Patent ID: 7021430

Claim:
A release hold mechanism for a railcar hand brake, said release hold mechanism comprising: (a) a release shaft at least partially disposed within a hand brake housing for rotation thereof; (b) a release lever attached to said release shaft; (c) a cam mounted on one end of said release shaft, said cam having a force receiving portion and a detent portion; (d) a holding pawl rotatably coupled to said release shaft, said holding pawl having a ratchet engaging portion and a force transmitting portion cooperating with said force receiving portion of said cam; and (e) at least one mechanical detent means disposed within said hand brake for cooperation with said detent portion of said cam to bias said cam in a release hold position for enabling full release of said hand brake, said at least one mechanical detent means is a detent movably disposed within a detent housing and urged by a bias spring to protrude beyond said detent housing in a direction of said cam with an adjustment means at least partially disposed internally within said detent housing adjacent said bias spring for varying protrusion of said detent beyond said detent housing for exerting a predetermined force onto said release shaft, a spring means attached to said hand brake housing and directly engaging said cam and an actuator selected from the group consisting of a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder and a solenoid.