Vacuum Brakes

I remember seeing the caution signs as a nipper, at a time when air brake meant unpredictable results and possibly a sudden stop that a car back then couldn't match. It was a time when blokes came off old gear and were used to planting the foot hard on the brake and wait for a gradual deceleration. With those old habits used on full air brakes jerky stops were order of the day. I well remember a school trip with one of these drivers, only pulling away at about 10mph when -wam - kids flying forward and smashing heads etc.

Yes Mammoth, the arrival of air brakes surprised many, particularly in the bush where a lot of roads were gravel. Traffic was light or non-existent, maybe the odd animal to pull up for so brakes were not used a lot. A lot of cars and trucks had poor brakes so drivers wouldn't rely too much on them. Untidy results from harsh braking on buckshot gravel road as a kid comes to mind. Our school bus service would not be extended past the local farms until the road was blacktop. Then they sent oldest buses, square box on 40's Chev truck chassis. Think they had hydraulic brakes, the driver used to try them out if one of us was out of our seat. Quick jab on the brakes and you'd slide down the brown lino floor to be tangled around the gearstick, then told to sit down and behave. Imagine doing that today! Cheers, Paul