RailCar Couplers SavedInfo

Couplers, AlsoKnownAs Couplings are mechanical devices that join RailCars, so to compose Trains, themselves being an assembly of subcomponents: Knuckle, Head, Shank, Release, Striker, Yoke, DrawGear,...  The coupler type on a given railcar is one of many factors (TrackGage, LoadingGage, Brakes...) that determine compatibility with a specific railway & other stock. Coupler types may be generally categorized as follows: ~ FullManual Couplers: trainmen must go between cars to couple+decouple Mech +Pneu +Elec connections. ~ SemiAuto Couplers: only Mech connection is automatic, Pneu +Elec connections are manual. ~ FullAuto Couplers: all Mech +Pneu +Elec connections are automatic. Couplers Listed\Described\Depicted below are common & typical of those designs used WorldWide on legacy & modern railways. Compatible & like designs are often known by various Make\Brand\Regional\Nick names, which just as often cause confusion in the history & technical specs for couplers. Dimensions & ratings noted are of Nominal\Typical Components+Systems; Standards+Practices vary widely with Railway\Region\Era.

Pick any IMAGE above for info on a COMMON type. Dead?Links MAY be revived from the WebArchive. Click here for an even more complete & extensive listing with FULL TECH SPECS ON ALL COUPLER TYPES.

Janney\AAR Couplers
Janney\AAR couplers, AlsoKnownAs American\APT\ARA\MCB\Knuckle\Nuck couplers, are a SemiAuto design; mechanical coupling+decoupling is automatic; PneumaticPipe+ElectricWire connections are usually seperate & manual. Inspired by HumanHands & patented 1873~1914 by E.Janney\USVI, this design was steadily improved thru several decades by the McConway&TorleyCo, PennsylvaniaRailRoad\PRR, MasterCarBuilders\MCB, AmericanRailwayAssoc\ARA, AmericanAssocRailways\AAR & AmericanPublicTransport\APT to become a practical reliable coupler, requiring little maintenance, durable in abusive service& extreme environments. AAR couplers are simular to CAK couplers, but with hinged Nucks instead of locking Heads. At least one Nuck must be open for mating; as cars come together, the Nucks are pushed closed by the opposing Palm until LatchPins engage. To decouple, cars are pushed together for slack, one Pin raised via a SideLever, that Nuck opens & the cars may part. An advantage over CAKs, AAR Nucks are intentionally weaker than the Head\Shank to be ShearPins if overstressed & readily replaced by a TrainMan; CAK couplers have the advantage of not having to check\ensure a Nuck is in the open position before mating.

Janney\AARC\MCB5\Transition Couplers
AARC\MCB5\Transition couplers were mandated 1893 by the US Congress to force replacing dangerous Link&Pin & unreliable MillerHookPlatform couplers, reduce injury & allow interchange across 4f708 1m435 Gage NAmerican railways. They have MCB5\TransitionContour, 9i000 TallNucks, 9i250 LongHeads (measured from Horn to MateLine) & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes plus L&P\MHP couplers via SplitNucks. Upto 21i TallNucks were used on stock running rough\uneven track. NationalCo.Sharon (make.model) couplers are representative of the many 1893~1914 AARC\MCB5 designs & were likely a preferred choice amongst rollingstock builders & operators in that era, per a reputation for reliability\longevity; many Sharon couplers remain in use as of this 2019 writing, on both Operating\Restored & Static\Museum stock. They have MCB5\TransitionContour, 9i000 TallNucks, 9i250 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes.

Janney\AARC\L&HD\DropHead Couplers
AARC\L&HD\DropHead couplers (make.model=BECo.DropHead) are a hybrid, first conceived+designed+produced ~1898 by N.Gresley\Britain & BuckEyeCo\USOh, for CorridorTeakCoaches. Since they've been produced in the UK\EU & also used on CorridorSteamTenders, Mark1+2+3 Coaches+MultiUnits & Class59+89 Loks. They have MCB5\TransitionContour, 9i000 TallNucks, 9i250 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes plus any L&H using the revealed Hook & Buffers.

Janney\AARD\L&HS\SwingHead Couplers
AARD\L&HS\SwingHead couplers (make.model=Krupp.SwingHead) are a hybrid, first produced ~1903 at KruppAG\Germany as an option to transition away from Link&Hook couplers; the EU transition never occurred. WilliamCookRailLtd refined the design in 1998, allowing British.66+67 Loks to serve stock with either AAR or L&H couplers. They have ARA10\CommonUseContour, 9i000 TallNucks, 10i00 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes plus any L&H using the pivoted Hook & Buffers.

