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Buffers and chain couplers (also known as "buffers and screw", "screw", "screwlink", and "English couplers") are the de facto International Union of Railways (UIC) standard railway coupling used in the EU and UK, and on some surviving former colonial railways, such as in South America and India, on older rolling stock. Buffers and chain couplers are an assembly of several devices: buffers,[1] hooks and links, or turnbuckle screws.[2]
On the modern version of the couplers, rail vehicles are mated by manually connecting the end link of one chain which incorporates a turnbuckle screw into the towing hook of the other wagon, drawing together and slightly compressing the buffer pairs, one left and one right on each headstock. That limits slack, and lessens shunting shocks in moving trains. By contrast, vehicles fitted with the semi-automatic Janney Type E coupler can experience significant jarring during mating and shunting. Very early rolling stock had "dummy buffers", which were simple rigid extensions of the frame, but they were improved with the use of enclosed mechanical, then hydraulic, springs to damp possible jarring. Each chain incorporates both a hook and a turnbuckle.
^EN 15551:2009+A1:2010 Railway applications – Railway rolling stock – Buffers
^EN 15566-2009+A1:2010 Railway applications – Railway rolling stock – Draw gear and screw coupling
and 23 Related for: Buffers and chain coupler information
Buffersandchaincouplers (also known as "buffersand screw", "screw", "screwlink", and "English couplers") are the de facto International Union of Railways...
meat chopper coupler named after the shape of the movable hook. The Norwegian coupler allows sharper curves than the bufferandchaincoupler, which is an...
bottom-operated on cars AAR Type E coupler with top operator on mobile crane. "Drophead" coupler swung down reveals buffersandchaincoupler on a British Rail Class...
Auto-latch 3" in English) or Willison couplerand Russian coupler are railway couplings used primarily in Russia and states influenced by the former Soviet...
Contact) Albert coupler bell and hook coupler BSI coupler (Bergische Stahl Industrie) buffersandchaincoupler, also known as British, buffersand screw, English...
unnamed train A blue ICF coach used on the Gorakdham Express A buffersandchaincoupler on an ICF coach used on Uttaranchal Sampark Kranti Express Bo-Bo...
to hold the chain is cast in the body of the coupler or a chain is mounted on top of the coupler. This is also done with an SA3 coupler built by SAB...
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Railways also moved to buffersandchaincouplers but during the 1970s, they developed a large, heavy-duty version of the Norwegian coupler. They were first...
stock fitted without bufferandchaincouplers A barrier vehicle at NI Railways' York Road yard. It has an instanter couplerandbuffers at one end for use...
soon replaced on passenger stock by buffersandchaincouplers where the couplings are held tight by buffersand shortened by a turnbuckle while in most...
the C-Akv coupler can also function like the hook and air connectors for a hook-and-chaincoupler, ad long as the vehicle with the C-Akv coupler still has...
such as buffersand AAR coupler. There are a few other uncommon and obsolete types, such as those used in Benin. The American AAR coupler is the most...
diesel locomotives 20903, 20901 and 20902 belonging to Direct Rail Services. The route covered 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) and the train arrived at Fushë Kosovë...
2020's to replace the English buffersandchain couplings, initially in Europe. It resembles the Scharfenberg coupler with extra contacts to join electrical...
entering service in New South Wales, the 4 locos were fitted with buffersandchaincoupler to NSWGR standards. The cab profile was also altered to fit within...
gauge Not all couplers can handle very short radii. This is particularly true of the European bufferandchaincouplers, where the buffers extend the length...
imported in Bangladesh in 2012, 2013 and 2014. These locomotives have a power of 3100 hp. They are fitted with AAR coupling and have a gear ratio of 65:18. These...
replaced steam power, and are not used for the common assemblage of several power units. In countries where buffers-and-chaincouplers are used, bank engines...
gauge wagons directly with each other by means of their ordinary buffersandchaincoupler. This was tried for a few years in Sweden just before the last...
Janney couplers, European freight trains primarily still use bufferandchaincouplers, which require railway workers to screw each connection open and shut...
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