The SAMS (semi-automatic) link & Pin coupler, used on the F&CC, and many other early NG roads.

http://books.google.com/books?id=NF-sdb ... 311&edge=0

One more SAMS add from "Railway and locomotive engineering: Volume 9 - Page 216";
http://books.google.com/books?id=MnNCAQ ... 607&edge=0

Anyone one know what happened to the archive of this SAMS company?

No idea about any records.

But another road that used the Sams coupler was the narrow gauge Carson & Colorado and maybe the related standard gauge Virginia & Truckee.

The Southern Pacific acquired control of the C&C in 1900 and a few months later a silver strike was made at Tonopah, Nevada. The brought about the "Tonopah boom" that overwhelmed the capacity of the C&C. The SP brought in 300 or more box cars form its South Pacific Coast operation in California that was being standard gauged at the time. These cars were equipped with Sams couplers to be compatable with the existing freight cars. Even with the extra cars the line was unable to handle the transfer of freight and movement of the cars. It was so bad that the papers reported hundreds of cars on sidings on the SP through Nevada waiting to get to the C&C. The SP even had to put out an embargo on the line of all freight except for food, shoes, boots and clothing. So the line north of the Tonopah RR was changed to standard gauge.