Who knows what a coupling stick was and how they were used? [ 29. November 2002, 16:30: Message edited by: Alan Walker ]
Is this a European item? Or something that saw use in the Americas? Or both? I'd guess that it might be used for an application such as uncoupling cars in Europe. I've seen a video where a stick or bar is used to reach in, and using the buffer as a fulcrum, the link is lifted from it's hook. Is this close? Boxcab E50
No one hit the nail directly on the head, but Jim's reply was the closest. Coupling sticks were used with the link and pin couplers in the bad old days of railroading. Specifically, their purpose was to allow the trainman coupling cars to guide the link into the coupler pocket on the car being coupled to without having to stand between the cars while in motion. The stick would have been a rod made of wood or iron measuring roughly three feet long. When coupling freight cars, the trainman stood to the side, most likely supporting the link with the stick. When coupling passenger cars, the trainman stood on the end platform, holding the link with a hook on the end of the coupling stick. It should be noted that by the late 1880's, most railroads had operating rules that required the use of coupling sticks when coupling equipment that had link and pin couplers.
