trainrider47 Wrote:
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> Hi Chris,
>
> What is the New Zealand term for what we would
> call a brakeman who would be the person coupling
> up?
Michael,
that would be depending on era and location of coupling on, i.e. just out of Loco Depot, or lifting/setting off at intermediate Stations.
We never had Brakemen. NZR just had 3 man train crews right up until '86 then 2 until 1991 with the introduction of single-manning, only 2 man on shunting trains(or 2 for Driver training) after that. Nowadays everything is in mostly permanent trainsets.
Up until TWC came in (89?) any stations requiring shunting of trains had station staff on duty. At unmanned stations the former Loco Assistant, Train Operator did the shunt.
So the Guard did the shunt at unmanned stations, the Fireman later Loco Assistant, was responsible for the loco to first carriage or wagon coupling unless there was a Pilot. Only the big yards had Pilots to put power on and off, small yards like my first Depot, the LA did the piloting on and off. Only before coupling onto passenger stock were required to stop short before coupling on, didn't apply to goods traffic.
> A little over a week ago on the Weka Pass
> Railway I watched a student brakewoman being
> trained to make a coupling. It definitely took
> longer than coupling up with a knuckle coupler and
> also seemed to involve more time spent between the
> loco and carriage.
Since your experience was on a Heritage Railway, using the old Hook/Buffer and Sidechains(gone in general service late 80's) and the younger trainee involved, obviously that would be slower but in the old days with an old Hand, it was considerably faster. The experienced man would have the Bridle up over the Hook as soon as it dropped over the Pin, stepped in and connected the airhoses, opening the far Tap first and then air side Tap, then leaned over the Buffers and hooked together the far Sidechains, coming back to get the closest Sidechain last.
In shunting (if you weren't putting the Air through) then the Sidechains weren't used, one merely dropped the Hook and reversed the move, the Hook didn't need to be left up, the shape allowed it to ride up and drop over the opposite Pin. That would be faster than having to come to a full stop, walk and open Knuckle, then couple, then test coupling before making a reverse move.
> This strikes me as being a bit of a safety issue.
I guess if you're not used to seeing it, through "today's eyes" yes, it could be a little daunting.
I remember my first attempts at getting in, lifting the Hook and then stepping out, kicking off a rake, which I would have done on some Secondary shunting trains once the Guards were gone. Actually, on a couple of trains back when the Guards were on the rear, in our district the Fireman "helped" get the shunt done at sidings a lot quicker than waiting for the Guard to walk up and do it. Towards the end of '85 most of our Guard's didn't even bother to walk up, just got out for the airtest. Of course all that was against the rules, both management and union.
> In the US coupling up the air
> shouid be the only time spent between cars or a
> loco and cars. That said, your old couplers are
> certainly superior to link and pin couplings!
The Hook/Buffer aka chopper was considered a semi-automatic coupler unlike the old US Link&Pin and much, much safer. There were various attempts over the years by the top office to get Hook lifters attached for a trialing but the Shunters, (switchmen) refused to work them citing dangerousness of the lifting rope/cable.
When I holidayed in Queensland in '78, the QR was in the midst of a change-over to Automatics, they had the Knuckles, the Hook and Centre Buffer and the twin Buffers with Screw-Link couplings to work with, and several adapters or transitionheads to play with: those guys were busy.
