Shame that Trains ever moved away from Buffers and draw gear on every train so when a train broke down the following train could push.
I've seen a failed Loco hauled 9 carriage train pushed into a station by a 2 car DMU▸ , with a loco and 6 carriages pushing the whole train as the DMU couldn't push such a load.
You've hit on favorite gripe of mine which I may have raised elsewhere on this forum is why do we not have a standard coupler in the
UK▸ . After teh Us have buckeyes and airbarakes since 1909 or thereabouts. It's not long ago we still had Mark 1 vacuum stock on the mainline (not that there's anything wrong with the vacuum brake).
We nearly got here on the Southern with buckeyes EP brakes and standard control wires. Then the PEPS came along.
Now there are even different versions of the same make of coupler let alone different types ofcouplers.
There aren't even standard control wires, you can only couple a Turbo to 158 one way round otherwise you don't get a brake as one has 9 wires the other 8. Even though teh mechanical bit is the same.
I believe the Electrostars on the Southestern and Southern have different couplers.
Best assisstance:
73 on diesel pushing 47 and 6 from Basingstoke to Reading coupled with buckeye to last coach.
08 (REading pilot) pulling 47 and 6 from Tilehurst to Reading it went wrong line down the up relief.
Being pushed in a cross country DMU from Gloucester to Swindon with a 37 considerably faster than 70 mph, speedo in back cab was hard on stop mark.