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The Scharfenberg coupler (, abbreviated ''Schaku'') is a commonly used type of fully automatic
railway coupling A coupling or coupler is a mechanism, typically located at each end of a rolling stock, rail vehicle, that connects them together to form a train. The equipment that connects the couplers to the vehicles is the draft gear or draw gear, which m ...
. Designed in 1903 by Karl Scharfenberg in
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
, Germany (today
Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...
, Russia), the coupler has gradually spread from transit trains to regular passenger service trains, although outside Europe its use is generally restricted to mass transit systems. The ''Schaku'' is superior in many ways to the AAR (Janney/knuckle) coupler because it also automates electrical and pneumatic connections and disconnections. However, there is no standard for the placement of these electro-pneumatic connections. Some rail operators have placed them on the sides while others have placed them either below or above the mechanical portion of the coupler.


Scharfenberg as a technical design principle and brand name

Scharfenberg and the abbreviation Schaku are registered trademarks of Voith Patent GmbH. For this reason, only couplings from
Voith The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith trades in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport. Founded in 1867, Voith today has aroun ...
can use this name. The associated coupling principle is also referred to as latch type design. It is not protected by a patent and is used with fully compatible couplers from manufacturers such as
Dellner Dellner Couplers AB is a Swedish original equipment manufacturer of train connection systems such as couplers, gangway systems and dampers. The headquarter of the company is in Vika in the Falun Municipality. The company operates 17 subsidi ...
or
Wabtec Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, commonly known as Wabtec, is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower in 1999. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wab ...
.


Working principles

The face of the Scharfenberg coupler has a protruding cone and a matching cup. Inside the cone there is a rigid metal hoop connected to a revolving, spring-loaded metal disk with a notch on the opposite side. When ready to couple, the spring turns the disk so the hoop is extended from the cone. As the cars meet, the hoop enters the cup on the other coupler, stopping against the disk. The hoops are then pressed back into their own coupler, causing the disks to rotate until the notches align with the hoops. After the hoops have entered, the notches on the disks spring back into the hoop extended position, locking the coupling. In the coupled position, forces on the hoops and disk will balance out, which means that the Scharfenberg, unlike many other couplers, is not dependent on heavy latches to stay locked. Small air cylinders, acting on the rotating heads of the coupler, ensure the engagement of the components, making it unnecessary to use force to get a good coupling. Joining portions of a passenger train can be done at very low speed (less than in the final approach), so that the passengers are not jolted. One problem with the coupler is that it is often hard to connect it in a curve. Planned coupling is normally done on a straight flat track, while there has been trouble coupling a broken down train at an unplanned place. File:Scharfenberg 09.tif, Layout of a Scharfenberg coupler (Labels in German) File:Scharfenberg 03.tif, Coupling process of a Scharfenberg coupler (Labels in German) File:Scharfenberg 05.tif, Uncoupling process of a Scharfenberg coupler (Labels in German)


Uses

Rail equipment manufacturers such as
Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
offer the ''Schaku'' as an option on their mass transit passenger cars and locomotives. Presently, Scharfenberg couplers are in use on the following passenger transit systems:


Australia

* Victoria -
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
( VLocity 160, Sprinter),
Metro Trains Melbourne Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the operator and brand name of train services on the electrified metropolitan rail network serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest urban rail network in Au ...
( Comeng,
Siemens Nexas The Siemens Nexas is a class of electric multiple units manufactured by Siemens Transportation Systems for the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia between 2002 and 2005. The design of the trains was based on the Siemens Modular ...
,
X'Trapolis 100 The X'Trapolis 100 is a class of single deck electric multiple units part of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, operated in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Valparaíso, Chile. Melbourne In service As a partner of the Melbourne Tr ...
lso used in Chile *
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
-
Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of Railways in Sydney, suburban and intercity train services in and around Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The metropolitan part of the network is a hybrid urban rail, urban-suburban r ...
( T, M, A & B sets) * New South Wales -
NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...
( Endeavour railcar and Xplorer) * Western Australia -
Transperth Transperth is the public transport system for Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation, and consists of train, bus and ferry services. Bus operat ...
( A-series, B-series train) * South Australia -
Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal system offering an integrated network of Buses in Adelaide, bus, Glenelg tram, ...
(
3000 class railcar The 3000 class and 3100 class are a class of diesel railcars that operate on the Railways in Adelaide, Adelaide rail network. Built by Commonwealth Engineering, Comeng and Clyde Engineering between 1987 and 1996, they entered service under the ...
) * Queensland -
Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both Commuter rail, suburban and Regional rail, interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well ...
(
EMU The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
,
ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
, SMU, IMU, NGR)


Brazil

*
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
-
Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos The Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) () is one of the rapid transit companies serving the city of São Paulo, alongside the São Paulo Metro, Via Quatro and Via Mobilidade, all four forming the largest metropolitan rail transpo ...
(All vehicles, except
1700 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 19), where the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 11 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 17) ...
and 5400 series) *
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
-
Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo (CMSP) is a mixed economy company based in São Paulo, Brazil. The majority of its assets are owned by the São Paulo state government. Established by the City of São Paulo on April 24, 1968, the company ...
(Type F, M and P vehicles) * Salvador - CCR Metrô Bahia


Canada

*
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
- Metro *
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
- SkyTrain *
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
-
Scarborough RT Line 3 Scarborough, originally known as Scarborough RT (the SRT), was a medium-capacity rapid transit line that was part of the Toronto subway system of the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The line ran entirely within ...


