PURPOSE: To provide an escalator having a caliper disc brake for stopping movement of a step in an emergency state.

CONSTITUTION: A disc 4 is mounted on a main drive sprocket shaft 6, and a caliper is normally held away from the disc 4. When power is removed from the drive, the caliper is set on the disc 4 to stop further movement of the steps. A brake torque of the brake assembly 2 is adjustable to allow use of one single basic assembly with escalators having different rises. The adjustment is accomplished by moving the center of gravity of the brake pads 16 toward or away from the pivot axis 12 of the brake lever. The brake 2 can also be finely tuned at installation to provide an optimum stopping distance and time so that a two abrupt stop is avoided.