Lack of buffers on newer trains?

[Hrw-Amen]

I have been pondering this for a while now. I have been looking at some newer trains, (Mostly the South West Trains that come to my local station.) and there seems to be a distinct lack of buffers on trains nowadays? I really noticed it on a trip up to London recently where I was at Waterloo Station and looking across all those platforms, not a buffer to be seen on the fronts (Or rears I guess as they look pretty much the same.) of all those trains.

Any other countries other than the UK seeing a declining buffer use?

Any idea why this is, I mean OK hopefully trains nowadays are less likely to run into anything requiring buffering and I suppose most trains are put together as a certain number of coaches and that is pretty much that, but still at the ends?

Opposite to this I do still see them being used on freight trains, so maybe it is the overall un-shutableness of modern passenger trains?

[Spitfire2865]

North American trains I dont believe ever used buffers.

But I guess the decline in buffer use be attributed to the widespread change to special couplings for passenger trains. I know US freight trains still use knuckle couplings though.

[Hey Joe]

I've been out of serious railfanning for awhile and don't know a lot about UK rolling stock but it's possible that they're designing the function of the buffers into the internal structure of the rolling stock? It's kinda what they do with autos these days, it improves the aerodynamics.

Joe

[Dan-147]

North American trains have the buffer function built into the knuckle coupler; it's called the draft gear. This setup has been standardized since the early 20th century. European trains historically did not use automatic couplers. Instead, they used chains to couple the cars together. These chains were tightened until the buffers were compressed which insured the stability of the coupling.

European trains are gradually moving away from these chain couplings fot two reasons. They are more labor intensive than automatic couplers and they are not as strong. Considering the number of cars and locomotives involved, it's not a simple matter to change them all. It's easier to start with dedicated trains that are not generally mixed in general waggons and locomotives such as passenger trains. Another place where automatic couplers are gaining is in unit trains such as those that carry ores aand agregates. In this case, the superior strength of the knuckle couplers made the transition more compelling.

Dan-147

[Rijkvv]

European passenger trainsets (electric and diesel multiple units or EMU and DMU) often use Scharfenberg automatic couplers, I think mostly because of the short time to combine two trainsets to one train. In the Netherlands there are still pulled trains with an e-loc, but these are replaced with train sets more and more.

For freight trains there were already plans to switch to automatic couplings half a century ago, but as Dan-147 points out, it's not easy to make that switch. All the rolling stock has to be modified. The average (western) European freight train is much shorter than the average northern American kind, so there is no need for automatic couplers. Ore trains are heavier, and thus fitted with automatic couplers. I expect the other freight trains in western Europe will use the classic buffers-and-chain coupling for decades more.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Richie

[Konrad]

Buffers make trains look more appealing imo

[Rijkvv]

I agree with you. It adds something to locomotives and rolling stock. Without them, it looks empty. However, most train sets like EMU's and DMU's, as well as American stuff don't use them. The buffers in US-style trains like the BNSF and the Maersk Train look out of place.

[galacticslave]

When I first started working on British Rail to couple up DMUs was dirty and took time. You had the couplings, brake pipes and electrics to deal with. The newer stock has it all in one place so the driver just has to propell forward to couple up without the need for a guard or shunter to get between the sets. One advantage of the old system was that you could be assisted by any train or locomotive front or rear in the event of unit failure.

[The Reclaimer]

One thing I have always had a problem with was the LEGO BNSF GP-38 had buffers and the real one does not.