Railway coupling by country
The railcar couplers or couplings listed, described, and depicted below are used worldwide on legacy and modern railways. Compatible and similar designs are frequently referred to using widely differing make, brand, regional or nick names, which can make describing standard or typical designs confusing. Dimensions and ratings noted in these articles are usually of nominal or typical components and systems, though standards and practices also vary widely with railway, region, and era. Transition between incompatible coupler types may be accomplished using Dual or Compromise couplings or a Barrier wagon.
Coupler types
- ABC, also known as AutoBuffContact coupler
- Albert coupler
- Bell+Hook coupler
- BSI, also known as BergischeStahlIndustrie coupler
- Buffers+Chain, also known as British, Buffers+Screw, English, EU, Link+Hook, UIC, UK coupler
- CenterBuffer+Chains coupler
- GF coupler
- Henricot coupler
- H2C coupler
- Janney, also known as AAR, APT, ARA, CB, CenterBuffer, Knuckle, MCB, TightLock, coupler
- JohnstonLink+Pin coupler
- Link+Pin coupler
- Miller coupler
- Norwegian, also known as Chopper, Jones coupler
- Pin+Cup coupler
- SA-3, also known as SovietAuto-3, AK69e, CA-3, CоветскаяАвто-3, Russian, Willison coupler
- Scharfenberg, also known as Dellner, SchaKu, Voith coupler
- Shibata coupler
- Ward coupler
- WedgeLock, also known as London, Tube coupler
Africa
Algeria
- English, Russian couplers on track
- English couplers on gauge track
Angola
- AAR couplers
Botswana
- AAR Couplers
Benin
- CBC couplers
Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire
- English couplers
Cameroon
- Russian couplers
Congo~Brazzaville
- SA3 coupler
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Egypt
- English couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on modern stock
Eritrea
- CBC couplers
Ethiopia
- AAR couplers
Gabon
- Russian couplers
Ghana
- Norwegian couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on modern stock
Kenya
- AAR and Norwegian couplers on Narrow Gauge railways
- AAR Alliance couplers on Standard Gauge railways
Liberia (Bong)
- Link and pin couplers
Malawi
- AAR couplers
Mali
- like [|Senegal]
Mauritania
- AAR couplers
- Russian couplers
Morocco
- English couplers
Mozambique
- AAR couplers
Nigeria
- AAR couplers on modern 1m435 Standard Gauge railways
- ABC couplers on legacy 1m067 Narrow Gauge railways
- ABC couplers on legacy 0m762 Narrow Gauge railways
Senegal
- English couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Norwegian couplers on Indian Stock
South Africa
- Buffers-and-chain from 1859 to 1873.
- Johnston link-and-pin from 1873 to 1927 on Cape gauge, from 1906 on narrow gauge in Natal.
- Bell-and-hook from 1902 on narrow gauge in the Cape of Good Hope.
- AAR knuckle wide use from 1927 on Cape gauge. The first application of these couplers in what is now South Africa was in 1904 by the ultra-progressive Central South African Railways on their rolling stock for the "Limited Expresses" between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
- Willison from 1973 on narrow gauge in the Cape Province.
- WABCO N-Type from 1984 on 6M EMU rolling stock. Also used on class 8M EMU rolling stock built from 1988.
- Scharfenberg from 2012 on Gautrain, from 2016 on new PRASA EM01 commuter stock.
Sudan
- AAR couplers
Tanzania
- Norwegian couplers on gauge track
- AAR couplers on gauge track
- AAR couplers on gauge track.
Togo
- Center buffer and side chain couplers
- Norwegian couplers on Indian Stock
Tunisia
- English couplers
Uganda
- narrow gauge : Norwegian.
- standard gauge : alliance.
