Monitoring the functional capability of electrical brake resistors in a vehicle

A vehicle or rail vehicle, comprising:

• at least one brake resistor assembly having electrical brake resistors for receiving electrical braking energy during a braking operation of the vehicle and for converting the electrical braking energy into waste heat;
• said brake resistors being divided into a first subgroup and a second subgroup;
• said first and second subgroups being electrically interconnected in parallel;
• and
• an evaluating facility monitoring a functional capability of said brake resistors based on a measured value indicating a differential current between a first subgroup current flowing through said first subgroup and a second subgroup current flowing through said second subgroup;
• said evaluating facility monitoring a progression of the differential current over time and in an event of differential current jumps detecting a respective jump direction of the differential current jumps and generating a first counter reading and a second counter reading;
• the first counter reading indicating a number of jumps in one of two possible variation directions and thus a number of failed brake resistors in one of said first and second subgroups;
• and
• the second counter reading indicating a number of jumps in another of the two possible variation directions and thus a number of failed brake resistors in another of said first and second subgroups.