In case anyone is wondering: yes, this is how train robberies operated in the Old West. Slip the switch after the locomotive passes by, passenger cars are stuck there. They could rob everyone and get away before the locomotive could even stop and reverse back to the passenger cars.

And in case you were also wondering: yes, this tactic is still used by people stealing UPS packages from trains in various American cities today.

@sidereal Except the passenger carriages would still be coupled to the loco, and couplings are designed not to break easily because they have to be able to handle the combination of the tractive effort of the loco plus whatever forces are acting in the opposite direction. Splitting points doesn’t result in a nice neat detachment or a catch point style derailment, it makes a heck of a mess.

My preferred train nerd answer to the stupid trolley problem is “neither, as rail vehicles like this are equipped with multiple emergency braking systems and safety devices thanks to 180 years of strict government regulation and accident research”.