Shortly after this scale gained popularity, the Kadee Co. developed a more realistic knuckle coupler that could be opened by a magnet placed under the track. The Micro-Trains Line Co. was formed as a separate company from Kadee taking the N scale items in the product line, while Kadee focused on HO scale products. This magnetic knuckle coupler is now the industry standard N scale "upgrade" or premium coupler. The Micro-Trains coupler comes as original equipment on their own brand of rolling stock and can be purchased for after market N scale upgrade of your equipment. Other manufacturers including Accumate (used by Atlas) and Kato also make magnetic knuckle couplers that are compatible with the Micro-Trains coupler.
Within the last year, Bachmann, perhaps the largest manufacturer of entry level and mid level N scale equipment, has introduced a dummy knuckle coupler that is compatible with the existing magnetic knuckle couplers. This coupler, while not capable of being opened by the under track magnet, holds the coupling more reliably and is more realistic in appearance than the Rapido coupler. Bachmann is in the process of changing their N scale line over to these knuckle couplers by installing them on their locomotives and rolling stock, while including a pair of Rapido couplers in the package for modelers that still use that coupler style.
Bachmann dummy knuckle couplers are available, very economically, in bulk packages for conversion of large numbers of rail cars.
The Bachmann dummy knuckle coupler is shown below.