Janney\AARD\ASF3\Alliance3 Couplers
AARD\ASF3\Alliance couplers (make.model=ASF.Alliance3) were designed ~1913 by R.Janney (son of E.Janney) [http://books.google.com/books?id=aQZLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=%22American+Steel+Foundries+No.+3%22&source=bl&ots=_Mh8CBYw2a&sig=ACfU3U0KtMfTvO1q3o-blIUKN3AzLgTVzA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQl53Sx9DgAhVJYK0KHeoXAWwQ6AEwAnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22American%20Steel%20Foundries%20No.%203%22&f=true & were originally made by AmericanSteelFoundries at USOh.Alliance. When Alliance lost the 1915 AARD\ARAD standard design competition to the NaCo.Bazeley, Janney+ASF defiantly began marketing the Alliance outside of NAmerica as a LowCost LiteDuty option.] They have ARA10\CommonUseContour, 9i000 TallNucks, 10i00 LongHeads (the NaCo.Bazeley has a 12i00 LongHead) & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes. LAFLHenricot, OMBES, Sable, TedRail, WCR, BradKen, RIS... are amongst foundries worldwide that Licensed\Marketed\Improved the design, resulting in the ASF3\Alliance & several evolutions becoming Standard\Typical on Psgr & Frht stock in Australia +Brazil +Britain +Burma +China +Cuba +Dijaboti +Ecuador +Ethiopia +India +Indonesia +Japan +Korea +Malay +NewZ +Panama +Phillipines +Saudi +SAfrica +Taiwan +Tanzania +Thai +Vietnam +Zambia +Zimbabwe...

Janney\AARD\ARAD\CommonUse Couplers
AARD\ARAD\CommonUse couplers (make.model=NaCo.Bazeley) were chosen as the 1915 AAR\ARA standard for rollingstock in NAmerica, deprecating the 1893 AARC. They have ARA10\CommonUseContour, typically 9i000 TallNucks, stronger 12i00 LongHeads& mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes; optonal 11i00 TallNucks were often fitted in these couplers to accomodate Height\Track variations typical of the era.

Janney\AARE\ARAE\CommonUse Couplers
AARE\ARAE\CommonUse couplers became the 1932 AARE\ARAE standard for Loks & CommonFrht Wags: Flats +BoxCars +Reefers +Hoppers, etc..., deprecating the 1915 AARD coupler in those duties. They have ARA10A\CommonUseContour, stronger 11i00 TallNucks, 12i00 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes. The AARE coupler is LongestLived of all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB standards, though its been deprecated in all duties by the AARF\AARH\AARS\AART couplers described below.

Janney\AARF\APTF\InterLock Couplers
AARF\APTF\InterLock couplers were conceived 1901 by E.Ramsay@PrattCoalCo of USAL; development & testing began 1947, which resulted in the 1954 AARF\APTF standard for HazMat Wags, Rotary Wags StationaryEnd, & DualDuty=Frht+Psgr Loks. They have AAR10A\InterLockContour, 11i00 TallNucks, 12i00 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes, plus allow Rotary Wag dumping while coupled.They minimize slack& decoupling\punctures\telescoping in derailments.

Janney\AARH\APTH\TightLock Couplers
AARH\APTH\TightLock couplers evolved from the preceding 1908 VanDorn#20 used on the Hudson&Manhattan, 1909 VanDorn#31 used on the Chicago&Southern& 1915~1927 TypeH by E.Henricotof Etienne Belgiumused on NMBS\SNCB stock, which were all efforts to improve upon the MCB5\ARAD\Alliance couplers of that era. A further improved & noticably evolved design, first used ~1928 in NAmerica on the NewYorkCentral, became the 1947 AAR\APT standard for Psgr Loks +Wags +MUs, deprecating the 1932 AARE in that service. They have AAR10A\TightLockContour, 11i00 TallNucks, 11i50 LongHeads& mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes, plus allow Pneu+Elec appliancesthat convert AARH couplers from SemiAuto to FullAuto operation.They minimize slack& decoupling\telescoping in derailments.

Janney\AARI\L&HI\India Couplers
AARI\L&HI\India couplers, AlsoKnownAs CenterBufferTransition couplers, are a hybrid which was designed & developed thru the 1970s by EsCo, then became the 1980 IndiaRailways standard for their gradual transition from Link&Hook to AAR couplers. They have AAR10A\TightLockContour, 11i00 TallNucks, 11i50 LongHeads& mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes plus any L&H coupler using the pivoted ScrewLink & 0m635 Buffers.They minimize slack& decoupling\telescoping in derailments.

