A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes, brakes on every wagon which could be controlled by the driver, made this role redundant, although the name lives on, for example, in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions both on the track and within trains.
The implementation of air brakes led to the phasing out of brakemen who previously operated manual brakes from brakeman's cabins. While the construction of brakeman's cabins ceased around 1925, existing wagons with such cabins remained in use for several decades. In Germany, these wagons were commonly seen up to the mid-1970s.
In 1968, with the prevalence of diesel and electric trains where the guard could ride in the rear cab of the locomotive, as well as the rising prevalence of fully braked trains that did not require a separate vehicle for braking, the legal requirement for brake vans was eliminated.
A brakeman's job was historically very dangerous with numerous reports of brakemen falling from trains, colliding with lineside structures or being run over or crushed by rolling stock. As rail transport technology has improved, a brakeman's duties have been reduced and altered to match the updated technology, and the brakeman's job has become much safer than it was in the early days of railroading. Individually operated car brakes were replaced by remotely-operated air brakes, eliminating the need for the brakeman to walk atop a moving train to set the brakes. Link and pin couplings were replaced with automatic couplings, and hand signals are now supplemented by two-way radio communication.
After the advent of automatic brakes meant the primary role of the brakeman was no longer to control the train with hand brakes, the role became effectively that of the conductor's assistant. Brakemen gave hand signals to the engine crew and operated the couplers when coupling and uncoupling cars, assisted the conductor with loading and unloading cargo, and stood behind the train with a flag or lantern if it had to stop where there was a danger of another train hitting it. On passenger trains, brakemen were in charge of lighting and heating, as well as opening the doors and assisting the conductor to collect tickets and fares.
Today the brakeman job is also commonly known as the assistant conductor, helper, or the 3rd man. They assist the conductor in their duties. On some railroads, the brakeman drives a company pickup truck, allowing them to drive ahead of the train to line switches, or scout industries and how the cars are located.
As of 2012, 24,380 "railroad brake, signal, and switch operators" jobs were staffed in the U.S., with 93% of them employed in the rail transport industry with much of the remainder employed by supporting companies. By 2018, the total number had dropped to 14,270, with the highest employment rates in Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, and New York.
In North American passenger service, the brakeman (called trainman or assistant conductor) collects revenue, may operate door "through switches" for specific platforming needs, makes announcements, and operates trainline door open and close controls when required to assist the conductor. A passenger service trainman is often required to qualify as a conductor after 1 to 2 years experience. The rear end trainman signals to the conductor when all the train's doors are safely closed, then boards and closes his/her door.
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