Gangway connection

For passing between cars, there was a passageway in the form of a steel-framed rectangular diaphragm mounted on a buffing plate above the centre coupler.

In the event of an accident, the design also helped prevent cars from overriding each other, reducing the risk of telescoping.

[5] In March 1892, the Great Western Railway (GWR) introduced a set of gangwayed coaches on their Paddington to Birkenhead service.

[10][11] In 1925 the GWR started to use the "suspended" form of gangway connection instead of the "scissors" pattern[clarification needed].

[10] From the beginning, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway used the British Standard type of gangway connector, with its "scissors" pattern as used by the GWR.

[13] On the formation of British Railways on 1 January 1948, operators decided to produce a new range of standard coaches, instead of perpetuating existing designs—but the new types had to be compatible with the old.

In the design of their new Mark 1 coaches, British Railways decided to standardise on the Pullman type in view of its resistance to telescoping.

At the bottom it was riveted to the buffing plate, whilst the top was supported on the coach end by two telescopic spring units.

On the coach end was a wooden doorframe; this was connected to the faceplate by a flexible diaphragm made from plasticised asbestos.

The doorframe was fitted with a lockable door, of either sliding or hinged type, depending on the interior layout of that end of the coach.

[15] Coaches built for travelling post office (TPO) services normally had their gangway connections offset to one side.

There were two main reasons: there was a perceived security risk should these coaches be coupled to ordinary passenger-carrying coaches, the differing gangway positions minimising the risk of intrusion; and more space was available for sorting tables, the postal workers being able to walk in a straight line between vans without disturbing the sorters.

A passageway was incorporated along the right-hand side, and at the rear end a Pullman type gangway connection was fitted, together with a buckeye coupler, both of which were compatible with LNER coaches.

The passageway was illuminated by a single circular window in the tender rear panel, placed high up and to the right of the corridor connection.

It provides a way to seamlessly move between cars at any time, without passing through doors and a dangerous open area that is often against the rules.

With most matched multiple-units, it is possible, as with locomotive-towed carriages, to walk from one unit to another, but a passage between adjacent cabbed ends of coupled trains is less common.

A British Railways Mark 1 coach fitted with a gangway connection of the Pullman type
Internal view of gangways between a British Rail Class 153 and a British Rail Class 158 . Notice the doors on the sides, which prevent passengers from accessing the cabs of either unit. When the gangway is not in use, they lock outwards to block off the entire cab/gangway compartment.
View along full length of a Toronto Rocket , folding seats at the right
This British locomotive has a centre buffing plate similar to that fitted to the lower portion of a Pullman-type gangway connection.
A GWR coach fitted with a British Standard gangway connection of the "suspended" type
A preserved LNER post office stowage tender with offset gangway connection
LNER Class A1 4-6-2 with corridor tender. Circular window of passageway at upper right of tender rear.
A preserved corridor tender. The passageway runs along the side closest to the camera; the top of the passageway may be seen at the rear (left)