Janney\AARR\RotarDump Couplers
AARR\RotarDump couplers, AlsoKnownAs AARFR couplers, were conceived 1901 by E.Ramsay@PrattCoalCo of USAL; design & testing began 1947, producing the 1954 AAR standard for RotarDump Hoppers that expedite coal unloading at PowerPlants. They have AAR10A\InterLockContour, 11i00 TallNucks, 12i00 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes, plus allow RotarDumping while staying coupled.They minimize slack& decoupling\punctures\telescoping in derailments.

Janney\AARS\ShelfBotm Couplers
AARS\ShelfBotm couplers, AlsoKnownAs AARE\BottomShelf couplers, became the 2003 AAR standard for CommonUse, deprecating 1932 AARE couplers in that duty. They have AAR10A\ShelfBotmContour, 11i00 TallNucks, 12i00 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes. They minimize decoupling\punctures in derailments by having a Lower Shelf.

Janney\AART\ShelfTwin Couplers
AART\ShelfTwin couplers, AlsoKnownAs AARE\DoubleShelf couplers, were developed in 1974 after several TankCar DeRailments\Leaks\Fires\Explosions\Injuries\Casualties& then became the 1978 AAR standard for HazMatFrht, deprecating AAREs+AARFs in that duty.They have AAR10A\ShelfTwinContour, 11i00 TallNucks, 12i00 LongHeads & mate to all AAR\APT\ARA\MCB subtypes. They minimize decoupling\punctures in derailments by having a Lower & Upper Shelf.

Willison\CAK Couplers
Willison\CAK couplers are a SemiAuto design first patented 1913 by J.Willison@NationalCastingsCo\NaCo of USOh. Intended for abusive environments, Willison\CAKs became a world standard on Farm\Plantation +Park\Tourist +Mine\Industrial rollingstock; the 050% +075% +100% Sized subtypes are described below. CAK couplers operate much like AAR couplers, though with interlocking Heads instead of hinged Nucks. An advantage of CAKs, compared to AARs, is they mate without concern for Nuck closed\open position; a disadvantage of CAKs, compared to AARs, is they do not have breakaway Nucks & a broken Head\Shank is not easily repaired by TrainMen.

Willison\CAK0 Couplers
The original 1913 Willison design 050%Sized is the subtype CAK0, typically fitted to Farm\Plantation +Park\Tourist NarrowGage stock.

Willison\CAK1 Couplers
The original 1913 Willison design 075%Sized is the subtype CAK1, typically fitted to Farm\Plantation +Mine\Industrial NarrowGage stock.

WIllison\CAK2 Couplers
In 1932, after the early Willison designs were enlarged & improved by NaCo\USOh +LAFLHenricot\France, CAK2 couplers, a hydrid CAK+L&H design, were used on SNCF.141TC Psgr Loks & Coaches, serving until 1970 on Paris~Nord Psgr routes. Couplers of like design have since been used for InterChange in EastEurope, Iran, Turkey, Russia...

WIllison\CAK3 Couplers
In 1935, after another period of testing & improvement, Willison\CAK3 couplers were made a Russian standard on their RZD nationwide 5f000\1m524\BroadGage railway. This circa 1935~1953 CAK3 version has a cast RightEar for Conversion\InterChange with legacy Euro Link+Hook\L&H couplers; the later 1954 CAK3 version does not have this RightEar, instead removable Conversion\InterChange Adaptors are typically used. In 1954, a revised Willison\CAK3 design with slightly improved contour & components, became standard across Russia +FinLand +Mongolia +Ukraine +Turkey +Iran.... This version is usually stamped CA~3\CоветскихAвтоKuppler3 in Russian, that translates to SA~3\SovietAutoCoupler3 in English. InterChange Adaptors are typically used for mating to legacy Euro Link&Hook\L&H couplers, instead of the older CAK3s RightEar.

WIllison\CAK4 Couplers
Beginning in 1961, the CAK4\CоветскихAвтоKuppling4 subtype, AlsoKnownAs the AK69\InterMat coupler, was developed by Knorr +LAFLHenricot +Voith, for Unitized Goods\Frht stock. Intended for EUs LongDelayed transition from Link&Hook\L&H couplers, however after several years of testing, this subtype failed to be accepted due to high cost & being incompatible with the legacy Euro Link&Hook\L&H coupler.

WIllison\CAK5 Couplers
Beginning in 1994, the CAK5\CоветскихAвтоKuppling5 subtype, AlsoKnownAs the Transpact\CAKv coupler, was developed by Faiveley +DBAG +UniversityOfBerlin for HazMat\Heavy\RotarFrht & InterChange stock, being a compatible CAK +L&H hybrid. It successfully tested on various stock (DBAG.189 Loks, HeavyFrht Wags,...) & has been promoted for EUs LongDelayed transition from Link&Hook\L&H couplers.

