Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Railway coupling by country

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Railway coupling by country

Listed below are railway couplers as used on historic and modern industrial, mainline, mining, narrow gauge, plantation and transit railways.

Contents

Couplers are often known by more than one name. Compromise couplers or cars are used to transition between coupler types.

Coupler types

  • AAR couplers, also known as American, Alliance, Buckeye, Janney or Knuckle
  • Albert couplers
  • ABC (Automatic Buffing Contact) couplers
  • Bell-and-hook couplers
  • BSI (Bergische Stahl Industrie) couplers
  • CB (Center Buffer) couplers
  • Center-buffer-and-chain(s) couplers
  • English couplers, also known as British, Euro, Screw+Buffers, Chain+Buffers, UIC.
  • GF couplers
  • H2C couplers
  • Johnston link-and-pin couplers
  • Link and Pin couplers
  • Miller couplers
  • Norwegian ('meatchopper') couplers
  • Pin and Cup couplers
  • Russian couplers, also known as Willison or SA3. Variants include the Unicoupler/AK69e and C-AKv.
  • Scharfenberg couplers
  • Ward couplers
  • Wedge Lock couplers, also known as London.
  • Willison couplers

    • Algeria

  • English, Russian couplers on 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge track
  • English couplers on 1,055 mm (3 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge track

    • Angola

  • AAR couplers

    • Benin

  • CBC couplers

    • Burkina Faso & Côte d'Ivoire

  • English couplers

    • Cameroon

  • Russian couplers

    • Congo~Brazzaville

  • SA3 coupler

    • Egypt

  • English couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on modern stock

    • Eritrea

  • CBC couplers

    • Ethiopia

  • AAR couplers

    • Gabon

  • Russian couplers

    • Ghana

  • Norwegian couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on modern stock

    • Liberia (Bong)

  • Link and pin couplers

    • Malawi

  • AAR couplers

    • Mali

  • like Senegal

    • Mauritania

  • AAR couplers

    • Morocco

  • English couplers

    • Mozambique

  • AAR couplers

    • Nigeria

  • AAR couplers

    • Senegal

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Norwegian couplers on Indian Stock

    • South Africa

  • Buffers-and-chain from 1859 to 1873.
  • Johnston link-and-pin from 1873 to 1927 on Cape gauge, from 1906 on 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge in Natal.
  • Bell-and-hook from 1902 on 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge in the Cape of Good Hope.
  • AAR knuckle from 1927 on Cape gauge.
  • Willison from 1973 on 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge in the Cape Province.
  • Scharfenberg from 2012 on Gautrain, from 2016 on new PRASA commuter stock.

    • Sudan

  • AAR couplers

    • Tanzania

  • AAR couplers on 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge track
  • Norwegian couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge track

    • Togo

  • Center buffer and side chain couplers
  • Norwegian couplers on Indian Stock

    • Tunisia

  • English couplers

    • Bangladesh

  • AAR couplers on 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Stock
  • Norwegian couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) Stock

    • Cambodia

  • English couplers

    • China

  • AAR couplers on passenger and freight stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on high speed (CRH) and subway trains

    • Hong Kong

  • BSI couplers on MTR passenger units
  • Tightlock couplers on ex-KCR passenger units
  • Dellner couplers on light rail stock
  • AAR couplers on freight stock

    • India

  • English couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on modern stock
  • Norwegian couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge track
  • ABC couplers on narrow gauge stock
  • Scharfenberg Couplers on Mass Transit systems (EMU/DEMU)

    • Indonesia

  • Norwegian couplers on traditional stock
  • AAR couplers and Shibata couplers on modern stock

    • Iran

  • English, Russian (C-AKv) combo couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock

    • Iraq

  • English couplers on historic stock
  • English, Russian (C-AKv) combo couplers on modern stock

    • Israel

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock

    • Japan

  • English couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Shibata couplers (based on Scharfenberg couplers) on passenger stock

    • Malaysia

  • Norwegian couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on modern stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on ERL, LRT, MRT and Monorail.

    • Russia

  • Russian couplers on domestic stock (with side buffers on passenger coaches)
  • English couplers on Euro Stock (exchanged on the border)
  • Scharfenberg couplers on some passenger unit trains (Velaro, Desiro)

    • South Korea

  • English, link and pin couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on modern stock
  • Shibata couplers (based on Scharfenberg couplers) on Subways and metro car

    • Sri Lanka

  • Buffers and AAR couplers

    • Thailand

  • AAR couplers on all SRT rolling stock
  • Norwegian couplers on historic stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on mass-transit trains
  • Wedge Lock, Ward couplers on London Underground stock
  • Narrow gauge lines use a mixture of couplings.

