Hi Folks,
I’m modeling in the early 20th century and I would like to know when did the knuckle coupler first appear? What was the method of coupling prior to then?
The earlier coupler was the link and pin. A link between cars thats was secured by a pin. The Janney (sp) automatic coupler came into play at the end of the 19th century.
A good way to tell if a switchman or brakie was experiences was the fact he was mising fingers. Those old link and pins caused lots of guys to get the nickname “fingers”.Just like with the Air Brake the brotherhoods lobbied to make automatic couplers standard on all equipmentHowever with all safety devices that wuld cost money the railroads fought it.
Knuckle couplers and air brakes were required in interchange after 1906.
During the transition from link and pin couplings to knuckle couplers literally dozens of different couplings were tried, most incompatible.
Actually the railroad labor unions fought the knuckle coupler and the air brake when they were being considered as standard. The unions were afraid that the adoption of those inovations would reduce the number of switchmen and trainmen the railroad would hire and so the unions were against them. The biggest proponent of knuckle couplers was a minister who was so upset when a trainman on a train he was riding on lost his last fingers in coupling accident, he started a drive to get knuckle couplers adopted.
Many early knuckles were slotted and had a vertical hole through the knuckle so you could still use it with a link and pin coupler.
Dave H.
Thank you both for the information. Now I know that I will be changing to knuckle couplers on my layout.