Does anyone out there have experience with the low-friction composition brake shoes commonly called "banana shoes" (due to their yellow color)?

As the operating season approaches, and the need to order a load of cast iron shoes for our CNR 6-axle coach fleet is looming, I am thinking that the comp shoes would help eliminate dished treads, be lighter and easier to handle, and be cheaper to ship from the source to us. The low-friction shoes can be used with no modification to the cylinders or brake rigging, as I recall.

Has anyone tried these things? How do they work when mixed in with cast iron-shod cars?

Howard P.
RMNE/NAUG

Howard,

Conrail makes use of the Cobra Low Friction shoe as a direct replacement for cast iron shoes on our locomotive fleet. No changes in foundation rigging or brake cylinder pressure are required. When the shoes first came out around the end of 1999 we experienced some wheels cracked through the tread and into the plate. We briefly took the shoes out of fleet service until they could be reformulated. Since the mix has been changed they have performed very well. I still feel that shoe allignment is critical when using this type of friction material to keep the heat centered on the tread. Biggest plus is the light weight, much safer to change then the CI. Biggest drawback is price, very expensive. Most of our units are in heavy switching service so shoe life is pretty limited, but they seem to last longer than the CI. As far as stopping performance....nothing grabs like CI in switching service, but once they heat up there good, much better than H.F. Compo.

E.B. Levin

Eric:

I have heard that a "film" can build up on the tread, and impair signal shunting. Has this situation been encountered by you?

And, how do you think these would do on coaches? 25-30 mph operation with some grades is our situation.

Thanks,

HP

We never had a problem with signal or crossing shunting....I think they will be fine for you.

EBL