    • Vietnam

  • AAR couplers on both 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) rolling stock

    • Australia

  • English, Norwegian couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock

    • New Zealand

  • English, Norwegian couplers on historic stock
  • AAR couplers on modern stock
  • Scharfenberg on EMU classes (AM, FP classes)

    • Austria

  • English couplers on standard gauge stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger units
  • Bosna or Scharfenberg couplers on narrow gauge stock

    • Finland

  • English (UIC) couplers on passenger cars and most freight cars and on historical locomotives
  • Russian SA3 couplers on Russian cars and some heavy-duty freight cars
  • "Unilink" (SA3 clone with UIC-style screw link) or "Vapiti" (SA3 clone with movable link arm for English couplers) couplers on the majority of locomotives; compatible with SA3 and English (UIC) center hook
  • Scharfenberg (some made by Dellner) couplers or Secheron GF couplers on passenger multiple-unit stock

    • France

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock (multiple units and high speed trains only)
  • Russian couplers on unit ore trains

    • Germany

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
  • AK69e and C-AKv couplers on unit ore trains
  • AK69e and Russian SA-3 mixed in trains via Mukran ferry terminal
  • Scharfenberg or central buffer couplers on narrow gauge stock

    • Greece

  • English on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg on passenger stock
  • Center buffer and side chains on narrow gauge stock

    • Hungary

  • English on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg on multiple units (in some cases jointly with side buffers)
  • BSI with side buffers on BDVmot electric multiple units
  • Link-and-pin on narrow gauge stock

    • Italy

  • English couplers on standard gauge stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on some EMU/DMU and FS Class E.464

    • Netherlands

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • BSI, Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
  • Russian couplers on unit ore trains

    • Norway

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Norwegian couplers on historic stock, narrow gauge only
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock (multiple units)
  • Russian SA3 couplers on unit ore trains (Ofoten Line)

    • Poland

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
  • Russian couplers on unit ore trains and Russian interchange stock

    • Romania

  • English on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg on Desiro multiple units and some ex-German rail buses
  • Link-and-pin on narrow gauge stock

    • Russia

  • Russian couplers on domestic stock (with side buffers on passenger coaches)
  • English couplers on Euro Stock (exchanged on the border)
  • Scharfenberg couplers on some passenger unit trains (Velaro, Desiro)

    • Spain

  • English couplers on freight and loco hauled passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on multiple unit passenger stock

    • Sweden

  • English couplers on freight and passenger stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
  • Russian couplers on iron ore trains (Iron Ore Line)
  • Variant of Norwegian couplers on historic (museum) narrow-gauge stock

    • Switzerland

  • English couplers on standard gauge stock
  • GFV, Schwab, Scharfenberg or BSI couplers on passenger units
  • AK69e couplers within BLS EW III sets
  • GF, GFV or center buffer couplers on meter and narrow gauge stock

    • Turkey

  • English couplers on traditional stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
  • Russian couplers on mining stock

    • Ukraine

  • Russian (SA3) couplers on broad gauge rolling stock
  • Combined Russian/English couplers on SUW2000 gauge-changing coaches
  • Scharfenberg couplers on some EMU trains
  • Central buffer and chain couplers on narrow gauge rolling stock

    • United Kingdom

  • BSI couplers on most diesel multiple unit types, but also Dellner and Scharfenberg on some more recent types
  • AAR Type H "Tightlock" coupling heads on 1970s to 1990s electric multiple units
  • Scharfenberg-type coupling heads (often Dellner) on most new electric multiple units, with a variety of electrical connection systems
  • English couplings, AAR couplers on some freight stock, most locomotive-hauled passenger stock has a  2⁄3rd size Janney/Buckeye coupler
  • Wedgelock, Ward couplers on London Underground stock
  • Narrow gauge lines use a mixture of couplings

    • Canada

  • AAR couplers on traditional stock
  • Scharfenberg, Wedge Lock, H2C couplers on transit stock

    • Mexico

  • AAR couplers on traditional stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock

    • United States

  • AAR couplers on mainline freight and passenger stock
  • Link Pin, Miller couplers on historic stock. Converted to AAR couplers 1893~1900 per Safety Appliance Act
  • Older city systems have unique coupler designs for transit stock, e.g. H2C couplers on New York Subway revenue stock
  • Scharfenberg couplers on newer light rail and transit systems
  • Pin Cup coupler on multiple unit transit stock
  • Russian couplers on industrial and mining Stock

    • Argentina

  • English couplers on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) and on 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
  • AAR couplers on at least some Buenos Aires passenger equipment (observed 1997)
  • AAR couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge

    • Brazil

  • AAR couplers

    • Chile

  • AAR couplers
  • English couplers in coaches and locomotives bought from Spain
  • Scharfemberg couplers in passenger units bought from Spain

    • Paraguay

  • English couplers

    • Uruguay

  • English couplers

    • References

    Railway coupling by country Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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