Buffers and chain coupler: Difference between revisions

On sharp [[reverse curve]]s, the buffers can get buffer-locked by slipping over – and onto the back of – an adjacent buffer.<ref>[https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-sz-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=sz&p=buffer+locking#id=1&vid=f55cf38b50f5376f4d53ae8f47aa072c&action=view No locking]</ref> Although careful track design makes this occurrence rare, an accident at a Swiss station in the 1980s was caused by buffer-locked wagons.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} Buffer-lock could be caused on the very sharp switches by the older, rounded buffers. The newer buffers are rectangular and they are wider than they are tall. They are not as flat, so they rarely cause buffer-locking.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} Buffers and chain coupler allow curves to have around {{cvt|150|m|ft|2}} radius, but so sharp S-curves are not allowed. If it weren't for the couplers, much sharper curves could be allowed, on the condition the train is not too long. Tramways exist with {{convert|20|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}, or less [[Minimum railway curve radius|curve radius]], with center couplers.