Europe

*
Thalys Thalys (French: ) was a brand name used for high-speed rail, high-speed train services between Paris Gare du Nord and both Amsterdam Centraal and German cities in the Rhein-Ruhr, including Aachen, Köln Hauptbahnhof, Cologne, Düsseldorf Hauptba ...
*
TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
– All French high-speed trains are equipped with Scharfenberg type 10 couplers. *
ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
– All German high-speed trains are equipped with Scharfenberg type 10 couplers. * Many regional train EMUs and DMUs in Europe * Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn - Almost all German light-rail and streetcar systems use Scharfenberg couplers. * SBB Cargo – In 2019, the Swiss freight operator introduced cargo wagons with
Voith The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith trades in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport. Founded in 1867, Voith today has aroun ...
CargoFlex, an extension of Scharfenberg type 10 couplers. *
Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (), sometimes referred to by the Portmanteau, portmanteau Chunnel, is a undersea railway tunnel, opened in 1994, that connects Folkestone (Kent, England) with Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais, France) beneath the English Channel at ...
- Eurotunnel Le Shuttle * Narrow-gauge railways in Saxony, Germany


Spain

*
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
commuter, regional and high speed trainsets and multiple units * Talgo III trainsets (now retired) *
Euskotren Euskotren, formally known as Basque Railways (, ), is a public railway company controlled by the Basque Government and officially established in 1982 to operate several narrow gauge railways inside the autonomous community of the Basque Coun ...
EMUs * FGV trainsets *
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and
Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
metros (some are used only if a train needs to be towed) *
CAF Urbos The CAF Urbos is a family of trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles built by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, CAF. The Spain, Spanish manufacturer CAF previously made locomotives, passenger cars, regional, and underground trains. In ...
trams (towing only, some adapted with electric connections) *
Iryo Iryo is the brand of ''Intermodalidad de Levante S.A.'' (ILSA), a private high-speed rail operator in Spain. The company is jointly owned by the Italian state-owned railway company Trenitalia (51%), the Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum (25%), ...
and
Ouigo Ouigo () is a low-cost service range of both conventional and high-speed trains run by SNCF in France, and also to Belgium in cooperation with National Railway Company of Belgium, NMBS/SNCB. The literal translation of ''Ouigo'' from French to En ...
high speed trainsets *
Feve Renfe Cercanías AM, formerly known as Renfe Feve, is a division of state-owned Spanish railway company Renfe Operadora. It operates most of Spain's of metre-gauge railway. This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named F ...
(now renfe) electric and diesel multiple units


United Kingdom

* Class 175 Alstom "Coradia" * Class 180 Alstom "Adelante", used on Grand Central * Class 185 Siemens "Desiro", operated by
TransPennine Express TransPennine Trains Limited, trading as TransPennine Express (TPE), is a British train operating company that has operated passenger services in the TransPennine Express franchise area since May 2023. It runs regional and inter-city rail ser ...
. * Class 332 * Class 333 * Some UK
Hitachi A-train The Hitachi A-train is a family of rail rolling stock built and designed by Hitachi Rail using a common base and construction techniques. The stock is designed to facilitate a number of product life-cycle improvements including ease of manufacture ...
AT300 including the Class 395 Javelin AT300, Class 801 Azuma AT300, and Class 802 IET/Nova 1/Paragon AT300, Class 803 AT300, and the under construction/in testing Class 805 AT300, Class 807 AT300, Class 810 Aurora AT300. *
Bombardier M5000 The Bombardier M5000 is a model of high-floor passenger light rail vehicles. It is part of the Flexity Swift range of vehicles, built specifically as a high-floor, articulated bi-directional tram to operate solely on the Manchester Metrolink sy ...
* London Underground 2009 Stock * Glasgow Subway 3rd Generation Rolling Stock


Indonesia

* Soekarno–Hatta Airport Skytrain * Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail


