Automatic knuckle couplers
North American freight equipment commonly uses automatic knuckle couplers that couple when cars are pushed together.
Draft gear
Draft gear behind the coupler helps absorb longitudinal shocks and forces, protecting equipment and reducing impacts through the train.
Slack action
Small amounts of movement between cars accumulate through a long train. As the train starts, stops or changes grade, slack can stretch out or run in.
Safety improvement
Automatic couplers greatly reduced the need for railroad workers to step between moving cars, one of the most dangerous jobs in early railroading.
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