Coupling (railway) by country

Coupling (railway) by country generally list the main national system and exclude minor narrow gauge or industrial lines of short length. Modern EMU or DMU passenger vehicles are also excluded. Current couplings are not necessarily the same as historic couplings.

Algeria

• standard gauge
  • Buffers and screw and SA3 ^[1]
• narrow gauge
  • Buffers and screw

Angola

Original

• Unknown

Modern

• AAR Alliance with 10A contour ^[2]

Australia

Original

• New South Wales SG - English Buffers and chain
• Victoria BG - English Buffers and chain
• South Australia BG - English Buffers and chain
• South Australia NG - Norwegian
• Tasmania - NG - English Buffers and chain
• Queensland - NG - English Buffers and chain
• Western Australia NG - Norwegian
• Commonwealth SG - AAR

Current

Freight

• All converted to AAR, except heritage vehicles.

Passenger

• AAR for locomotive hauled carriages, except some heritage vehicles, and some multiple units
• Scharfenberg for most multiple units

Bangladesh

• CBC Alliance type 2 ^[3]

Benin

• Centre buffer and side chains - ^[4]

Brazil

• broad gauge: AAR ^[5]
• metre gauge: CBC ^[5][6]

Burkina Faso

(junctions with Côte d'Ivoire)

• Buffers and screw ^[7]

Cameroon

• SA3 ^[8]

Chile

• Current freight and passenger - AAR
• New passenger service to Temuco (currently suspended - 2008) uses buffers and chain (ex Spanish railways stock, including locomotives)

Congo-Brazzaville

• Specifications

Côte d'Ivoire

( junctions with Burkina Faso )

• Buffers and screw chain ^[7]

Egypt

Original

• Buffers and screw ^[9]

Modern

• Centre Buffer Coupler ^[10][11]

Gabon

• SA3 (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in))

Ghana

• original - Chopper
• modern - AAR

India

• Broad gauge - buffers and chain, being replaced by AAR couplers called Centre Buffer Coupler (CBC) ^[12].
• Metre gauge - Norwegian/chopper which are called Jones.^[13]

Indonesia

• AAR

Iran

Original

• Standard gauge - for freight cars: unicoupler from Knorr-Bremse ^[14] and SA3

for passenger cars: buffers and chain

Modern

for locomotives: - willison type from LAF and side buffers for backwards compatibility.^[15]

for multiple units:Scharfenberg

Iraq

Original

• Standard gauge - buffers and chain
• Metre gauge - buffers and chain ^[16]

Modern

• Standard gauge - Russian SA3 with buffers and chain still on locomotives.^[17]

Japan

Original

• English

Modern

• AAR

Liberia (Bong)

• Odd "trumpet" style coupler.

Libya

• To be determined.

Malawi

• Buckeye (AAR) same as southern Africa ^[18]

Morocco

• Standard gauge
  • Buffers and screw ^[19]

Netherlands

Original

• English Buffers and chain

Current

• All Multiple Units use the Scharfenberg coupler. Mechanically, these are all compatible (except on museum models), but electrical connections vary between train types.
• Passenger trains drawn by a locomotive use buffers and chain couplers. The exception to this are the double-decker DDM and DD-AR trains. The connection between the carriages and between them and the locomotive (either class 1700 or mDDM) are buffers and chain, but between the trains are BSI automatic couplers. 1700 and mDDM locomotives therefore have a buffers and chain coupler on one end, and on the other end a BSI coupler, with above it, only the hook of a buffers and chain coupler.
• Almost all freight stock is buffers and chain, with the exception to some heavy DB owned ore trains, which are permanent combinations using a AK69e Unicoupler Willison-style coupler. During 2010, new multisystem locomotives will be uesd for this ore trains, which are equipped with compatible C-AKv couplers.
• All subway and light rail trains use Scharfenberg couplers, with the exception of the Sneltram Utrecht, which appears to use BSI-type couplers.
• All tram systems (except museum trams) do not have couplers which are designed for normal use.

