Cutting a railway line

[Cato]

I thought thermite was used for welding not cutting?

It'll do both.

Allegedly if you sit a small clay plant pot full of it on the bonnet of a car, add your phosphorous to the top and light it, the thermite will go through the bonnet, engine and a good way into the tarmac before it runs out of reactive material.

 

[Robotstar5]

It'll do both.

Allegedly if you sit a small clay plant pot full of it on the bonnet of a car, add your phosphorous to the top and light it, the thermite will go through the bonnet, engine and a good way into the tarmac before it runs out of reactive material.

Chap I know used to run permanent way gangs, they used to do a lot of work overnight and thought it was fun to hoof the Thermite run off pots into a nearby canal or river at 3am, made quite an impressive bang which woke the local residents.

 

[Dapph2]

I thought thermite was used for welding not cutting?

They can also be used as thermite lances to cut thick steel and also cut underwater with them .

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I thought thermite was used for welding not cutting?

It is.
Thanks too Mythbuster a myth was started it would cut and burn through.
This was in response to the yanks making it in their own garden.

 

[Cato]

It is.
Thanks too Mythbuster a myth was started it would cut and burn through.
This was in response to the yanks making it in their own garden.

Have a Google of thermite cutting and you'll see that there are companies who specialise in that "myth".