Ersatz Tom Bee Brakes
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Most of us who have used Tom Bee Trucks over the years are happy with how
well they work. The same cannot be said for the brakes that were available.
They too worked well for a while, but over time, the primary complaint is
that they begin leaking air to the extent that all brakes in line with them
become ineffective.
In a derailment, the brake beams would land on the railhead and mark up the rail for a good distance until the derailment is discovered. The Original Design by the Supplier
Image 1: The Original Tom Bee Brakes So... I have built replacement brake sets for these trucks in the past that used a commercially available air cylinder for about half the cost of the original Tom Bee brakes. Those who use them find them to be excellent and that they last forever. As the shoes wear down they become even better. They also find that when used in club consists, they do most of the stopping. My First Replacement Brakes
Image 2: First Generation Brake Replacement Although these brakes are excellent, they require a fair amount of hardware that must be checked often. What I wanted was brake sets that are simple, long lasting, and can use leftover Tom Bee parts. The latest Replacement Brakes
Image 3: The current revision. The procedure is simple. Toss most of the old hardware and add a few new items.
You can use the old brake arm hangers (rolled pins) or you can use these nice quarter inch bolts with locking (jam) nuts. The new brake arms and shoes have a hanger bore amd a ball end counter bore for the push rods to pivot in. This keeps the cylinder and pistons always in alighment even when the axles move about over rough track. 
Image 4: And for another angle... The new shoes over time will adapt to the wheel tread and as they do the braking effort will gradually increase. The shoes can be reused up to 3 times. Did anyone notice you can actually get to that bolster bolt? Bill |