Was Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) — Freight Car Brake Shoe asbestos documented in litigation?

Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) — Freight Car Brake Shoe 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 Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) — Freight Car Brake Shoe asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) — Freight Car Brake Shoe 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

WABCO Freight Car Composition Brake Shoe

⚖ Litigation Record1950s-1980sAllegedly chrysotile asbestos fiber bound in phenolic resin as reinforcement in composition freight-car brake shoes designed to replace cast-iron shoes on AAR-standard trucks

Overview Product Facts Trades

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

Product Description

Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) of Wilmerding PA — the dominant railroad air-brake supplier since George Westinghouse’s original 1869 patent — allegedly manufactured and distributed composition brake shoes for AAR-standard freight car trucks (Barber, ASF Ride Control, National Swing Motion, and Buckeye designs) beginning in the postwar transition from cast-iron shoes. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, WABCO composition freight-car shoes allegedly used chrysotile asbestos fiber bound in a phenolic resin matrix with metallic and mineral additives to deliver the higher friction coefficient and lower wear rate that the AAR’s higher-tonnage cars required. The shoes allegedly wore rapidly in interchange service and generated visible dust at every retarder, at every hump-yard classification bowl, and along every long descending grade.

Workers Exposed

Freight-car repair yard workers at Class I hump yards (Union Pacific Bailey Yard, BN Northtown, Frisco Cherokee, MoPac DeSoto/Dupo, SP Roseville, and Conrail Selkirk) allegedly changed thousands of worn WABCO composition shoes per shift and swept up shoe dust from between the rails. Railroad car maintainers at freight-car shops (Peoria, East St. Louis, North Little Rock, Havelock NE, Beech Grove) allegedly performed the same shoe-change work on cars pulled from service. Roundhouse machinists working on locomotives coupled ahead of freight cuts allegedly encountered the same airborne fiber.

Free Case Review — Attorney Advertising

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 be entitled to significant compensation. Time-sensitive filing deadlines apply.

✓ Free case evaluation — no obligation
✓ No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery
✓ Trust fund claims and civil lawsuits pursued simultaneously

Speak with an attorney

(314) 207-2823

O'Brien Law Firm · Free consultation

Get a Free Case Evaluation ›

O'Brien Law Firm — Attorney Advertising. Visiting this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. No fee unless a financial recovery is made.

Product Facts

Trade NameWABCO Freight Car Composition Brake Shoe

Years Produced1950s-1980s

Asbestos ContentAllegedly chrysotile asbestos fiber bound in phenolic resin as reinforcement in composition freight-car brake shoes designed to replace cast-iron shoes on AAR-standard trucks

CategoryBrake-Friction Locomotives

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Freight-car repair yard workersRailroad car maintainersRailroad machinists (roundhouse)

Sponsored Legal Resource — Attorney Advertising

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 be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

Free case evaluation — no obligation to hire
No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery
Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
Trust fund claims, civil lawsuits, and VA benefits pursued simultaneously

Call: (314) 207-2823 Free consultation — available now

O’Brien Law Firm

Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

Get a Free Case Evaluation

Attorney Advertising. This website is published by Rights Watch Media Group LLC, an independent media organization, and is not a law firm. Visiting this site or submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship. O’Brien Law Firm is a licensed Missouri law firm. Free consultations are offered at no obligation. Legal representation is provided on a contingency basis — there is no charge unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf. Individual results vary; past results do not guarantee future outcomes. This site receives compensation when visitors connect with participating law firms.