So when I take my daughter, who loves Thomas, to Europe she will not be confused.
Gabe
I think the first attempt at setting standards for couplings and also loading gauge in Europe was just after WW1. At that time in Britain the railways had been merged by the UK Govt. in to the Big Four companies, and I think all four companies sent observers to these talks. Standards in Britain had since the 1840’s been co-ordinated by the Railway Clear Housing (just like the Assn. of American Railroad does in the US). By this time train ferries were in operation between Britain and Continental Europe so it made sense to try and co-ordinate standards. Also during WW1 a lot of British locos were requisitioned by the UK Army and used in France (and elsewhere, particularly the Middle East).
Because they can?? LOL!
It is possible to get a little slack with buffer and chain also… Usually they are a bit tighter. This is a bad example from two old lumber cars.
Most of the arguments for or against buffer and chain are already mentioned. Of course the do not accept very high tonnage, but they are sufficiant for the trains we pull today. Irone ore trains, at least here in Scandinavia, use russian SA3-couplers.
Marc explained how you “hump” by first slacking the couplers before you release the chain from the hook with a pole. Here in Norway it is prohibithed to stand between cars that hit each other after “humping”.
As far as I know you have to go between to couple the air hoses with american couplers. It does not take very much longer to first put the chain in the hook and tighten.
Most EMUs og DMUs have automatic couplers, usually a Scharfenberg product. These couplers have the air hoses in the coupling, hence no manual work is needed. The air hoses opens and closes automatic.
And why were not all buffer and chain couplers replaced with automatic couplers a spesific date in the 1970’s as UIC decided? I guess money had somthing to do with it…
/LF