Armoured trains! Tell us about armoured trains!

In 1935, FDR and Congress created the Railroad Retirement Board and Social Security Administration. Today, Social Security is projected to exhaust its trust fund in just 18 years. Railroad Retirement is projected to remain solvent for at least 44 years, even while other industries have stopped offering pension plans altogether. What factors led to these two agencies being created separately? And how did they end up with such different financial outlooks?

Current: "Off the Rails": Trains and Railroads

On Deck: Ideas & Philosophy

In the Hole: 1950s

Please tell us about secret railroads in russia

Is this a thread to ask questions about Trains??

If so, I do have a question, about turntables!

Early in the 20th century or late in the 19th century, Engines (locomotives) couldn't run backwards.

As a result, there were turntables at the end of the road to allow to turn over the engines.

The first ones were apparently just a piece of wood with tracks on it, the engine would drive on it, and the employees would push on the engine to turn it over.

The problem with the early ones was to align the tracks properly. Failure to do so would derail the engine.

My question is this: my (late) great uncle claims that his father (my (obviously late) great grand father, father of my (late) parternal grand-mother), who was a train conductor for the Canadian Pacific Railroad, learned how to prevent derailment by simply placing a spike in a strategic place so that the turntable wouldn't turn 360. Instead, you could push against the spike to stabilize the turntable.

The first one would have been most likely in Montreal, where his family was based.

My questions: Is there any possible truth at my great-uncle's claim that his father (last name Tremblay), invented the spike method used by Canada Pacific?

My great-uncle was retired at least in 1986, meaning that he was most likely born around 1920, so my grand-father must have made his invention around 1895-1905, plus or minus 10 years, as I have NO clue what his age was when he had his kids).

This impressed the CP greatly, who apparently let him install the spike at all of the turntables he visited across North America, and the CP guaranteed a job for his descendants apparently.

I have a cousin who still works for the CP, and most of my (male) family on my grand-mother's side worked for the CP.

My great-grandfather also got a plaque for his extraordinary services to the CP (he notably invented a special padlock used until about 1920 according to my great-uncle), and he apparently was quite good at repairing the caboose ovens he used.

Officially, he was a conductor, but he also did mechanical jobs, helping with engine maintenance on the road, notably on the prairie run from the Alberta and Saskatchewan (thought that could have been my great-uncle, who started as a plumber, and was later a train conductor, himself using the padlock of his father, by then discontinued).

I do know that the story was corroborated my great-uncle's brother (my other grant-uncle), my grandmother, my grandfather, my great-aunt, her husband (also a plumber for the CP turned conductor) and even by my cousin who works at the CP.

but in all honesty, this is ALL second hand, and for my cousin, third-hand account, as my great-grandfather died before he was born.

The one thing however, is that my great-grandmother, his widow, lived until 1984 or so, at a very advanced age (like 96 or so), and the little lucidity she had was to speak highly of her late husband and his genius...

Sorry it was so long...

PS: I was born in 1976, so the details are fuzzy... all of the people in the story are dead today, except for my parents who are 3rd hand witnesses.