these days when using this type of brake in practice.

The Görlitz weight brake ("Görlitzer Gewichtsbremse"), a form of cable brake, operates in a similar way to the "Heberlein" brake, but differs markedly in its design details, as does the "Schmid" continuous spiral-toothed gear brake.