Before 1900, coupling two railroad cars meant standing between them while they were still moving, holding an iron loop steady by hand, and dropping a pin into place at the right moment. Railroaders called the mechanism the widow-maker. In 1888 alone it killed 300 men and injured more than 6,700.
On display in the Center: fourteen links and pins from the personal collection of William “Doc” Habjan… hammer-welded, field-modified, wrought iron and steel, including a rare octagonal pin and an unusual piece from the Baltimore & Ohio. No two alike, because nothing was standardized.