Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The coupling mechanism between two freight cars. The knuckles make the connection
and the drawbars provide the slack that allows a locomotive to move a freight train's
massive weight.
Photo courtesy of the author
Coupling
The coupling device that joins one car to another has two princi-
pal features: a drawbar and a knuckle on the end of that drawbar.
The drawbar is attached to the car's frame and is constructed so it
will slide forward or backward some five or six inches to provide
slack. The knuckle looks like a cupped hand that grips and locks
with the knuckle on the other car. The cars are also connected
by hoses to provide air pressure for the braking system and by
cables to carry electricity from the locomotive throughout the
train. The knuckles hook together automatically when two cars
are pushed firmly together, but the complete coupling process
requires a railroad worker to manually connect the air hoses and
electric cables. When
uncoupling
cars, the worker simply releases
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