The Combine has two Emergency Air Break Valves, with one being found in the Crew Compartment and the second one in the Freight area of the car. On fairly cold December afternoon one of the volunteers and myself removed it and all the piping. I wanted to take it down for the winter so I could get it cleaned up as a winter project. It turned out to be a far more difficult project than I planned as none of the joints wanted to come apart.
Here is a picture of the valve as it was installed against the left front wall of the car.
Looking down the pipes towards the floor one can see where it turns and heads for the side of the car before going through the floor.
I was smart enough to put some markings on the wall to show where the spacer wood goes.
A close up of the valve showing its many layers of paint.
December 18, 2012 – A look underneath the car where the pipes come through the floor. The pipe further away is the air exhaust. In this picture we have already disconnected the pipes coming from the air system.
December 18, 2012 – A volunteer helping me to remove the pipes (Actually she ended doing most of the hard work).
December 18, 2012 – Once it was all removed we set it up on the floor. The idea is that when I go to put it all back I can figure out which pieces go where.
I took everything away, and over the winter I sandblasted all the parts and then primed the steel (gray primer). The valve is brass, so I left it untouched for now.
Here is a close up of the valve. My plan is to shine it up and leave it unpainted. That may not have been original, but I think it will look nicer this way.
