I asked a question a while back that probably was too narrow to get a
detailed answer. Basically the US and European coupler systems are
different. This has to lead to a difference in how yard operations, in
assembling a freight train are performed. If I remember right from books I
read many years ago in some US yards a box car could be pushed onto a
slooped section and allowed to coast and automatically couple to the end of
a freight. With the European coupler I would exoect you would "gently" move
the new car to the end of the freight - perform the hookup and then back off
the yard switcher engine. Where can I get details of this.

Val Kraut

I asked a question a while back that probably was too narrow to get a
detailed answer. Basically the US and European coupler systems are
different. This has to lead to a difference in how yard operations, in
assembling a freight train are performed.
[snip]
Where can I get details of this.

Val Kraut

For UK operations up to 1970 or so, the reference is probably "Freight

"Christopher A. Lee"

Yes, but not particularly gently. The buffers would be compressed so
the chain had enough slack to hook it up.

1) The don't use a "chain" in Europe, it's "coupler", in Europe usually a
"screw coupler" and in the UK they used three types. The "three link", the
"instanter" and the "screw" coupler.

Yes, but not particularly gently. The buffers would be compressed so
the chain had enough slack to hook it up.

1) The don't use a "chain" in Europe, it's "coupler", in Europe usually a
"screw coupler" and in the UK they used three types. The "three link",
the
"instanter" and the "screw" coupler.

I know - I was trying to use simplified language because "Kraut: is
not an English name.

Britain and (I think) the rest of Europe had what they called "hump"
marshalling yards which sound a bit like the sloped section you talk
about - the wagons were pushed over a small hill and then freewheeled
through a fan of turnouts onto the right track. There were retarders
to slow the wagons down to the right speed.The only real difference
was that coupling up was done manually.

I thought that coupling had/has to be done "manually" in any case: how
else are the air hoses going to get connected? The couplers (at least in
the US) will automatically couple when, say, a car is rolled down a "hump"
(same here as in Yurp, apparently), but a trainman still has to come along
and connect the trainline, right?

On 8/29/2009 6:42 AM Christopher A. Lee spake thus:

Britain and (I think) the rest of Europe had what they called "hump"
marshalling yards which sound a bit like the sloped section you talk
about - the wagons were pushed over a small hill and then freewheeled
through a fan of turnouts onto the right track. There were retarders
to slow the wagons down to the right speed.The only real difference
was that coupling up was done manually.

I thought that coupling had/has to be done "manually" in any case: how
else are the air hoses going to get connected? The couplers (at least in
the US) will automatically couple when, say, a car is rolled down a
"hump" (same here as in Yurp, apparently), but a trainman still has to
come along and connect the trainline, right?

Yes, but not particularly gently. The buffers would be compressed so
the chain had enough slack to hook it up.

1) The don't use a "chain" in Europe, it's "coupler", in Europe usually a
"screw coupler" and in the UK they used three types. The "three link",
the
"instanter" and the "screw" coupler.

I know - I was trying to use simplified language because "Kraut: is
not an English name.

Niether's my last name. :-)

It's French in origin.

What air hoses?

Most British steam era freight only had hand brakes on the wagons. The
only brake force on a moving train was from the engine and tender, and
the guard's hand brake at the back of the train.

train has no slack, zero. It's one complete unit from nose to tail.
[...]

"Christopher A. Lee"

What air hoses?

Most British steam era freight only had hand brakes on the wagons. The
only brake force on a moving train was from the engine and tender, and
the guard's hand brake at the back of the train.

Not 100% true. It is true that a lot of UK freight, especially mineral
traffic, moved in unfitted train but there were also freight trains the were
fully fitted or partially fitted that ran with a fitted head and they used
vacuum brakes and not air brakes. The vacuum brake hoses had to both manual
connected and disconnected, unlike air brake hose which can pull apart
without damage.

These days, since the early 1980s(?), all UK trains are air braked, except a
few carriages that remain vacuum braked for use behind steam excursions.

train has no slack, zero. It's one complete unit from nose to tail.
[...]

Erm, Roger, on our trip to Alberta with Via last year, I noticed no slack.
Several times I didn't realise were moving until we hit a rail joint (the
train took siding for almost every freight train, and in N. Ontario almost
all sidings had jointed track.)

On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:13:33 -0700, David Nebenzahl
nobody at (no spam) but.us.chickens> wrote:

On 8/29/2009 6:42 AM Christopher A. Lee spake thus:

Britain and (I think) the rest of Europe had what they called "hump"
marshalling yards which sound a bit like the sloped section you talk
about - the wagons were pushed over a small hill and then freewheeled
through a fan of turnouts onto the right track. There were retarders
to slow the wagons down to the right speed.The only real difference
was that coupling up was done manually.

I thought that coupling had/has to be done "manually" in any case: how
else are the air hoses going to get connected? The couplers (at least in
the US) will automatically couple when, say, a car is rolled down a
"hump" (same here as in Yurp, apparently), but a trainman still has to
come along and connect the trainline, right?

What air hoses?

Most British steam era freight only had hand brakes on the wagons. The
only brake force on a moving train was from the engine and tender, and
the guard's hand brake at the back of the train.

On 8/29/2009 11:39 AM Christopher A. Lee spake thus:

On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:13:33 -0700, David Nebenzahl
nobody at (no spam) but.us.chickens> wrote:

On 8/29/2009 6:42 AM Christopher A. Lee spake thus:

Britain and (I think) the rest of Europe had what they called "hump"
marshalling yards which sound a bit like the sloped section you talk
about - the wagons were pushed over a small hill and then freewheeled
through a fan of turnouts onto the right track. There were retarders
to slow the wagons down to the right speed.The only real difference
was that coupling up was done manually.

I thought that coupling had/has to be done "manually" in any case: how
else are the air hoses going to get connected? The couplers (at least in
the US) will automatically couple when, say, a car is rolled down a
"hump" (same here as in Yurp, apparently), but a trainman still has to
come along and connect the trainline, right?

What air hoses?

Most British steam era freight only had hand brakes on the wagons. The
only brake force on a moving train was from the engine and tender, and
the guard's hand brake at the back of the train.

I find this hard to believe. After all, in the US, airbrakes were
standard well before the end of the steam era, and I think that the rest
of the world wasn't that far off in adopting them either. (Not sure of
exact dates, and sure that others will give the correct info here.)

Not that there aren't those who model pre-airbrake eras; more power to
'em. But I think it's safe to say that *most* of us model times when
trains had airbrakes (and trainlines) as standard equipment.