Link&Hook\L&H Couplers
Link&Hook\L&H couplers, AlsoKnownAs British\English\Euro\UnionInternationalChemin=UIC couplers, first appeared on the earliest railways in Britain then spread across Europe. These couplers are cheap to make & functionally simple, yet dangerous to use. Despite several attempts at converting to more modern designs, as of this 2019 writing, L&H couplers stubbornly remain the defacto standard in Europe +NorthAfrica +Israel...

Link&Hook\L&H3\ThreeLink Couplers
L&H3\ThreeLink couplers are a FullManual design, AlsoKnownAs LooseLink couplers. As the earliest L&H subtype, this coupler was phased out 1968~1980 as legacy British Goods\Frht stock retired. Each end of cars fitted with this coupler have a DrawHook & pair of 18i00\0m457 long Buffers. A ThreeLink hangs from a Gedge\Notch in each Hook shank; after 2 cars are pushed together, one ThreeLink is lifted to the opposing Hook. Shunting poles may be used to manipulate Links & is somewhat safer than standing between Buffers. The designs disadvantage is a resulting "LooseCoupling", meaning several inches of slack must be tensioned\compressed with acceleration\deceleration, causing significant wear on both car & lading; thus ThreeLinks became restricted to slow Goods\Frht only as improved subtypes were developed. An advantage is less draw on Loks during acceleration, thus why this coupler subtype persisted for so long.

Link&Hook\L&HC\CloseLink Couplers
L&HC\CloseLink couplers are a FullManual design, AlsoKnownAs Instanter couplers, & small mechanical improvement over ThreeLink couplers; the chain center OvalShaped link is now replaced with a special TriAngular link, thus allowing a choice of 2 positions: LooseCoupled for shunting or CloseCoupled for running. Shunting poles may be used to manipulate Links.

Link&Hook\L&HF\L&HP\ScrewLink Couplers
L&HF\L&HP\ScrewLink couplers are a FullManual design, used on both Goods\Frht & Psgr stock. This design is a mechanical improvement over both ThreeLink & CloseLink couplers, essentially a ThreeLink with an OpposingThread TurnBuckle replacing the center link; however it is more dangerous as shunting poles can not be used & trainmen must go between cars +buffers for both coupling & decoupling.

Link&Pin\L&P Couplers
Link&Pin\L&P couplers are a FullManual design that originated in mines of the 1700s & were the standard on NorthAmerican railways from the 1830s thru 1892. These couplers are cheap to make & functionally simple, yet dangerous to use. A combined drawbar\buffer on the railcars EndFrame allows access to a vertical pin that holds a link in place; the link extends out the end of the drawbar\buffer; as cars meet, the opposite pin is raised by a trainmans hand, while his other hand guides the common link into the opposing drawbar\buffer & then the pin is lowered thru the link. Decoupling is the reverse & only slightly less dangerous for trainmen. As NorthAmerican railways expanded & became more interconnected, L&P couplers became more problematic: injury & death due to these couplers became common as trains became faster & heavier; loose Pins & Links often were missing or the wrong size. Finally in 1893, new US regulations mandated a 10+Year transition, outlawing the Link&Pin\L&P, along with other lesser couplers of that era, used in the NorthAmerican 4f708\1m435\StandardGage interchange, replacing those legacy couplers with newly developed Janney types per MasterCarBuilder\MCB standards. Since then, L&P couplers have been mostly outlawed worldwide, to be only seen on Historic\Museum & isolated Colonial\Industry\Mine\Plantation stock.

Scharfenberg\SCH Couplers
Scharfenberg\SCH couplers are a FullAuto design, first patented 1903 by K.Scharfenberg of Konigsberg Germany. AlsoKnownAs SchaKu\Dellner\Voith couplers, Scharfenbergs have become Standard\Typical worldwide on Psgr DMUs +EMUs +LRVs... However, the relative high Cost\Complexity, need for Covers\Heaters in Dirty\Winter service, & limited DraftRatings has restricted this coupler to very rare use on Goods\Frht stock, only when FullAuto\Remote coupler control is required. As Scharfenberg couplers come together, brakepipes mate & valvecocks automaticly open, & rotating covers reveal electric contacts. To uncouple, a remote release is operated from the cab. Simular though incompatible Shibata & Shinkansen couplers are standard on Japanese +Korean Psgr stock.

Specs

 * RailCar Couplers At OBTS Wiki
 * RailCar Couplers At WikiVisually
 * Convert Couplers At WikiVisually

Media

 * PicSearch
 * VidSearch