New Zealand

* Auckland - AM class * Wellington - FP/FT class


Philippines

* Metro Manila MRT Line 3 Class 3000 and Class 3100


Saudi Arabia

* Haramain High Speed Train - Talgo 350 train


Singapore

* Mass Rapid Transit


Taiwan

*
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
-
Taipei Metro Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan. It was the first rapi ...
(Matra VAL 256 and Bombardier Innovia APM 256) *
New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...
-
New Taipei Metro New Taipei Metro () is a transit system serving New Taipei City, New Taipei, Taiwan, operated by . The Danhai light rail, Ankeng light rail, and Circular line (New Taipei Metro), Circular line are currently in operation, while the Sanying line i ...
(Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro ( 4-car and 2-car)) * Taoyuan - Taoyuan Airport MRT (
Commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
and
Express Express, The Expresss or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * ''The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid * The Expre ...
) *
Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Ce ...
-
Taichung Metro The Taichung MRT (TMRT; also called Taichung Mass Rapid Transit or Taichung Metro) is a Medium-capacity rail system, medium-capacity rapid transit system in Taichung, Taiwan. Taichung MRT's first route, the Green Line (Taichung Metro), Green Li ...
( Kawasaki/TRSC EMU) *
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...
-
Kaohsiung Metro Kaohsiung Metro () is a rapid transit and light rail system covering the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Its rapid transit network is known as Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System or Kaohsiung Rapid Transit (KRT). Construction of the MRT ...
( Siemens Modular Metro)


Thailand

*
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
- BTS Skytrain, MRT,
Airport Rail Link An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport between an airport and a nearby city. Direct links operate straight from the airport terminal to the city, while other links require an intermediate use of a people mover or ...
and
SRT Red Lines The Red Line Mass Transit System Project is a commuter rail system serving the Bangkok Metropolitan Region in Thailand. Construction began in January 2009, and free public trial operation began on 2 August 2021, when Bang Sue Grand Station opene ...


United States

*
Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
- CapMetro Redline (
Stadler GTW The Stadler GTW (, ) is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. History The Biel–Täuffelen–Ins-Bahn near Bern, Switzerland was looking for a lighter train model to replace its aging fleet, so tha ...
) *
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
-
Baltimore Light RailLink The Baltimore Light RailLink (formerly Baltimore Light Rail, also known simply as the "Light Rail") is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and its northern and southern suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transi ...
(New light rail vehicles) * Buffalo -
Buffalo Metro Rail Buffalo Metro Rail is the public transit rail system in Buffalo, New York, operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). The system consists of a single, light rail line that runs for most of the length of Main Street (New ...
*
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
- Caltrans Division of Rail (Stadler FLIRT H2 State Owned Fleet) *
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
- RTD Bus & Rail (New light rail vehicles) *
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
- DART Silverline (Stadler FLIRT DMU) *
Denton County Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the seventh-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was esta ...
- DCTA A-Train (Stadler GTW DMU) *
Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
- Trinity Metro TEXRail (Stadler FLIRT DMU) *
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
- METRO (Light rail vehicles) *
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
-
New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...
(New light rail vehicles & Stadler GTW DMU) *
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
- HRT (Light rail vehicles) *
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
-
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
(
Avelia Liberty Avelia Liberty, also known as NextGen Acela and Acela II, is a tilting high-speed passenger trainset built for the North American market by French manufacturer Alstom and assembled in the United States. Amtrak has ordered 28 train sets for u ...
) *
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
- TMTC (Light rail vehicles) *
San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...
- Metrolink Arrow Service (Stadler FLIRT DMU & FLIRT H2) *
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
-
BART Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...
(New Type D and E vehicles and Stadler FLIRT GTW) *
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
-
Muni Metro Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, United States. Operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), a part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Muni's light rail lines saw an aver ...
(New Type 4 vehicles) *
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
-
Caltrain Caltrain (reporting mark JPBX) is a commuter rail line in California, serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The southern terminus is in San Jose, California, San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday r ...
(
Stadler KISS The Stadler KISS is a family of bilevel rail car, bilevel electric multiple unit commuter trains developed and built since 2008 by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. As of 2016, 242 KISS trainsets comprising 1,145 cars have been sold to operators in el ...
) *
San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...
( NCTD Sprinter hybrid rail)


Types

Coupler heads for passenger trains that work according to the Scharfenberg principles: * Type 10: Used for mainline railways and high speed rail applications * Type 12: For regional, intercity and high-speed trains, as well as underground railways * Type 35: Designed for rolling stock without a compressed air system and used for urban transit applications * Type 330: Used for trams and
light rail transit Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
* Type 430/530: A folding coupler designed for
low-floor tram A low-floor tram is a tram that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. The low-floor design improves the accessibility of the tram for the public, and also may provide larger windows and more airspace. ...
s and
monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...
s * Type 55: Designed for shunting purposes * Type 140: Designed for
industrial railway An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British r ...
s * CargoFlex: For freight trains, based on the type 10 Scharfenberg coupler head Couplers for freight trains based on the Scharfenberg principles: * Digital automatic coupler for freight trains, based on the Scharfenberg coupler head Type 10. * Hybrid digital automatic coupler for locomotives, based on the Scharfenberg coupler head type 10. The coupler can be used with both automatic and screw couplings.


See also

*
Janney coupler Knuckle couplers are a semi-automatic form of railway coupling that allow rail cars and locomotives to be securely linked together without rail workers having to get between the vehicles. Originally known as Janney couplers (the original patent n ...
* Draft gear * Railway coupling by country


References


External links

*
Scharfenberg coupler animation
{{Authority control Couplers