Brake Handwheels

[LMSR]

As a newcomer to American Model Railroading...

Just about all the stock that I've seen, passenger and freight, has a brake handwheel at one end, my question is:
Was the stock marshalled so that the brake handwheel was always at the same end?

[Ken]

   Tony

    It really did not matter, although I have seen photos of equipment,
usually narrow gauge with no interchange of cars with the majority
at one end. Dependant on delivery or construction of the cars I would
guess.

   Ken
    GWN

[ebtnut]

The brake wheels were only on one end of most freight cars.  This meant having to cross from car top to car top to set more than one car's brakes (in the "good ol' days").  Cabooses and passenger cars often had brake wheels at both ends.  With the advent of air brakes in the late 19th century, hand brakes were used mostly to hold cars after they had been set out.  The other prime use was in manual hump yards, where brakemen would ride the cars down the hump, controlling the speed with the brake wheel.  The Western Maryland had a manual hump yard at Hagerstown well into the 1970's.

[SteamGene]

Nobody turned cars to get the brakewheels uniform. 
Gene

[r.cprmier]

Well, if they are on the right end, they will steer the car right; and on the left end, they will steer the car left...  Probably what the wits on evil bay think anyhow...

[the Bach-man]

Dear Tony,
No, brakewheel orientation was (and still is) random.
Have fun!
the Bach-man