Rail splitting hammer - GIF

[mwmkravchenko]

My understanding is the high manganese content of the rails (even in the US ) is what makes this possible.
I have seen rails that were notched and broken in half fairly cleanly.
The High Manganese is to help create a work hardening surface on the wear surface of the steel.

Yep. I have a friend that removed thousands of miles of track all over North America. I helped him remove a quarter mile. Track is designed to both work harden and be able to be broken with relatively simple tools. Because it is hardened in certain points you can break it like this in the first place.