Shunting fouled tracks?

{Likely not the best forum, but I looked around & did not find one on signaling...}

In 2009, WMATA's Red Line had a collision with multiple fatalities. https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Acc ... AR1002.pdf
That section of the Red Line is bracketed between CSX trackage; rescue forces had to cross CSX tracks to render aid

Rereading the NTSB interviews, one early concern by DCFD et.al was getting CSX to stop traffic through the area, north of Washington Union Station. There were various comments re: the history of issues of reaching CSX in Jacksonville, etc. to accomplish this.

Nowhere did I find any mention of shunting the CSX rails together to show the block as occupied. In the past, a fiber carrier employee who worked along rail ROW's told me that was part of their safety training if/when they had fouled a track, such as a truck breaking down while in a grade crossing etc.

So given the long discussion about the training the region's fire departments get with WMATA, I was surprised to not see this mentioned. Is this not a topic with mainline railroads' training {if any} with local responders?

The practice has been for police or other local authorities to notify the railroad (they have the number to call) and have the dispatcher hold all traffic in both directions. In times past, involving local interlocking towers, somebody would occasionally drop the ball, resulting in crashes, but with the increasing number of control centers with dispatchers working at touchscreens it's possible for an entire segment of track to be immediately set to prevent signals from being cleared by mistake, and affording the dispatcher some time to deal with traffic stacking up on both sides of the site. That's probably quicker than some fire department scrounging around to find a shunting device which not everyone will have experience with. Amtrak uses them when working on track, but the maintenance crews presumably have several with them as part of their standard equipment.

The DCFD interview discussed instances of calling CSX in Jacksonville and getting a callback 45 minutes later, etc.

As for special tools being needed, a pair of jumper cables or, as the fiber employee was told, a pipe or crowbar, should all that's required. DCFD engines carry a Warning Strobe and Alarm Device (WASD) to confirm the Third Rail is unpowered; there's no reason they can not also carry a shunt cable for railroads...

(I wonder, are torpedos still used on railroads?)

DCFD talked at length at the extensive and ongoing training DCFD & other area departments has with WMATA. There's a whole tunnel simulator at WMATA's logistic's center; it's used multiple times per week. They never mentioned any training with CSX or other lines.

Class I railroads no longer allow the use of torpedoes, since they are an explosive, and as such can cause serious injury or death.