A safety apparatus for an inclined hoist system of the type having wheeled cars operable on a pair of tracks. A guide mount is mounted on the ties between the tracks and has a guide thereon which includes wooden members extending in the direction of travel of the car and providing lateral flanges. Guide shoes are fixed to and depend from the car and provide flange portions which project under the lateral flanges of the guide. Safety catches depend from the car adjacent the guide shoes and are aligned with continuous surfaces provided by the wooden guide, and a device which is responsive to a runaway condition of the car, is adapted to turn the safety catches into engagement with the wooden surfaces whereby gouging of the wooden members by teeth on the safety catches provides a braking effect. The invention has particular use in shafts with inclines of 20* to 45* for which a satisfactory safety apparatus does not presently exist.