Listed below are railway couplers as used on historic and modern industrial, mainline, mining, narrow gauge, plantation and transit railways.
Couplers are often known by more than one name. Compromise couplers or cars are used to transition between coupler types.
AAR couplers, also known as American, Alliance, Buckeye, Janney or Knuckle
Albert couplers
ABC (Automatic Buffing Contact) couplers
Bell-and-hook couplers
BSI (Bergische Stahl Industrie) couplers
CB (Center Buffer) couplers
Center-buffer-and-chain(s) couplers
English couplers, also known as British, Euro, Screw+Buffers, Chain+Buffers, UIC.
GF couplers
H2C couplers
Johnston link-and-pin couplers
Link and Pin couplers
Miller couplers
Norwegian ('meatchopper') couplers
Pin and Cup couplers
Russian couplers, also known as Willison or SA3. Variants include the Unicoupler/AK69e and C-AKv.
Scharfenberg couplers
Ward couplers
Wedge Lock couplers, also known as London.
Willison couplers
English, Russian couplers on 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge track
English couplers on 1,055 mm (3 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge track
AAR couplers
CBC couplers
English couplers
Russian couplers
SA3 coupler
English couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on modern stock
CBC couplers
AAR couplers
Russian couplers
Norwegian couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on modern stock
Link and pin couplers
AAR couplers
like Senegal
AAR couplers
English couplers
AAR couplers
AAR couplers
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Norwegian couplers on Indian Stock
Buffers-and-chain from 1859 to 1873.
Johnston link-and-pin from 1873 to 1927 on Cape gauge, from 1906 on 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge in Natal.
Bell-and-hook from 1902 on 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge in the Cape of Good Hope.
AAR knuckle from 1927 on Cape gauge.
Willison from 1973 on 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge in the Cape Province.
Scharfenberg from 2012 on Gautrain, from 2016 on new PRASA commuter stock.
AAR couplers
AAR couplers on 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge track
Norwegian couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge track
Center buffer and side chain couplers
Norwegian couplers on Indian Stock
English couplers
AAR couplers on 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Stock
Norwegian couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) Stock
English couplers
AAR couplers on passenger and freight stock
Scharfenberg couplers on high speed (CRH) and subway trains
BSI couplers on MTR passenger units
Tightlock couplers on ex-KCR passenger units
Dellner couplers on light rail stock
AAR couplers on freight stock
English couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on modern stock
Norwegian couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge track
ABC couplers on narrow gauge stock
Scharfenberg Couplers on Mass Transit systems (EMU/DEMU)
Norwegian couplers on traditional stock
AAR couplers and Shibata couplers on modern stock
English, Russian (C-AKv) combo couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
English couplers on historic stock
English, Russian (C-AKv) combo couplers on modern stock
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
English couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on freight and passenger stock
Shibata couplers (based on Scharfenberg couplers) on passenger stock
Norwegian couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on modern stock
Scharfenberg couplers on ERL, LRT, MRT and Monorail.
Russian couplers on domestic stock (with side buffers on passenger coaches)
English couplers on Euro Stock (exchanged on the border)
Scharfenberg couplers on some passenger unit trains (Velaro, Desiro)
English, link and pin couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on modern stock
Shibata couplers (based on Scharfenberg couplers) on Subways and metro car
Buffers and AAR couplers
Thailand
AAR couplers on all SRT rolling stock
Norwegian couplers on historic stock
Scharfenberg couplers on mass-transit trains
Wedge Lock, Ward couplers on London Underground stock
Narrow gauge lines use a mixture of couplings.
AAR couplers on both 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) rolling stock
English, Norwegian couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
New Zealand
English, Norwegian couplers on historic stock
AAR couplers on modern stock
Scharfenberg on EMU classes (AM, FP classes)
English couplers on standard gauge stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger units
Bosna or Scharfenberg couplers on narrow gauge stock
Finland
English (UIC) couplers on passenger cars and most freight cars and on historical locomotives
Russian SA3 couplers on Russian cars and some heavy-duty freight cars
"Unilink" (SA3 clone with UIC-style screw link) or "Vapiti" (SA3 clone with movable link arm for English couplers) couplers on the majority of locomotives; compatible with SA3 and English (UIC) center hook
Scharfenberg (some made by Dellner) couplers or Secheron GF couplers on passenger multiple-unit stock
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock (multiple units and high speed trains only)
Russian couplers on unit ore trains
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
AK69e and C-AKv couplers on unit ore trains
AK69e and Russian SA-3 mixed in trains via Mukran ferry terminal
Scharfenberg or central buffer couplers on narrow gauge stock
English on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg on passenger stock
Center buffer and side chains on narrow gauge stock
English on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg on multiple units (in some cases jointly with side buffers)
BSI with side buffers on BDVmot electric multiple units
Link-and-pin on narrow gauge stock
English couplers on standard gauge stock
Scharfenberg couplers on some EMU/DMU and FS Class E.464
Netherlands
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
BSI, Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
Russian couplers on unit ore trains
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Norwegian couplers on historic stock, narrow gauge only
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock (multiple units)
Russian SA3 couplers on unit ore trains (Ofoten Line)
Poland
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
Russian couplers on unit ore trains and Russian interchange stock
English on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg on Desiro multiple units and some ex-German rail buses
Link-and-pin on narrow gauge stock
Russian couplers on domestic stock (with side buffers on passenger coaches)
English couplers on Euro Stock (exchanged on the border)
Scharfenberg couplers on some passenger unit trains (Velaro, Desiro)
English couplers on freight and loco hauled passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on multiple unit passenger stock
English couplers on freight and passenger stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
Russian couplers on iron ore trains (Iron Ore Line)
Variant of Norwegian couplers on historic (museum) narrow-gauge stock
Switzerland
English couplers on standard gauge stock
GFV, Schwab, Scharfenberg or BSI couplers on passenger units
AK69e couplers within BLS EW III sets
GF, GFV or center buffer couplers on meter and narrow gauge stock
English couplers on traditional stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
Russian couplers on mining stock
Russian (SA3) couplers on broad gauge rolling stock
Combined Russian/English couplers on SUW2000 gauge-changing coaches
Scharfenberg couplers on some EMU trains
Central buffer and chain couplers on narrow gauge rolling stock
BSI couplers on most diesel multiple unit types, but also Dellner and Scharfenberg on some more recent types
AAR Type H "Tightlock" coupling heads on 1970s to 1990s electric multiple units
Scharfenberg-type coupling heads (often Dellner) on most new electric multiple units, with a variety of electrical connection systems
English couplings, AAR couplers on some freight stock, most locomotive-hauled passenger stock has a 2⁄3rd size Janney/Buckeye coupler
Wedgelock, Ward couplers on London Underground stock
Narrow gauge lines use a mixture of couplings
AAR couplers on traditional stock
Scharfenberg, Wedge Lock, H2C couplers on transit stock
AAR couplers on traditional stock
Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
AAR couplers on mainline freight and passenger stock
Link Pin, Miller couplers on historic stock. Converted to AAR couplers 1893~1900 per Safety Appliance Act
Older city systems have unique coupler designs for transit stock, e.g. H2C couplers on New York Subway revenue stock
Scharfenberg couplers on newer light rail and transit systems
Pin Cup coupler on multiple unit transit stock
Russian couplers on industrial and mining Stock
English couplers on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) and on 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
AAR couplers on at least some Buenos Aires passenger equipment (observed 1997)
AAR couplers on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge
AAR couplers
AAR couplers
English couplers in coaches and locomotives bought from Spain
Scharfemberg couplers in passenger units bought from Spain
English couplers
English couplers
Railway coupling by country Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA