Link and Pin Coupler

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Link and pin couplers were used extensively throughout America before the turn of the century. Their purpose was simple-to join train cars together. Their operation was what we would consider easy, but deceptively so. The engineer would back the train up to the new car to be added, and the switchman would slide the pin through the removable link and the permanently attached coupler.

Though its operation was simple, working with this coupler was a dangerous job for nineteenth century switchmen, whose first mistake could very well be their last. The switchman had to stand between a still railroad car and a moving train. If everything did not go right, he could be seriously injured or killed. In the year of 1888 alone, there were 518 switchmen killed by this method of linking train cars. There were undoubtedly many others who lost fingers, hands, or more.