Brake (railway)

A coupling (or a coupler) is a mechanism for connecting railway cars in a train. The design of these couplings is a standard almost as important as the railway gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if the couplings can work together no matter what order they come in. Coupling railway - Buffers and chain. The type of coupling established as standard on railways following the British tradition is the buffers and chain coupling found on the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Rai ...

Including:

• Coupling railway - Buffers and chain
• Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain
• Coupling railway - Variation with gauge
• Coupling railway - Link and pin
• Coupling railway - Meatchopper
• Coupling railway - Buffer and chain
• Coupling railway - Automatic
• Coupling railway - Janney coupler
• Coupling railway - Changes since 1873
• Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons
• Coupling railway - Brake couplings
• Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives
• Coupling railway - Control coupling
• Coupling railway - Models
• Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia - Coupling railway

The knuckle coupler (or Janney coupler) was invented by Eli H. Janney, who received a patent in 1873 (U.S. Patent 138,405). It is also known as a "buckeye coupler", notably in the United Kingdom, where some rolling stock is fitted with it. Janney was a dry goods clerk and former Confederate Army officer from Alexandria, Virginia, who used his lunch hours to whittle from wood an alternative to the link and pin coupler. In 1893, satisfied that an automatic coupler could meet the demands of commercial railroad operat ...

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Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Janney coupler

As trains have become more complicated, with electrical power and controls connecting one vehicle to another, systems for coupling these power and control circuits have been needed. Mass transit systems worldwide mostly use specialized couplers that also make electrical connections between cars, such as the Scharfenberg coupler or Scharfenbergkupplung or "Schaku", which has gradually spread from transit trains in Europe to regular European passenger service trains. The Schaku coupler is superior to the Janney coupler because it ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Control coupling

Model trains are fitted with a wide variety of often mutually incompatible couplings, including: Tri-ang Railways Hornby Railways Märklin Trix Ferris Lima (railways) Kadee resembles the Janney coupling. On model railroads, couplers vary according to scale, and have evolved over many years. Early model trains were coupled using various hook-and-loop arrangements, which were frequently asymmetrical, requiring all cars to be pointing in the same direction. In the ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Models

Diesel locomotives come in three kinds: those that cannot operate in multiple unit. those that can operate in multiple unit with locomotives of the same kind. those that can operate in multiple unit with most other locomotives. Multiple-unit operation is more than standardising the cables that plug together between engines. It also means making the controls and characteristics of the locomotives compatible. Most American locomotives use the so-called "Association of ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives

If a wagon with one coupling system needs to be coupled to wagons with another coupling type there are four solutions. This may be needed when taking metro rolling stock from its manufacturer to the city where it is to be used: hope that dual fitment of the couplings is possible. use a match wagon(s). use a coupling adaptor. for emergency use only, use a rope. Also useful if a coupler is damaged or broken off. Only some kinds of couplings coexist on the end of a wagon at the same time, be ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons

The link and pin coupling was the original style of coupling used on American railways, surviving after conversion to Janney couplings on forestry railways. While simple in principle, the link and pin coupling suffered from a lack of standardisation regarding size and height of the links. The link and pin coupler consisted of a tubelike body that received an oblong link. During coupling, a railworker had to stand between the cars as they came together and guide the link into the coupler pocket. Once the cars were joined, the em ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Link and pin

Meatchopper couplings consist of a central buffer with a mechanical hook that drops into a slot in that central buffer. The hook resembles a meat chopper, hence the name. The meatchopper is found only on narrow-gauge railways, where low speeds and reduced train loads allow a simpler system. On railway lines where rolling stock always points the same way, the mechanical hook may be provided only on one end of each wagon. Meatchopper couplings are not particularly stro ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Meatchopper

The type of coupling established as standard on railways following the British tradition is the buffers and chain coupling found on the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway of 1830. These couplings followed earlier tramway practice but were made more regular. The cars are coupled by hand using hook and link system with a turnbuckle-like device that draws the cars together. Cars have buffers, one at each corner on the ends, which are pulled together and compressed by the coupling device. This arrangement limits the slack in trains and lessens shocks. In contrast the Janney couplers (see below) encourage vio ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Buffers and chain

Just as railway couplings allow a train of wagons to be reordered, couplings are needed for any continuous braking systems. See Brake (railway) ...

See also:

Coupling railway, Coupling railway - Buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Problems with buffers and chain, Coupling railway - Variation with gauge, Coupling railway - Link and pin, Coupling railway - Meatchopper, Coupling railway - Buffer and chain, Coupling railway - Automatic, Coupling railway - Janney coupler, Coupling railway - Changes since 1873, Coupling railway - Dual couplings and match wagons, Coupling railway - Brake couplings, Coupling railway - Diesel locomotives, Coupling railway - Control coupling, Coupling railway - Models, Coupling railway - Sources

Read more here: » Coupling railway: Encyclopedia II - Coupling railway - Brake couplings