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Tim, <br />Your first question is broad and has several possible answers. First, some privately owned rail cars can go on carrier lines. If they meet the safety and mechanical standards, they can be used in line haul service. If you are referring to industry cars that are not fit for use on carriers' lines, these are so marked (or not marked) so as to be easily identified. Besides, no customer would try to load one their own cars like that. The fines would be staggering and the prospect of not getting caught would be nil. They could even be embargoed jeopardizing all future rail service. No train crew in their right minds take them. If you are referring to cars rolling away, industry leads of this type are protected by derail devices that are set to derail and must be moved from that position when the track is in use. <br />Your second question, yes railroads use special locks on industrial switches coming from a main or branch line. Each road has a lock of its own so that keys from one road will not work in another's lock. Train service personnel are issued these keys when the enter service and must surrender them when leaving service. Periodically, switch locks are changed and require different keys. Switch keys are a collectors' item for rail enthusiasts. Obviously, you don't want any active keys loose in the public. It does happen though. Switch locks are manually opened and closed by the crews switching at that location. At locations where two or more railroads serve the same industry through the same lead, a special steel bar is rigged so that the serving carriers' locks can be used together and only one has to be unlocked to gain access to the switch mechanism. Also, keep in mind that most switches on the main line such as crossovers, passing sidings, branch lines are mechanical. Their positions can be electrically, pneumatically or mechanically changed by a dispatcher or tower operator. A conductor does visually inspect cars before he moves them. Bearing in mind that train crew are not expected to be mechanical experts, they do have enough experience to notice defects that could be dangerous. In answer to your last question, absolutely! In fact, if there's any doubt in the train crews' mind, they should call the nearest mechanical department and have the cars inspected more thoroughly. Have a good day...gdc
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