Westinghouse - First Air Brake Trial (Chapter 6)

With the air brake, the engineer could control all of the brakes on a train from the cab. This would allow for longer trains carrying more people and more goods. At that time, George was traveling the country soliciting orders for his railway devices and had many opportunities to present his thoughts on air brakes to railway officials. He said that none of those approached appeared to have faith in the idea. George Westinghouse was so sure that he would be successful with the Westinghouse air brakes that he invested all his money, and also his good friend Ralph Baggaley invested money, and he built a full set of brakes for a locomotive and four cars. Upon emerging from the tunnel, they came face-to-face with two horses and a wagon standing on the tracks. The future of railroading was set in motion over the next several months as more tests were conducted around the country. Railway officials were impressed, resulting in immediate orders of air-brake equipment. Westinghouse air brakes suddenly began appearing on passenger trains around the country. The Westinghouse Air-Brake Company was chartered on September 28, 1869. The new company began churning out parts with an initial workforce of about 100 men. Over the next decade, George Westinghouse made numerous improvements to the air brake, and by 1877, most American railroads had their passenger trains outfitted with them. It was declared by one writer that no railroad claims to be first class that does not employ Westinghouse air brakes. Even with this success, another major hurdle remained - the freight-train industry. It was said that the freight industry was the slowest to adopt the air brakes because railroad companies did not want to invest the money to protect the lives of their cheap labor force. Brakemen were paid $1.50 a day and received nothing if they were maimed or killed. It cost about $50 to install air brakes on a train car. This was considered the age when railroad companies could buy senators. The railroad business was profitable, and they intended to keep it that way.