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The Janney Coupler is a semi-automatic Railway coupler. The earliest commercially successful version of the Knuckle Coupler, it was patented by Eli H. Janney in 1873 ().〔(Eli Janney — The Janney Coupler )〕 In the United Kingdom, where it is fitted to some rolling stock, mostly for passenger trains, it is also known as a "Buckeye Coupler", possibly originating from the coupler's manufacture as early as 1890 by the Buckeye Steel Castings firm in Columbus, Ohio. The AAR/APTA Type E, Type F, and Type H tightlock couplers are all compatible Knuckle couplers, but are employed on specific types rail cars (general freight, tank cars, rotary hoppers, passenger, etc.). Early knuckle couplers using a variety of proprietary head designs, but all using the most up to date MCB contour when cast, were the MCB, Janney (later version), Tower, Sharon, Climax, Gould, Burns, Miller, and as many as 100 others. Prior to the formation of the AAR (Association of American Railroads) these were known as ''MCB Couplers'' (Master Car Builders Association).〔(MCB )〕 After 1910 the MCB reconstituted itself into the AAR. In 1913 the American Steel Foundries (ASF) had developed the new Type "D" coupler that was accepted as ''the'' standard coupler for the USA, and no new equipment could be built using any other coupler. This standard design ended the market for couplers with a proprietary head design, which were common in the MCB days, to all but those exported from the USA to other countries not governed by the AAR standards. The Alliance coupler, named after the ASF-owned foundry in Alliance, Ohio, was developed as a lighter build than the AAR Type "D" coupler, and was marketed by the Amsted Corporation, the parent corporation of ASF, as the "Standard Coupler for the World". It was and is still the most used knuckle coupler in the world. The modern Alliance coupler still uses the modern AAR-10 and/or -10A contour, as well as others, but cannot be used in the USA on an "interchanging" railway. Brand names of the now standard AAR Type "E", "F" and "Tightlock" couplers are ASF, Buckeye (now known as Columbus Castings), and McConway & Torley.〔(McConway & Torley Group )〕 The Interlocking contour of knuckle couplers was the first aspect to be standardized. In the MCB years, prior to about 1910, and as early as the first Janney in 1873, there were many proprietary "head" designs, and many MCB standard contours, which were constantly evolving and changing (as the approved standard contour for new couplers) every few years. In about 1910 the producers were all using the then standardized MCB-10 contour, soon to become the AAR-10. In the 1930s the AAR Type "D" was improved and became the Type "E"; the contour, however, stayed the same. A few years later the 10 contour was modified into a then optional standard called the 10A contour. The most modern contour, for a plain Type "E" knuckle coupler, is still the AAR-10 and -10A, which are indistinguishable from the 1910 era MCB-10 contour. The same MCB-10 contour has been an approved standard for interchange service for over 100 years, with only the slightest dimensional changes. The Type "H" "Tightlock" couplers, which are used on passenger-carrying rolling stock, also use slight revisions to the old 10A contour. ==Purpose== The purpose of couplers is to join rail cars or locomotives to each other so they all are securely linked together. Major Eli Janney, a Confederate veteran of the Civil War, invented the semi-automatic knuckle coupler in 1868. It automatically locks the couplers on cars or locomotives together without a rail worker having to get between the cars, and replaced the "link and pin" coupler, which was a major cause of injuries to railroad workers. The locking pin that ensures Janney couplers remain fastened together is withdrawn manually by a worker using the "cut lever", which is operated from either side of the railroad car and does not require the person to go between the cars. The only time the worker has to go between cars is after they have been securely coupled, to hook up the air lines for the pneumatic brakes, and the head end power cables in the case of passenger cars. Janney couplers are usually attached to draw gear but sometimes, in the case of locomotives, the Type "E" is bolted directly on the headstock. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Janney coupler」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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