What exactly is the "Bremse lösen" (release brakes) switch on the dashboard for, e.g. in the BR146 and BR185? Normally, I would release the train brakes with the lever on the right hand side in front of the gauges. If I want/need to overcharge the brakes because they are stuck, then I can use the button directly next to the gauges. So what does "Bremse lösen" do? I had the impression that the brakes remain locked after a stop on the BR101, but am not exactly sure. Thanks in advance.
This switch releases the indirect pneumatic break only at the loco. The rest of the train is not affected and the direct brake is also not affected. It has certain advantages to use it during shunting or normal break applications, when, for example, the loco wheels start to slip, etc. In break schematics of modern locos, you will not find this switch any more. I have attached the schematic of a BR110/112. I added a yellow arrow, which shows the position of the switch in the system. It acts exactly the same on a 185 or 146.
That's nice, colourful and quite illustrative, but from a technical point of view it's a little cluttered. Where did you find that?
Well, it looks the way it looks, as it represents the system in all its complexity. Again, what I have mentioned, if you look into a manual of a 185, for example, you will see a simplified representation, obviously not showing every valve or feature. But the purpose here was to show a particular small part of a system, which, in turn, needs to show the whole system. This is taken off the official manual of the old BR110/112. As you might know, these machines date back a couple of decades, but you can find material on them also floating around the internet. Just google „druckluftbremse br110“ and you will find it somewhere. in comparison you can look up the manual of a br185 (also available on the net) and see what these schematics look like today.
So to relate it back to other locos/routes, it's effectively the same as the "Bail Off" function on the indy brake in an American loco (although that would also remove the direct brake)?
