In prototype railroading are there coupler adapters that can connect the European style couplers to connect to the American knuckle couplers?
Probably. Most North American rail transit systems have adapter couplers for mating standard railroad couplers with their rapid transit cars or in some cases even ligh trail cars/ Been on fan trips that involved use of such couplers in New York and Chicago.
One problem is that certain European equpment, much of that in the UK, requires the use of outside buffers to handle compressive (pusher and braking) forces, and North American (and Rusian) equipment does not use buffers.
NO. There are no divices or adaptive hardware, etc. that does the job. What American railroads do, however, is use a car with a different appliance at each end. B units and other semi permanenty coupled diesels were like that as was a steam locomotive and its tender. SImilarly when subway or other cars or equipment are to be carried in a regular train, a buffer car with the appropriate couplers at the appropriate ends is used…one at each end of the different couplerd car or cars in fact. I remember when the DL&W was bringing NYC subway cars east in the 50’s they used a buffer car in front of the cut of subway cars and one at the end to buffer to the caboose for example.
The Chicago Rapid Transit Company (pre-CTA) had two different types of couplers on its revenue equipment. There was an adapter used to mate them for shop and equipment moves, never in revenue service.
I believe SEPTA has an adapter that can be used to connect the AAR-style coupler on its diesel road-switchers to the Tomlinson (?) “bullcock” pin-into-cone type coupler that is used on the various SilverLiner MU commuter cars. But that is used only to rescue/ retrieve crippled or broken down units, or maybe moves around the shop - not in general or revenue use.
When European freight locomotives have operated here - such as the Krauss-Maffei diesel-hydraulics on the SP and D&RGW in the mid-1960’s, and the Romanian “Quarter-Horse” diesel switch engine demonstrator in the 1970’s - I believe they were equipped with AAR couplers and air brake systems. But when European (i.e., British) equipment has visited here - such as the LNER 4472 steam locomotive in the late 1960’s - 1970’s - I don’t how that was handled.
But all of this is extremely rare, and essentially a ‘one-of’ operation - no two are alike. More typically, the European equipment is simply loaded up and then carried aboard an American flatcar.
- Paul North.
This photograph shows a EW&S EMD Class 66 locomotive equipped with a Swingnose coupler, this can couple to a knuckle coupler or the European “Hook & Link”. In the photo the knuckle portion is swung out of the way to the locomotives right (your left), exposing the “Hook”
Enlarge the photo to maximum to best view the coupler.
I posted the following in a similar thread in the Model Railroader forum…
"In England, most hauled passenger cars have American style knuckle couplers, but these are fitted three inches higher than the US standard. These knuckle couplers are hinged to drop down, revealing a hook to which a chain link or screw coupler could be fitted.
In Australia US style couplers are used at the USA height. When “Flying Scotsman” came to Australia in 1988-89 I remember thinking that the three inch difference in coupler height looked a bit risky.
In Australia (on standard and broad gauge) the screw and link couplers were used extensively up until about 1939, and since these were at the British height, the chain could be coupled to a cast “bollard” on top the knuckle at the USA height.
There were also knuckle couplers that hinged to the side revealing a hook like those in England.
All these vehicles needed buffers each side as well as the knuckle to allow the screw or chain couplers to be used.
In Russia, the US designed “Willison” coupler is used and this works similarly to a knuckle coupler but has no separate knuckle, rather internal locking pads. Adapters are available to couple these to knuckle type couplers when the vehicles run in China, for example.
In China, the knuckle type coupler had been used almost from the start of railways, but the Chinese used the higher British coupler height, while the Japanese in Korea and Manchuria used the lower USA height. During World War II all the couplers were altered to the Japanese (USA) height."
M636C
I have not been successful in finding a photo of a ‘Janney-style’ coupler knuckle with a split in it to show here. But at one time, IIRC, out on the D&RGW there were couplers used that had split knuckles to accomodate the use of thet coupler with a link and pin coupler on an older car (?).
link: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bljannycoupler.htm
The American style knuckle was a design that goes bak to the Civil War era: “…Janney was a dry goods clerk and former Confederate Army officer from Alexandria, Virginia, who used his lunch hours to whittle from wood an alternative to the link and pin coupler. F. Wilner, Safety: “A great investment,” Railway Age, Mar. 1993, p. 53…”
“…Ezra Miller is generally credited with creating the first semiautomatic coupling device for passenger cars–known as the Miller Hook–but it was never widely used on freight cars…” C. Clark, “Development of the Semiautomatic Freight Car Coupler”, 1863-1893, 13 Technology and Culture 170, 180-182 (1972)…"FTL:'…
FTL:“…The Janney coupler was named after Eli Janney who patented the invention in 1873 (U.S. patent #138,405). The Janney coupler was an improvement in railroad car couplers that became the standard for the railroad freightcar couplers used even today…”
This is a scan from the book “The American Railway” published by Castle 1988, reprinted from articles about 100 years earlier. Note the horizontal slot and the vertical hole through the knuckle to make it compatible with link & pin couplers. ( I love this book.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulofcov/6220304899/in/photostream
I have wondered why the EU has not designated a single automatic coupler yet ( . If the Janey coupler was designated as the preferred one by say ( 10 Yrs ) then all new loco hauled cars would have them and old ones could be retrofitted. The buffers would probably be needed on old cars if the draft gear on retrofitted cars could not be adapted for those loads?
When in the UK in 2001 I was surprized to see several unit coal trains with Janey couplers. The loco had an adapter to pull link equipped cars and buffers as well. So in a way conversion may already been started?
Wonder how many carmen in the EU have suffered injuries coupling the link types?
Thanks, Paul!
That was exactly as I remembered seeing that type of coupling. Appreciate your sharing it!
More information & technical details on these couplers at
https://obts.wikia.com/wiki/RailCar_Couplers#AARx_Couplers
https://obts.wikia.com/wiki/RailCar_Couplers#UICx_Couplers
OBTS
In the good old US Army Transportation Corps at Ft. Eustis, VA we had freight cars with both AAR and European couplers. There were idler cars with one type of coupler on either end to join the two types in a train or cut.
Somewhere in my files I have documentation of a flat car that I saw, with one end equipped with buffers that were hinged and swung down into position when needed.
Found it…the car I saw was CREX 1103. CREX at the time a company that worked with industries around McCook, Illinois, including EMD–having a car like this (and presumably there was another one) made sense for transporting export locomotives.
I don’t know what they did about adapting couplers, though.
In South America some locos also have buffers and swing away american style couplers. Could be Argentina.