A
railroad plough (
German:
Schienenwolf ("rail wolf"),
German:
Schwellenpflug ("sleeper plough") or
German:
Schwellenreißer ("sleeper ripper")) is a
rail vehicle which supports an immensely strong, hook-shaped
plough. It is used for destruction of
sleepers 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 which forces the steel rails out of alignment, making the line impassable by later rail vehicles. Bridges and signalling equipment also suffer serious damage.
Source: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_plough