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Did you work with WABCO composition locomotive brake shoes (freight, passenger, switcher service)? According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, it allegedly contained asbestos. Here is what it was, who was exposed, and who is responsible. WABCO composition locomotive brake shoes (freight, passenger, switcher service), made by Westinghouse Air Brake, sold from the 1930s until the 1980s. Plaintiffs allegedly identified Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) composition locomotive brake shoes as an asbestos-containing friction product used in freight, passenger, and switcher service across U.S. railroads. Asbestos fiber allegedly bonded into the phenolic-resin friction body of Westinghouse Air Brake composition brake shoes. Repeated stops shed hot friction dust onto trucks, running gear, and locomotive/car underframes; shop workers changed shoes and swept the dust from pits and roundhouse floors. Workers allegedly exposed around this product included Railroad Machinists, Railroad Car Maintainers, Railroad Engineers and Firemen, and Railroad Shop Laborers. Asbestos claims are brought against the companies that made the products. If you worked with or around WABCO composition locomotive brake shoes (freight, passenger, switcher service) 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
Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) manufactured and supplied composition locomotive brake shoes allegedly containing asbestos fiber bonded into a phenolic-resin friction body. WABCO shoes were allegedly standard specification on many Class I railroad freight, passenger, and switcher locomotives, as well as on freight cars and passenger equipment across the U.S. rail network from the 1930s through the phase-out of asbestos friction in the 1980s.
According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, each brake application allegedly generated hot friction dust that settled on trucks, wheel treads, brake beams, running gear, and the underframes of locomotives and rolling stock. Roundhouse and diesel-shop workers allegedly changed worn shoes on drop pits, scraped and swept accumulated dust from pit floors, and used compressed air to blow out truck assemblies — all of which allegedly aerosolized any asbestos fiber present in the friction composite.
Workers Exposed
- Railroad machinists performing brake-shoe change-outs on drop pits and inspection floors
- Railroad car maintainers changing shoes on freight cars, passenger cars, and cabooses
- Railroad locomotive engineers and firemen exposed to brake dust drifting into and around cabs during heavy braking and yard switching
- Railroad conductors and brakemen working alongside brake rigging during yard operations and inspections
- Railroad shop laborers sweeping pit floors, cleaning trucks, and disposing of used brake shoes
- Railroad electricians working in shared roundhouse and shop space where brake dust settled on adjacent equipment
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If You Worked at Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO)
If you or a family member worked at Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) 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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