Brake shoe

Plastic Brake Shoes
Brake shoes are consumables, so I thought, why not print them in PLA (plastic)? This may seem like an abomination to some, but in an age of plastic ties and plastic couplers, why not plastic brake shoes? This assembly includes the hanger bracket as well as the shoe. An alternative would be to epoxy a strip of real brake material on the foot of the shoe.

I installed a set of these on my Santa Fe Caboose in the spring (See also Balanced Air Brakes from Scratch). So far they are working well, and seem to have good grip on braking.

You can download the Fusion360 design from here:


 * Caboose Brake Shoe, Fusion360 Design File
 * G-code for Brake Shoe (1 piece)
 * G-code for Brake Shoe (4 pieces)

Of course, plastic shoes would not work on a steam locomotive, as it gets too hot around the drivers. But the shoes could also be printed in metal, at a higher cost, or machine from solid stock on a Vertical Milling Center (VMC).