How are trains affected by irregular tracks/debris on tracks?

Question

What if one night hooligans screwed with train tracks, or if there was a storm, large branches or trees fell...who checks on miles and miles of tracks to make sure they're in order? Is a train heavy enough to run over tracks with rocks on them or debris?

Answer 1

There is a point where "irresistible force" meets "immovable object", then there is trouble for sure.  Editing...............

Answer 2

Engines have cow catchers on them....kinda like a "plow"....they set about 6 inches off the rail.  If the debris is taller than this, the cow catcher will hit it and will slide it off to the side of the train because of the angle they are sitting at.  Things smaller than this aren't much of concern.  1 engine weighs 222 tons.......and alot of trains have 3 engines and 100 cars that very from around 35 tons to past 150 tons a piece.  There pretty much isn't anything the train can hit that's going to stop it in it's tracks........unless it's another train of equal size.........and by the way........when rocks are ran over.........you couldn't tell if it's flour or not.

Train crews run consistently over the same tracks at all hours of the day pretty much.  So, if a crew notices something wrong in the tracks or a rough spot, etcl....they report it to the dispatcher.  There isn't anyone per se that is constantly patroling the tracks looking for vandalism.  Maintenance guys patrol periodically and when there are reports of defective track or areas.

Answer 3

It depends on what it is. Most trains could cope with things like a small car on the track, but that depends on the train weight and speed. A large slow freight can cope with more than a fast light passenger express, but could have problems if its a truck on the track.  In the right (worst) circumstances a train could derail due to quite small obstructions. Much like road crashes, speed has a big part to play. No simple answer unfortunately.