Do pennies derail trains?

Pennies won't derail trains, but they can cause other things to happen.

Depending on the speed of the train and it's weight, the penny can be launched right into the cab of the locomotive, which could potentially kill the engineer. OR the penny could be launched at you or some other innocent bystander and hurt or kill them.

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

Do pennies derail trains?

I've recently heard a lot in books and songs and the like about people putting pennies on the railroad track to flatten them. I was wondering is that legal in the United States, and if so would that derail the train? It sounds like a cool idea but I don't want to be the cause of some...

No, there are no known cases where a coin has derailed a train. That would be something if a couple of grams of metal could upset 430,000lbs of locomotive.

Yes it is illegal to destroy US funds, or any other countries coins. But highly unlikely they will spend thousands to prosecute you over 1 cent. Ofcourse they would get you for tresspassing.

Your right, a few pennies arent worth a life. It is very true a coin can be shot out from under the train. If striking you or someone else, it will cause injury and maybe even death.

This question seems no be asked a lot. No, it won't. A 1/50 pound thing cannot derail a 36000 ton freight train. It will either get flattened or shoot out at you. Totally illegal but one of the most commonly done things when people where young.

Coins could not derail a train. Crashing into cars and things like that often doesn't derail them. Thousands of tons always wins over a few grams of metal. It is illegal of course. 1. Trespassing on railroad property. 2. Defacing currency.

It is illegal to destroy, deface and alter money. No one will ever enforce the law regarding pennies though. I doubt a train even feels itself going over a penny. I've crushed many in a life time. Have even tried stacking them. It never worked over 2 high though, the train would just push them off the track. It could never derail a train. As soon as it hits the first wheel the penny is thrown off the track and there are many other wheels to hold the train on. Even knocking one wheel off which it would never do would not cause the train to derail most likely.

Pennies don't derail trains, but people in the train will feel the bump as the train rolls over it.

More dangerous is that a train may approach unnoticed while you put the penny on the track.

No silly it can't derail a train. A locomotives weight is around 160,000 tons enough to smash it really flat. But it could shoot out like a bullet striking you, and killing you. Now that would be horrible.....

No a penny on the track would not derail a locomotive. It is not legal, firstly because you are defacing government property, and secondly because you are trespassing on government grounds. However no self respecting police officer would dare attempt to arrest you for charges like that. Just don't get yourself killed.

PS: Finding it would probably be a pain, as it is extremely unlikely to remain where you put it.

Are you serious???

You think a penny will cause a train to derail??? Of course not. We used to flatten quarters this way...