European Nomenclature

[Anonymous]

What is the correct name for the spring-loaded "disks" found at the front and rear of most european equipment? I have heard then referred to as "bumpers" and as "buffers," though I am not sure that either is correct.

[Hugh Jampton]

Buffers is the correct terminlology.

They're needed on vehicles with hook and shackle couples because they don't sustain a compressive load. Buffers can be spring or hydraulic and act as a longitudinal suspension for the train cushioning slack run in.

[athelney]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hugh Jampton

Buffers is the correct terminlology.

They're needed on vehicles with hook and shackle couples because they don't sustain a compressive load. Buffers can be spring or hydraulic and act as a longitudinal suspension for the train cushioning slack run in.

Have to agree with your technical term , yes we used the term buffers when I was employed on British Rail .

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Next question: What exactly is meant by "up" trains and "down" trains? I've also seen this term used in connection with Australian trains.

[oubliette]

The terminology for up and Down trains is based mainly on the location of London. Any train travelling towards London is an up train and any away from London is a down train. Of course not all trains go to London so its basically any facing loosely in that given direction or done sometimes to a big town etc. That is simplifying it and there are exceptions.

You can then also get into up fast and up slow lines and the same can be said of down trains. Faster passenger trains use the fast lines whilst slower trains use the slow lines.

Buffers (talking UK here) are used mainly on locomotives and freight trains. Whilst most passenger coaches have buffers, they are not used unless being loose shunted or next to a locomotive. On passenger vehicles the buffers have a locking collar which is lifted out of place when coupling to of the same vehicle types. Basically the collar is lifted and the buffer pushed in by hand. The buck eye coupling (knuckle) is lifted and both coaches joined. So if you look at a passenger train really closely the buffers are not touching its the buck eye that keeps them fixed, the buffers never touch.

If shunting is done loosely by a loco then the buckeye is dropped and a shackle is used to throw over the towing hook and any slack is taken up with the buffers. Though in reality the shackle is meant to be tightened to stop snatching most shunters will just leave it loose if only moving a vehicle from one point to another.

More and more freight wagons are being fitted with buck eye couplings. Many formations of wagons are now a block. A number of vehicles have fixed draw bars between them whilst the ends of the formations have buffers or buck eyes. Some class 66's and class 67's have a swinging buck eye that is stowed to one side and locked in position if using normal shackled stock. If the buck eye is needed then it is unlocked and swung into a central position.

Whilst I mainly work on repairing locomotives part of our duties mainly during the night is to sort and shunt coaches. This can be a pain lifting and dropping buck eyes all night and you end up with arms Popeye would be proud of. Its even worse if the coach is sat over a pit, then you have to straddle the pit and lift or drop the buck eye as required, then of course to have to put buffers in or lock them in/out of position as required, all time consuming. This is where the US wins over, straight on and off everything. Obviously in the US you still got to go between vehicles for air pipes etc but time is not spent throwing loose shackles over every other vehicle.

As stated in a previous post buffers can be hydraulic or spring type. A collapsed spring will be indicated by being able to pu***he buffer in by hand. A hydraulic one will be the same if fluid is leaking badly enough though in most cases the sign of leaking fluid is enough to have it changed anyway. To change the buffers on the GM built class 66's you have to empty the sandbox on the end of the loco to access the locking nuts and bolts that hold it in place.

[passengerfan]

Up trains and Down trains refer to the direction of travel. In England i believe headed toward Scotland were up trains and those headed away from Scotland were down trains. SP did a similar thing in the US with them assigning even numbers to trains traveling away from San Francisco and odd numbers to trains traveling toward San Francisco.