Do the Dingham Autocouplers help prevent buffer locking?
No. The Dingham Autocouplers rely on the buffers on vehicles for buffing, just as 3-link and screw couplings do. This means that restrictions on propelling and pulling trains through trackwork are the same as for 3-link/screw couplings. The only ways buffer locking can be prevented by an automatic coupler is to build a centre buffer into the design of the coupler or to have an arrangement where a wire is soldered between the buffer heads. I didn’t want to take either of these routes when designing the Dingham couplers because, in my view, they are visually obtrusive.
