Standardisation and positioning on wagons of steps, end platforms, gangways, handrails, tow hooks, automatic coupler (AC), automatic draw-on coupling and brake valve controls on the UIC member RUs and OSJD member Rus

Summary

This leaflet shall apply to all European railways that are members of the UIC and/or of the OSJD; exceptions are the railways of the Community of Independent States (CIS), to which other provisions apply.

The leaflet gives the dimensions and positions of the following standardised wagon components:

Steps (end steps, gangway steps, access steps, etc.) (see Appendix N containing the nomenclature of terms) Handrails Tow hooks Automatic coupler controls (AC) and draw-only automatic coupleur controls (DAC) Brake valve control handles End platforms Crossing gangways with or without screw brakes

This leaflet was drawn up with the following objectives in particular:

To guarantee maximum staff safety and to improve working conditions for shunters and shunting locomotive drivers, To avoid damage to any of the above mentioned components in service, To achieve the highest possible level of standardisation of the equipment for different types of wagon, with or without a crossing facility and with or without end platforms.

These objectives also apply during the successive stages of conversion of wagons to the automatic coupling system:

Transition from screw coupling with side buffers to automatic coupler with side buffers Transition from automatic coupler with side buffers to automatic coupler without side buffers.

Any change in the conditions relating to the automatic coupler are subject to agreement between the UIC and the OSJD.