Asia
Bangladesh
- AAR couplers on Stock
- Norwegian couplers on Stock
Cambodia
- English couplers
China
- AAR couplers on passenger and freight stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on high speed and subway trains
Hong Kong
- BSI couplers on MTR passenger units
- Tightlock couplers on ex-KCR passenger units
- Dellner couplers on light rail stock
- AAR couplers on freight stock
India
- English couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on modern stock
- Norwegian couplers on gauge track
- ABC couplers on narrow gauge stock
- Schaku Couplers in Suburban EMU and DEMU trains
- Scharfenberg Couplers are also used in rapid transit transports like metros
Indonesia
- Norwegian couplers on traditional stock
- AAR couplers and Shibata couplers on modern stock
Iran
- English, Russian combo couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
Iraq
- English couplers on historic stock
- English, Russian combo couplers on modern stockJane's World Railways 1969/1970 pp 594/595
Israel
- English couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
Japan
- English couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Shibata couplers on passenger stock
North Korea
- AAR couplers on standard gauge stock
- Reduced-size Janney couplers on narrow gauge stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on Pyongyang Metro stock
South Korea
- English, link and pin couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on modern stock
- Shibata couplers on Subways and metro car
Malaysia
- Norwegian couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on modern stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on ERL, LRT, MRT and Monorail.
Pakistan
- English couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on modern stock
Russia
- Russian couplers on domestic stock
- English couplers on Euro Stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on some passenger unit trains and on all subway systems
Singapore
- Scharfenberg couplers for the Mass Rapid Transit
Sri Lanka
- 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.
Turkey
- English couplers on traditional stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
- Russian couplers on mining stock
Vietnam
- AAR couplers on both and rolling stock
Europe
Austria
- English couplers on standard gauge stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger units
- Bosna or Scharfenberg couplers on narrow gauge stock
Belgium
- GF on most multiple units
- Henricot couplers on some EMU's
- English couplers on locomotives, passenger carriages and goods waggons
- Scharfenberg couplers on high speed trains
Finland
- English 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" or "Vapiti" couplers on the majority of locomotives; compatible with SA3 and English center hook
- Scharfenberg couplers on multiple unit passenger stock
France
- English couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
- Russian couplers on unit ore trains
Germany
- 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
Greece
- English on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg on passenger stock
- Center buffer and side chains on narrow gauge stock
Hungary
- English on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg on multiple units
- BSI with side buffers on BDVmot electric multiple units
- Link-and-pin on narrow gauge stock
Italy
- 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
Norway
- English couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Norwegian couplers on historic stock, narrow gauge only
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
- Russian SA3 couplers on unit ore trains
Poland
- English couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
- Russian couplers on unit ore trains and Russian interchange stock
Portugal
- English couplers on freight and loco hauled passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on multiple unit passenger stock
Romania
- English on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg on Desiro multiple units and some ex-German rail buses
- Link-and-pin on narrow gauge stock
Russia
- Russian SA3 couplers on domestic stock
- English couplers on Euro Stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on some passenger unit trains and on all subway systems
Spain
- English couplers on freight and loco hauled passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on multiple unit passenger stock
- Alliance couplers on freight stock in narrow gauge
- BSI couplers on multiple unit passenger stock
Sweden
- English couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
- Russian couplers on iron ore trains
- Variant of Norwegian couplers on historic 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
Ukraine
- Russian 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
United Kingdom
- 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 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 rd size Janney/Buckeye coupler
- Wedgelock, Ward couplers on London Underground stock
- Narrow gauge lines use a mixture of couplings
North America
Canada
- AAR couplers on traditional stock
- Scharfenberg, Wedge Lock, H2C couplers on transit stock
Mexico
- AAR couplers on traditional stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
United States
- 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 City Subway rolling 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
Oceania
Australia
- English, Norwegian couplers on historic stock
- AAR couplers on freight and passenger stock
- Scharfenberg couplers on passenger stock
New Zealand
- Norwegian couplers on legacy stock
- Janney couplers on modern freight & locomotives
- Scharfenberg couplers on modern EMUs
South America
Argentina
- English couplers on and on
- AAR couplers on at least some Buenos Aires passenger equipment
- AAR couplers on
Brazil
- AAR couplersJane's World Railways 1969/1970 pp 501 thru 504
Chile
- AAR couplers
- English couplers in coaches and locomotives bought from Spain
- Scharfemberg couplers in passenger units bought from Spain
Paraguay
- English couplers
Uruguay
- English couplers