EN 16839:2022/FprA1

Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout

This document is applicable to vehicles equipped with buffers and screw coupling systems.
In order to allow operation and coupling of trainsets or vehicles, this document specifies the
defined free space for the shunter called the "Berne rectangle" and the necessary free space for
the installation of the rescue coupler.
This document specifies the location, fixing and free spaces on the headstock of:
- buffers;
- screw coupling systems;
- end cocks;
- pneumatic half couplings;
- connections for electric cables.
It also specifies the calculation of the width of the buffer heads.
Unless otherwise displayed, all dimensions given in this document are nominal values.

Bahnanwendungen - Schienenfahrzeuge - Anordnung der Bauteile am Kopfstück

Applications ferroviaires - Matériel roulant ferroviaires - Agencement de la traverse de tête

Železniške naprave - Vozna sredstva - Postavitev glavnega parka - Dopolnilo A1

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 17-Aug-2025
• ICS: 45.040 - Materials and components for railway engineering
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 256 - Railway applications
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 256/WG 33 - Coupling devices
• Current Stage: 5060 - Closure of Vote - Formal Approval
• Start Date: 19-Jun-2025
• Due Date: 17-Jul-2025
• Completion Date: 19-Jun-2025
• Directive: 2016/797/EU - Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union (Text with EEA relevance)
• Mandate: M/483 - Mandate for programming and standardisation addressed to the European standardisation bodies under directive 2008/57/EC in the field of the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union
• Mandate: M/591 - Standardisation request to the European Committee for Standardisation and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation as regards railway products in support of Directive (EU) 2016/797
• Ref Project: SIST EN 16839:2022/kFprA1:2025 - Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout

Relations

• Merged Into: EN 16839:2022+A1:2025 - Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout
• Effective Date: 02-Jul-2025
• Amends: EN 16839:2022 - Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout
• Effective Date: 07-Jun-2023

Overview

EN 16839:2022/prA1 - Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout is a CEN standard that specifies the arrangement, fixing and required free spaces on the vehicle headstock for vehicles equipped with buffers and screw coupling systems. The standard defines the minimum clearances needed to allow safe operation, coupling and shunting, including the defined free space for the shunter (the Berne rectangle) and space for installation of a rescue coupler. All dimensions are nominal unless otherwise stated.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Berne rectangle: defined free space to protect the shunter during coupling operations; provisions for verification in curves (Annex F applies to freight wagons).
• Rescue coupler space: required free space and installation position on the headstock.
• Components covered:
  • Buffers (including calculation of buffer head width)
  • Screw coupling systems and draw hooks
  • End cocks and pneumatic half couplings
  • Connections for electric cables
• Clearance and fixing rules:
  • Location, fixing points and required free spaces on the headstock for each component
  • Lateral clearances around draw hook and screw coupling must be maintained in the draw-hook guide area under all operating conditions (draw hook and screw coupling defined in EN 15566:2022)
  • For coaches, locomotives and on-track machines a vertical reference line is specified at 495 mm from the vehicle centre-line
• National and amendment notes:
  • prA1 updates include changes to definitions (e.g., “running surface” / TOR reference to EN 13848-1:2019), modifications to clauses 3.2, 3.3, 4.2, 5.5.1, 6.3 and Annex F.

Practical applications and users

This standard is essential for:

• Rolling stock designers and OEMs specifying headstock layout for new vehicles
• Vehicle acceptance and compliance teams ensuring interoperability and safety
• Maintenance and workshop engineers planning retrofits or repair of buffers, couplers and headstock-mounted components
• Railway infrastructure and operations teams coordinating coupling procedures and shunting safety
• Certification bodies and regulators assessing conformance to European interoperability and safety criteria

Related standards and references

• EN 15566:2022 - definitions for draw hook and screw coupling
• EN 13848-1:2019 - definition of “running surface” / Top of Rail (TOR)
• National implementations of CEN standards and the prA1 amendment details

Keywords: EN 16839:2022, head stock layout, Berne rectangle, buffers, screw coupling, rescue coupler, rolling stock, railway applications, buffer head width, draw hook.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST EN 16839:2022/oprA1:2024
01-junij-2024
Železniške naprave - Vozna sredstva - Postavitev glavnega parka
Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout
Bahnanwendungen - Schienenfahrzeuge - Anordnung der Bauteile am Kopfstück
Applications ferroviaires - Matériel roulant ferroviaires - Agencement de la traverse de
tête
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 16839:2022/prA1
ICS:
45.040 Materiali in deli za železniško Materials and components
tehniko for railway engineering
SIST EN 16839:2022/oprA1:2024 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

SIST EN 16839:2022/oprA1:2024
SIST EN 16839:2022/oprA1:2024
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 16839:2022
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
prA1
March 2024
ICS
English Version
Railway applications - Rolling stock - Head stock layout
Applications ferroviaires - Matériel roulant ferroviaires Bahnanwendungen - Schienenfahrzeuge - Anordnung
- Agencement de la traverse de tête der Bauteile am Kopfstück
This draft amendment is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 256.

This draft amendment A1, if approved, will modify the European Standard EN 16839:2022. If this draft becomes an amendment,
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for inclusion of
this amendment into the relevant national standard without any alteration.

This draft amendment was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

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