Barrier vehicle

A barrier vehicle (BV), barrier wagon, match wagon or translator coach is used to convert between non-matching railway coupler types.

This allows locomotives to pull railway vehicles or parts of a train with a different type of coupler.

A match wagon has an identical dual coupling at both ends.

They are often found on empty coaching stock moves where freight locomotives need to transport coaching stock fitted with Scharfenberg couplers and other automatic couplers.

The use of barrier coaches has evolved with a general move from conventional passenger trains consisting of locomotive-hauled coaches, to trains consisting of multiple units.

A preserved example of a translator carriage - at the Downpatrick and County Down Railway in Ireland, the former NI Railways DBSO is used to allow a 141 Class diesel locomotive with buffers and chain couplers to haul a 450 Class railcar with tightlock couplers .