• ZapBeebz_@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        True, however I have to assume that fuel tanks tend to be lower on the locomotives (and therefore nearer the tracks), so as long as the explosive is high enough energy to set off the fuel, it’ll do a lot of the work for you. As will momentum, because all the explosive has to do is damage the tracks and jostle the engine, and the length of cars behind will keep on moving, go of the rails, and slam into the fireball.

        • oberstoffensichtlich@feddit.org
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          3 months ago

          Hitting the diesel tank on the bottom of a locomotive won’t cause a huge explosion with enough force to lift it off the tracks. There’s a good chance it just causes a fire on the leaking fuel. The diesel locomotive might even be able to keep going for a bit by using its batteries.

          A diesel locomotive weighs in at about 200 tons. That’s like three tanks.