Nigeria

Cape gauge

• Automatic Buffer Couplers (ABC)

Narrow gauge

• • Automatic Buffer Couplers - Bauchi Light Railway ^[20]

Norway

Standard gauge

• European/English Buffers and screw. AAR in some heavy-haul applications.

Narrow gauge

• Norwegian (aka chopper) where it was invented. See Setesdalsbanen

Senegal

Original

• Buffers and chain NG^{[disambiguation needed ]} as per Europe for original stock

2008

• Chopper for Stock from India with transition wagon

South Africa

• AAR (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in))

South Korea

• Link and pin (obsolete)
• Buffers and chain (obsolete)
• AAR ^[21]

Sri Lanka

• Buffers & CBC

Sudan

• Centre Buffer Coupler
• Brake (railway): Air ^[22]

Tanzania

• Norwegian ^[7]

Togo

• Centre buffer and side chains. Some Norwegian couplers on cars imported from India.

Tunisia

• Standard gauge
  • Buffers and screw

• Metre gauge
  • Buffers and screw - closer together ^[23]

United Kingdom

• Buffers and screw

Distance between buffers

Distance between buffers and height of buffers above rail tend to vary between systems.

• 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) (Standard gauge) - Great Britain, etc.
  • Height: 3 ft 5.5 in (1,054 mm)
  • Separation: 6 ft (1,829 mm) in Great Britain ^[24], 1,750 mm (5 ft 8.9 in) elsewhere ^[25].

• 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) India/Parkistan/Bangladesh/Sri Lanka:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Victoria/Brazil/Ireland:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) Russia; Central Asia (before SA3):
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 ²⁄₃ in) Spain/Portugal:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Queensland:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Tasmania:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 686 mm (2 ft 3 in) Talyllyn Railway:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) Senegal/Mail:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

• 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) Ivory Coast/Burkina Faso:
  • Height:
  • Separation:

Nomenclature

Confusingly, couplers are often known by more than one name.

• Alliance, AAR, Janney, knuckle, Centre Buffer Coupler (CBC), Buckeye.
• Norwegian, chopper
• Automatic Buffer Couplers (ABC) ^[20]
• Buffers and screw
• Centre buffer and side chains

See also

• Coupling (railway)

References

1. ^ Jane's World Railways 2002-2003 p5
2. ^ http://www.icf.gov.in/html/angola_write-up.pdf
3. ^ http://www.irastimes.org/rcf_new.htm
4. ^ http://www.livesteaming.com/Benin-Togo.htm
5. ^ ^{a b} Jane's World Railways 1969/1970 pp 501 thru 504
6. ^ Railway Gazette International April 2009, p61
7. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.steam.dial.pipex.com/africa.htm
8. ^ http://www.trainweb.org/railphot/Camrail_E.html
9. ^ Rail pictures
10. ^ Rail pictures
11. ^ http://www.besco.in/clients.htm
12. ^ Centre Buffer Coupler of AAR type
13. ^ http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-stock2.html#coupler
14. ^ Knorr-Bremse Unicoupler
15. ^ Railway Gazette International January 2009, p 46 picture
16. ^ Jane's World Railways 1969/1970 p 594/595
17. ^ http://www.ajg41.clara.co.uk/iraq/links.html
18. ^ http://www.derbysulzers.com/nyasaland.html
19. ^ http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r052.html
20. ^ ^{a b} ABC Couplers
21. ^ Railway Gazette International Aug 2008 p517
22. ^ http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/11/stories/2004111112590600.htm
23. ^ Jane's World Railways 2002-2003 page 375
24. ^ Steam Spirit, Vol 1, p129
25. ^ Any edition of Jane's World Railways (any year)

External links

• For a partial list of what railway uses which coupler see Jane's World Railways (subscription required)