Linkage device for a couplings of railway vehicles, the coupling head of which is connected to a drawbar linked to a steering pivot of the railway vehicle, which drawbar is provided with spring elements sitting on it in order to dampen compressive and tensile force that arise, e.g., when coupling the railway vehicle. The spring elements are fastened to a plate that can be rotated about an axis of rotation of the steering pivot. In this way, they are also deflected when the coupling is deflected so that the compressive and tensile forces acting on the latter also act upon its entire surface evenly, even when the coupling is deflected. The linkage device is also provided with overload protection.