Was New York Air Brake — asbestos documented in litigation?

New York Air Brake — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to New York Air Brake — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to New York Air Brake — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Brake-Friction

New York Air Brake (NYAB) Foundation Brake Rigging, Brake-Shoe Head Assemblies, Slack Adjusters & Air-Brake Cylinder Packing

⚖ Litigation Recordc. 1890-1980sAsbestos-composition brake shoes fitted to NYAB foundation-brake rigging; asbestos-braided packing and asbestos-cup packing in NYAB air-brake cylinders and slack adjusters; asbestos gaskets at triple-valve and control-valve interfaces on freight and passenger cars

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Read the video transcript

Did you work with New York Air Brake (NYAB) Foundation Brake Rigging, Brake-Shoe Head Assemblies, Slack Adjusters and Air-Brake Cylinder Packing? According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, it allegedly contained asbestos. Here is what it was, who was exposed, and who is responsible. New York Air Brake (NYAB) Foundation Brake Rigging, Brake-Shoe Head Assemblies, Slack Adjusters and Air-Brake Cylinder Packing, sold from around 1890 until the 1980s. Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that New York Air Brake foundation-brake rigging assemblies, brake-shoe heads, slack adjusters, and air-brake cylinders were specified with asbestos-composition shoes and asbestos packing. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, this product allegedly contained the following: asbestos-composition brake shoes fitted to NYAB foundation-brake rigging; asbestos-braided packing and asbestos-cup packing in NYAB air-brake cylinders and slack adjusters; asbestos gaskets at triple-valve and control-valve interfaces on freight and passenger cars. Workers allegedly exposed around this product included Railroad car repairmen (carmen), Air-brake shop workers, Freight car repairmen, and Passenger car repairmen. Asbestos claims are brought against the companies that made the products. If you worked with or around New York Air Brake (NYAB) Foundation Brake Rigging, Brake-Shoe Head Assemblies, Slack Adjusters and Air-Brake Cylinder Packing and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturer. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.

Product Description

New York Air Brake Company (NYAB) — Watertown NY, today a subsidiary of Knorr-Bremse — was through the 20th century the principal U.S. competitor to Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO). NYAB supplied complete foundation brake systems to major U.S. freight and passenger railroads including:

Brake-shoe head assemblies carrying composition brake shoes against the wheel tread
Foundation-brake rigging — the mechanical linkage of levers, rods, and pins connecting the air-brake cylinder to the brake-shoe heads on each truck
Slack adjusters maintaining proper brake-shoe travel as shoes wore
Air-brake cylinders actuating the rigging under train-line air pressure
Triple-valves and control-valves admitting and exhausting brake-cylinder air

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that NYAB foundation-brake assemblies were specified with:

Asbestos-composition brake shoes (chrysotile-bonded friction material) fitted to NYAB brake-shoe heads
Asbestos-braided packing at NYAB slack-adjuster pistons and control-valve ports
Asbestos-cup packing in NYAB air-brake cylinders
Asbestos gaskets at triple-valve and control-valve flange interfaces
Asbestos-fiber sheet gasket material at reservoir and pipe-fitting connections

Railroad car repairmen (carmen) and air-brake shop workers were allegedly exposed to respirable asbestos fibers when replacing worn composition shoes, disassembling air-brake cylinders and slack adjusters for periodic rebuild, and scraping old gasket material from control-valve faces.

New York Air Brake has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

Railroad car repairmen (carmen) replacing brake shoes and rebuilding rigging
Air-brake shop workers rebuilding NYAB cylinders, triple-valves, and slack adjusters
Freight car repairmen at classification-yard car shops
Passenger car repairmen at coach yards and passenger-car shops
Locomotive maintenance workers servicing NYAB locomotive foundation brakes

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If You Worked at New York Air Brake

If you or a family member worked at New York Air Brake and were exposed to asbestos-containing materials at this facility — and were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease — you may have a legal claim. Time-sensitive filing deadlines apply.

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Occupations Exposed to This Product

Workers in these trades and occupations allegedly encountered this product on the job:

Product Facts

Trade NameNew York Air Brake (NYAB) Foundation Brake Rigging, Brake-Shoe Head Assemblies, Slack Adjusters & Air-Brake Cylinder Packing

Years Producedc. 1890-1980s

Asbestos ContentAsbestos-composition brake shoes fitted to NYAB foundation-brake rigging; asbestos-braided packing and asbestos-cup packing in NYAB air-brake cylinders and slack adjusters; asbestos gaskets at triple-valve and control-valve interfaces on freight and passenger cars

CategoryBrake-Friction Gaskets

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Railroad car repairmen (carmen)Air-brake shop workersFreight car repairmenPassenger car repairmen

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Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may have a legal claim. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

Living with a diagnosis?

If you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, a filing deadline may already be running. You may have a legal claim now — and claims can often be pursued even if the company is out of business.

Lost a loved one to mesothelioma?

Surviving spouses and children may pursue a wrongful-death claim and asbestos-trust recovery on a loved one's behalf — a separate deadline that can run from the date of passing.

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No attorney fee unless the case resolves in your favor
Personal-injury and wrongful-death claims both evaluated
Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
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