Throughout the history of rail vehicles, a variety of coupler designs and types have been developed worldwide. Key design considerations include strength, reliability, ease and efficiency of handling, and operator safety. Automatic couplers engage when the cars are pushed together.OverviewA coupling or coupler is a mechanism, typically located at each end of a, that connects them together to form a train. The equipment that connects the couplers to the vehicles is the draft gear or draw gear,. Compatible and similar couplings or couplers are frequently referred to using widely differing make, brand, or regional names, or nicknames, which can make describing standard or typical designs confusing. The basic type of coupling on railways following the British tradition is the buffer and chain coupling. A large chain of three links connects hooks on the adjoining wagons. These couplings followed earlier practice.
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