All joined up

[q8]

Are 'Tightlock' couplers a variation on Scharfenburg ones? They look very similar to me. Also how many studs does a tightlock coupler have?

I should think that the new 'S' stock should be fitted with Tightlocks for compatibility with the NR stock which run over the shared tracks like the Met main and District branches.

[doubletrigger]

I'm assuming Tightlock is something else on LU as the Mk4s are fitted with such a coupling, but it's merely a smoother stronger variation of a standard buckeye without the ability to be dropped. However the connection between 91s and the TOE vehicle remain to be a Drophead Buckeye. Have proven their strength, some of the couplings in the Great Heck accident on some of the carriages (bar the ones leading) held despite extreme forces and were unable to be released from their connecting coach, badly damaged but still holding on tight! In the end they had to cut through them with blow torches to get the coaches out. As for the leading vehicles that jacknifed, this proved too much for the couplers to hold... anyway I digress!

Point is I'd like to see what difference there are between a tightlock of a mk4 and LU stock... ta

[Colin]

LU currently uses 'Wedgelock' couplers, DLR uses 'Scharfenburg' and, as DT say's, 'Tightlock' is a variation of the 'Buckeye' - used extensively on Network Rail.

[q8]

I got the imprsssion thattightlock was a Shcharfenburg variation from the pic that was posted of the 313 that took a 'walkies' along the District line towards Turnham Green

[doubletrigger]

Not entirely sure about the similarities between the two, I'll see what pictures I can find of the tightlock coupling in an uncoupled state for you, might take a while though, I'm not on depot very often!

As for scharfenberg I've suddenly lost the picture I had in my head of what that looks like again... ah for a simple screw type coupling!

To compare!



Scharfenberg



Tightlock

[Deleted]

Scharfenberg operates on the peg-in-hole concept - each coupler has two coupling hardpoints, one a circular dome, the other a circular depression. When the two couplers are pushed together, the dome lines up with the depression and a latch inside the dome clicks into the depression. The electrical and pneumatic couplers sit in a longish rectangular Dutch oven on top of the hardpoints.

I'm not sure what tightlocks look like, but they might be similar to the couplers on the 14X, 15X, 16X and 17X series DMUs.

[q8]

Thanks. That does not look like the couplerr on the 313 that went 'tattars' to Turnham Green though?

[doubletrigger]

q8 said:

Thanks. That does not look like the couplerr on the 313 that went 'tattars' to Turnham Green though?

There's different varieties of Tightlock, that's a more developed modern one. If you look at the 313's coupling you'll notice the top part looks similar to a buckeye with a cover below. Housed under this cover are the connections for ETS, TDM, PA and other various electrical circuits required between the multiple units. Tightlock is simply a continuing variation on the buckeye.

You will see the Juniper's one has the electrical cover further back and what appears to be smaller and the coupling appears to be a little more vertical. Otherwise the operation of the two remains the same. Long live buckeyes! ;D

[q8]

doubletrigger said:

q8 said:

Thanks. That does not look like the couplerr on the 313 that went 'tattars' to Turnham Green though?

There's different varieties of Tightlock, that's a more developed modern one. If you look at the 313's coupling you'll notice the top part looks similar to a buckeye with a cover below. Housed under this cover are the connections for ETS, TDM, PA and other various electrical circuits required between the multiple units. Tightlock is simply a continuing variation on the buckeye.

You will see the Juniper's one has the electrical cover further back and what appears to be smaller and the coupling appears to be a little more vertical. Otherwise the operation of the two remains the same. Long live buckeyes! ;D

Ah I see.. Thank you

[Chris M]

This isn't the perfect photo (its at an angle and is foreshortened a bit due to the long zoom etc) but its the best photo of the coupler on a 313 unit. Q8 is right in that it doesn't look especially like any of the other types illustrated here.

Click the image for the full photo.

Chris

[doubletrigger]

The tightlock coupler in the juniper picture is actually in the released position, ready to accept another coupler it appears, hence the brown stuff wider look. Look in the centre you'll see the f*ck locking pin, when that is out it's in a position ready to receive another f*cking tightlock (it's in context!), otherwise it should be closed at all times. This could be where the confusion is eminating from, forgot to check the pic for that in the first place!

Due to the nature of a buckeye it can look very different depending on what brown stuff angle you take it from as each side has a completely different shape.

Been looking through a training DVD and I've got plenty of demos on how the buckeyes work but not the tightlocks... where is that when you need it? Coupling them on f*cking mk4s is not to different to buckeye, they can be a pain to manually seperate tho.

All in context, so it's fine!