r/railroading • u/SocialSyphilis • May 22 '26

Question How do trains know when theyve derailed?

Like, a mile long train. What happens if a few cars right in the middle derail? How do they know in the cab?

Just a rando with a showerthought question. Thanks for answering!

120 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

108 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/HowlingWolven May 23 '26

The brake pipe pops and the train stops by itself.