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A railroad plough is a
A similar device, which ripped the rail off the ties, had been used by railway troops of the Imperial Russian Army in World War I, during their retreat from Galicia and ''Pre-war fortification of Czechoslovakia in Czech Switzerland''
(entry for 24 September 1938) (Retrieved: 15 November 2007) and by German ''
Schwellenpflug, the rail wolf used by Germans in retreat.Photos of "rail wolf" in action and resultant damageVideo of German soldiers using a rail plough.
Andrew Grantham's blog
Military railway equipment Area denial weapons Ploughs Railway weapons
A railroad plough is a rail vehicle
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can be ...
which supports an immensely strong, hook-shaped plough. It is used for destruction of sleepers
''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin H ...
in warfare, as part of a scorched earth policy, so that the track becomes unusable for the enemy.
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. Bridges and signalling equipment also suffer serious damage.
Deployment
A similar device, which ripped the rail off the ties, had been used by railway troops of the Imperial Russian Army in World War I, during their retreat from Galicia and Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. Railroad ploughs were in use by the Czechoslovak Army during the German occupation in 1938,(entry for 24 September 1938) (Retrieved: 15 November 2007) and by German ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
'' armed forces retreating northward through Italy and westward from the Eastern Front in World War II.
The German author Arno Schmidt (1914–1979) in his post-war novel ''Leviathan'' uses the image of a railroad plough as a symbol of evil.
Surviving vehicles
See also
*Sherman's neckties
Sherman's neckties were a railway-destruction tactic used in the American Civil War. Named after Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army, Sherman's neckties were railway rails destroyed by heating them until they were malleable and ...
– A railway destruction tactic used in the American Civil War by the Union to prevent the Confederacy from using the tracks by making them difficult to repair.
* Nero Decree
The Nero Decree (german: Nerobefehl) was issued by Adolf Hitler on 19 March 1945, ordering the destruction of German infrastructure to prevent its use by Allied forces as they penetrated deep within Germany. It was officially titled Decree Con ...
– Hitler's unfulfilled plan to destroy German infrastructure, during retreat, to avoid it being used by the Allied forces
References
External links
{{Commons category, Railroad ploughsSchwellenpflug, the rail wolf used by Germans in retreat.
Andrew Grantham's blog
Military railway equipment Area denial weapons Ploughs Railway weapons