Railway vehicle brake system

An improved railway freight car type parking brake system, said parking brake system comprising:

• (a) at least one reservoir means engageable with such railway freight car for containing a predetermined volume of a predetermined fluid type media therein;
• (b) a first force transmitting cylinder means engageable on a first portion of a truck member of such railway freight car for exerting a first predetermined force in a brake applying first direction, said first force transmitting cylinder means activated in said brake applying first direction by said fluid type media and spring released in an axially opposed brake release second direction;
• (c) a second force transmitting cylinder means engageable on a second portion of such truck member of such railway freight car for exerting a second predetermined force in said brake applying first direction, said second force transmitting cylinder means activated in said brake applying first direction by said fluid type media and spring released in said axially opposed brake release second direction;
• (d) a pair of fluid media type pump means, a first one of said pair of said fluid media type pump means connected for fluid communication between said at least one reservoir and at least with said first force transmitting cylinder means, said first one of said pair of said fluid media type pump means being further connected to receive said predetermined fluid type media from said at least one reservoir via a first fluid supply line and to communicate said predetermined fluid type media to said at least said first force transmitting cylinder means, during a parking brake application, via a second fluid supply line and to return said predetermined fluid type media from said at least said first force transmitting cylinder means via said second fluid supply line to said at least one reservoir via said first fluid supply line, when said parking brake is released, a second one of said pair of said fluid media type pump means connected for fluid communication between said at least one reservoir and at least said second force transmitting cylinder means, said second one of said pair of said fluid media type pump means being further connected to receive said predetermined fluid type media from said at least one reservoir via a third fluid supply line and to communicate said predetermined fluid type media to said at least said second force transmitting cylinder means, during a parking brake application, via a fourth fluid supply line and to return said predetermined fluid type media from said at least said second force transmitting cylinder means via said fourth fluid supply line to said at least one reservoir via said second fluid supply line when said parking brake is released;
• (e) a pair of pump activation means, a first one of said pair of pump activation means connected to said first one of said fluid media type pump means for initiating communication of said predetermined fluid type media and a second one of said pair of said pump activation means connected to said second one of said fluid media type pump means for initiating communication of said predetermined fluid type media;
• (f) a pair of adapter means, a first one of said pair of adapter means being secured to a first predetermined end of said first force transmitting cylinder means and a second one of said pair of adapter means being secured to a first predetermined end of said second force transmitting cylinder means for enabling said improved parking brake system to be adapted for engagement with a number of different type brake beam configurations used in railway freight car type braking systems;
• and
• (g) a pair of jaw-like members, a first one of said pair of said jaw-like members connected at one end thereof to an axially opposed second end of said first force transmitting cylinder means and a second one of said pair of said jaw-like members connected at one end thereof to an axially opposed second end of said second force transmitting cylinder means for transmitting a predetermined force to a brake beam carrying brake shoes thereon which frictionally engage with a portion of a tread surface of a respective wheel.