Railroad plough
Rail vehicle used to destroy railroad ties, making tracks unusable / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about equipment used to destroy railroads. For equipment used to remove snow from railroads, see Rotary snowplow.
A railroad plough is a rail vehicle which supports an immensely strong, hook-shaped plough. It is used for destruction of railroad ties in warfare, as part of a scorched earth policy, so that the track becomes unusable for the enemy.
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In use, the plough is lowered to rip up the middle of the track as it is hauled along by a locomotive. This action breaks the wooden ties (sleepers) which forces the steel rails out of alignment, making the line impassable by later rail vehicles.[1] Bridges and signalling equipment also suffer serious damage.