~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
10 sectionsContents
- Applications
- Design
- Wedge
- Split rail
- Portable
- Powered
- Failures
- See also
- References
- Sources
thumb|upright|Hinged derail with automatic blue flag
A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling (blocking or compromising) of a rail track (or collision with anything present on the track, such as a person, or a train) by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock. The device works by derailing the equipment as it rolls over or through it.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “derail” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.