Digital automatic coupling explained

Digital automatic coupling (DAC) is a type of railway coupling developed in the 2020's to replace the English buffers and chain couplings, initially in Europe.

It resembles the Scharfenberg coupler with extra contacts to join electrical circuits (power, detection and control) and air hoses. ^[1]

Advantages

• Longer trains up to 750m.
• Brakes remotely controlled like ECPB.
• Monitoring of train and wagon performance.
• Safety. No need for shunter to climb between buffers.

Other systems

Couplings based on AAR and SA3 already have automated mechanical couplings, so some of the advantageous features of DAC are lessened. These have a maximum draw gear load well in excess of that possible with the DAC, say 1800m instead of 750m.

Makers

• Dellner^[2]
• Knorr Bremse^[3]

Videos

• Demonstration of DAC 1^[4]
• Demonstration of DAC 2^[5]

See also

• Railway coupling
• Railway coupling by country
• Shift2Rail^[6]
• ^[7]

Notes and References

1. https://rail-research.europa.eu/news/digital-automatic-coupling-dac-the-backbone-for-full-digital-rail-freight-train-operations-in-europe/ DAC
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW-9wHoBab0 Dellner
3. https://www.railwaysafrica.com/news/automated-rail-freight-knorr-bremse-tests-digital-automatic-coupler-on-real-freight-train Knorr-Bremse
4. Web site: Digital Automatic Coupling . .
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y1ESfnkXac DAC4EU
6. https://shift2rail.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DAC-Factsheet_EN.pdf Shift2Rail
7. https://www.railwaysafrica.com/news/automated-rail-freight-knorr-bremse-tests-digital-automatic-coupler-on-real-freight-train Knorr-Bremse