Swiss Train Coupling

I have been watching a few Swiss Rail videos. In some of them, I notice that they are using a different means of coupling the coaches together than out standard couplers. It almost looks like they are simply chaining them together, but there may be some kind of small bar that goes between them as well. Still, thisdoesn't seem strong enough to hold them.

This doesn't appear to be on all the coache,s it may be on different lines or a gertain age of equipment. But how does this work? I wish I could give you more details but I can't find any examples on the net.

many european railways just used chains to couple carriages on older stock . i have seen the bar you mention as well , andthey usually have buffers to take the shock of the carriages hitting under braking .
i guess train lenghts are shorter , and the trains are lighter than the USA , so a very strong coupler is not required .

David Benton wrote:many european railways just used chains to couple carriages on older stock . i have seen the bar you mention as well , andthey usually have buffers to take the shock of the carriages hitting under braking .
i guess train lenghts are shorter , and the trains are lighter than the USA , so a very strong coupler is not required .

The lighter nature of trains is an important observation. US trains astonish me by their heaviness. They must take more energy to move.

I am not an expert on couplinge but modern couplings certainly don't use a chain any more. There are several types in use. I have read the word "Scharfenberg" but I don't know what it applies to. I think that is the coupling used on Eurostar.

Here's the wiki article on (railway) couplers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_%28railway%29

They discuss in the European section buffer & chain, as well as other types of couplers (with some images) - perhaps you can find the coupling you saw in the Videos...

Sir Ray wrote:Here's the wiki article on (railway) couplers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_%28railway%29

They discuss in the European section buffer & chain, as well as other types of couplers (with some images) - perhaps you can find the coupling you saw in the Videos...

A useful article, though it needs more pictures.

Agreed. I am guessing it is the buffer and chain method, although it does look a little different from the picture posted. But as they say there was an accident because of this type of connection in Switzerland in the 80's, I am guessing this is it.

Thanks!

I am guessing it is the buffer and chain method

Not used any more.

The buffer and chain method is still widely used in the UK.

In Argentina, at least ten years ago, many of the railroads used a buffer and chain system. I remember watching the engineers and brakemen uncouple the locomotive at the La Plata terminal so they could run it around the train via the locomotive escape. They had to pull on handles on the central link of the chain to loosen a big screw that had been pulling the ends of the chain together -- essentially a monster turnbuckle. Or perhaps there were just two links attached to the screw, making one big rigid coupling bar. I didn't realize it was going out of use in Europe. Are most European trains now using knuckle couplers?

Nearly all european trains still use chain and buffers.

Only some passenger trains (EMU or DMU) use automatic couplers.

David Benton wrote:many european railways just used chains to couple carriages on older stock . i have seen the bar you mention as well , andthey usually have buffers to take the shock of the carriages hitting under braking .
i guess train lenghts are shorter , and the trains are lighter than the USA , so a very strong coupler is not required .

I would say that european trains are lighter because of the coupling. There were some projects to convert all wagons and engines with an automatic coupling, but this has never been done. One of these project used an automatic coupling compatible also with the chain system.

In Europe on flat lines the total weight of a freight train (engines, wagons, and goods) can reach about 3000 metric tons, on 2.7% grade, 1600 and sometimes 2000 tons (with 3 electric engines).

One thing I can say about at least the German buffer and chain system is that it makes for very smooth starting and stopping...no slack. The slack is taken up by the screw on the chain.

Thanks for the great photo , GB .
I would attibute the lack of slack more to the buffers , i wonder if these could be used with a knuckle coupler as well . They seem to me to be a good safety and comfort feature on passenger trains at least .

The screw in the chain adjust the tension in the buffers, which will take up the slack.

There are ig. spring loaded and gas filled buffers.

The scharfenberg coupler mentioned earlier in this tread is mostly used on multiple unit trainsets (no locomotive) and lightrail / metro.

They excist of a mechanical, pneumatic and electrical coupling in one.

American cars have cushioning units in the draftgear, which take up the slack, and in my opinion act like the buffer on european equipment.

Erwin

( 1981-1988 I worked as a mechanic at Dutch state railways, since 2002 at CSX, so I got a look at both systems. Beats carying knuckle's arround when they brake in half)

Hi Erwin , and welcome to the worldwide forum . look forward to your insights into the differences between european and american practices .