I have a question pertaining to the rail joiner plates on the rails. This line is the Old NKP line in central Illinois between Charleston, IL and Neoga, IL. The plates used to join the rails have A modification done to them. On the west side rails and on the south end of the all the joiners they look as if they are broken or crudely cut away. This is only on the west side rails. Nothing out of the norm for the east side plates. Why would this have been done? I have walked for a couple of miles and they are all like this. As soon as i can fugure out how to add a pic I will add one.
Pictures would be helpful. With that being said, a WAG is that a car was dragged, derailed for miles - doing the damage you describe along the way. Damage that exists but is not preventing the track material from safely doing the function it is intended to do.
If you can get a picture posted to a 3rd party side that allows ‘hot linking’ then that link can be used to display the pictures in this forum.