Note also that the shape of buffers corresponds to the length of the chassis, as longer cars overhang more in curves and buffers must still overlap sufficiently in such situations. Hence the wide rectangular buffers on long passenger cars.
Fun fact: the white rings weren’t even exclusive to German locomotives, many Dutch steam locomotives also got the white rings on the buffers during the German occupation. I can imagine this also happened in other occupied countries as well.
Very interesting. I wonder if the same thing applied in the UK. Nowadays, when a locomotive is out-shopped in a special livery or for special use (tho not exclusively these two reasons), buffers are either totally painted or have these rings. I guess, nowadays, it must be for decorative purposes only.
Me too. Too many of my favorite RU-vidrs are trending to longer formats. I don't have the time to watch 30 min videos so I just skip them and watch them "later" ie may not ever get round to them. It is like back in the day when I taped something on VHS ... there was never a time when I did not have something more important or urgent to do than watch them tapes as I knew I could do it any time later ;) so the time never came and tapes are gathering dust while VHS player is slowly decaying.
Thank you all, that is very valuable feedback! To add to what has already been said, shorter videos make it also a lot easier for me to upload regularly. However, some topics simply don't work with a 5-minute format, so expect to see both in the future. I now just have to find a good balance between longer and shorter videos, I guess.
Fun Fact: Due to the threat of air attack, all trains operating near the West Coast also had to use "blackout" shutters over their headlights. These restrictions continued even after the most of the Japanese Navy was sunk. Similar restrictions were used along the East Coast, but there it was to avoid silhouetting ships sailing where U-Boats might attack them.
Habe deine Seite ,erst gerade endeckt,einfach klasse. Ich kenne eine Geischte aus Gelsenkirchen Bismarck 1976/77 bei dem Eisenbahnfreunde unter anden Joachim Schmidt diese Ringe auch extra an den 44ern angebracht haben. Viele Grüße mach weiter so.
I thought those circles were mean to make the buffers more noticeable for station workmen so that they don't get crushed between vehicles while connecting them.
Also in East Germany, they were still newly painted on locomotives, including new-built ones. My impression is, however, that they were not as common as they were in West Germany.
@@steelbridgemodels Alright, thank's! Now that I think of it, I have seen a BR 95 with white buffer outlines (and some other white highlights) in East Germany.
I love your video's a lot. As someone who is in to German steam, but can't understand many German Documentary's on them. I'd love to see you make one about the BR 78.10. it's a very interesting locomotive which is based of a BR 38 with some special modifications
On the topic of buffers I have noticed something strange about mainland European locos. The buffers are different and aren't symmetrical which has always bothered me. Ome buffer (I think usually the left one if looking at the front) is rounded while the other is flat, I can't help but notice it whenever I look at a Dutch German or other European loco. And I always wondered why this was the case.
Engines and wagons are couples rather tightly, the buffers touch. One side of the buffers on each side is rounded so that there aren’t any problems in curves, if they were flat and symmetrical there would be a lot of friction and wear and tear on the buffers
@@spongebubatz That makes sense, but I never understood why they made one flat in that case? Why not make both of them rounded like UK engines have, surely it's easier to just make one type of buffer instead of two, especially if the flat buffer is basically useless.
Die Pufferteller in Fahrtrichtung links sind flach, rechts hingegen leicht gewölbt, wenn es das ist, was du meinst. Das Shading ist aber bei beiden identisch.
