With all the changes in railroading over the last few decades, more and more "railroady" items - such as searchlight signals, marker lamps, switchstands, semaphore signals, and many others - have given way to newer, less pleasing, designs. But one constant in railroading, since it entered wide-spread use is the semi-automatic knuckle coupler. Patented by Eli H. Janney in 1873, these couplers were quickly adopted by almost all North American railroads in a relatively short time - saving untold numbers of fingers on railroad car men! A pair of couplers keeps two passenger cars united as a Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington train speeds along on 24" rails behind 0-4-4 #9, heading to Alna, Maine, on September 11, 2016. Being a passenger train, of course, an extra measure of safety in the form of two chains are also being utilized - and given the age of these couplers, that is most likely a good idea.
