I decided to put together a little animation to show how this common train coupler in Japan works. This variation on the Scharfenberg coupler was developed in the 1930s and remains in heavy use today on many passenger rail cars across Japan.

Edit: YouTube showed this video to 200k people while I was asleep, apparently. Some extra information for FAQ:

(1) All of the pivoting freedom is behind the coupler, under each car. This is different from other styles of couplers. Safer in my opinion.

(2) There is very little force required on the spring or vacuum cylinders to disconnect. Pull one handle and both will move together. It is just enough force to ensure they don't bounce apart on their own.

(3) I am happy to see all the comments in Japanese and Russian and other languages, all debating the value of this coupler and whether or not it reminds them of the Evangelion-themed 500 SERIES EVA shinkansen.

Here's a video demonstrating a real physical model: [ Ссылка ]

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