Funny you should mention that…even though all our handles are pinned in place, I still have a set of brake handles in my grip. The new guys always ask what they are.
Nick
Carried a spare reverser for years but I’ve never carried brake handles, don’t see the need with the pinned ones we’ve had all this time. Very rarely do you ever find one that will actually come off.
Some of the old boys would carry chromed brake handles, their own personal set. Never saw one that anyone had actually gotten engraved, though.
One time I had to deal with a broken jammer handle. It was one of the nice L-shaped ones, but the top horizontal part had broken off. So here I am trying to deal with this vertical jammer handle, at a derailment site. [tdn] After that I pretty much carry one with me.