coupling

What type of coupling system isused to join cta subway trains?

All CTA rapid transit trains in service today use a variation of the Ohio Brass Form 5 coupler. This is an automatic tightlock coupler with an automatic electrical coupler (of the "pinbox" type) beneath the mechanical coupling. The mechanical coupler employs a knuckle similar to standard railroad couplers, but uses a slightly different means of locking the knuckle, and also includes a large pin on either side of the knuckle to align the coupler heads with each other (similar to the Tomlinson type coupler).

A fixed drawbar joins the two units of "married pairs."

If you can find a copy of CERA Bulletin 115, "Chicago's Rapid Transit," Vol. II: Rolling Stock/1947-1976, there is an excellent description of Chicago rapid transit couplers through the years on pages 215-222.

MikeF wrote:All CTA rapid transit trains in service today use a variation of the Ohio Brass Form 5 coupler. This is an automatic tightlock coupler with an automatic electrical coupler (of the "pinbox" type) beneath the mechanical coupling. The mechanical coupler employs a knuckle similar to standard railroad couplers, but uses a slightly different means of locking the knuckle, and also includes a large pin on either side of the knuckle to align the coupler heads with each other (similar to the Tomlinson type coupler).

A fixed drawbar joins the two units of "married pairs."

If you can find a copy of CERA Bulletin 115, "Chicago's Rapid Transit," Vol. II: Rolling Stock/1947-1976, there is an excellent description of Chicago rapid transit couplers through the years on pages 215-222.

Does anyone know of a Web-site that shows the various couplers employed by Chicago "L" cars over the years? Any help will be appreciated ....

Off the top of my head,
today - the psuedo-tomlinson coupler discussed above
prior - whatever the 4000 series used (standard coupler?)
originally - link/pin (wooden cars only)

I'm not guaranteeing this answer, but when I was a kid I read George Kramble's CTA at 45 book end to end about 500 times.

The 4000 series used Stearns & Ward couplers, which were an automatic link-and-pin type coupler. (That sounds like an oxymoron, I know.)

Cars before the 4000's had employed several different types of couplers, with the Van Dorn link-and-pin type being most common.

PM or e-mail me if you'd like a scan of the CERA B-115 pages I referred to above.

Was that S&W coupler what CA&E used as well?

Tadman wrote:Was that S&W coupler what CA&E used as well?

Way back when, I believe the CA&E used Van Dorns, but in its later years used Tomlinsons. Freight equipment, of course, had standard knuckle couplers.

Warren's got it right. The CA&E used Van Dorns from the very beginning on its wood cars. The steel cars had Tomlinsons. The Stearns & Ward couplers appear to have only been used on 'L' equipment.

Does any equipment use the WABCO transit-style couplers?

http://www.wabtec.com/main/product.asp? ... rc_2=light