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A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, and magnetic brakes. The most common is a fin brake, an alternative name for a friction brake, which involves a series of hydraulic-powered clamps that close and squeeze metal fins that are attached to the underside of a coaster train. Roller coasters may incorporate multiple brake runs throughout the coaster's track layout to adjust the train's speed at any given time.
The different types of brake runs are classified under two main categories: trim brakes and block brakes. A trim brake refers to a braking section that slows a train, while a block brake has the ability to stop a train completely in addition to slowing it down. Block brakes are important to roller coasters that operate more than one train simultaneously, in the event that one train stalls on a portion of the track. While modern roller coasters have at least one computer-controlled brake run embedded in the track, older coasters such as The Great Scenic Railway at Luna Park Melbourne may have brakes onboard the train and rely on a brakeman operator to apply them as needed.