I picked up an 80's Raleigh Tourist. It originally had 2 rod brakes, but the rear has been converted to a cable brake. (It looks pretty easy because the rear brake is built into the hub.)

The front brake looks a little trickier. Grips up under the front rim.

From what I've read I'd need to get a different rim to attach another brake system, but the tires are 28x1-1/2 which are already next to impossible to find in North America.

Does anyone else have any ideas that would work on this? Maybe a disc brake?

If you wanted to stick with the 28x1 1/2 wheel size, you could look for a front drum brake hub. Just make sure you find one that matches your spoke count. As far as tires, I recently got these, and they are a nice replacement. BikeTiresDirect is a good vendor.

Ah! Thanks dude! Looking for those tires was really throwing me for a loop!

I purchased my roadster tires from Harris Cyclery