[thackney]

There is double track (siding) from the edge of Nantes towards Lac-Megantic for ~1.4 miles.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Nantes+and+Lac-M%C3%A9gantic&ie=UTF8&ll=45.629414,-71.013501&spn=0.001467,0.003661&hnear=Lac-M%C3%A9gantic,+Le+Granit+Regional+County+Municipality,+Quebec,+Canada&t=h&z=19

[Paladin2]

Trains today can get to be nearly that long and need a place to pass.

I saw a pic of Nantes from the next morning that showed some boxcars or lumber racks sitting on the siding.

I suppose the RR rep(s) after the fire could have cut off the locomotives and stuck them on part of the siding leaving the tank cars by themselves. That doesn't seem likely based on the limited info available about just who those particular RR folk(s) were.

[Paladin2]

Here's what I believe to be the rear locomotive in the string being guarded by the cops. It doesn't look like it is still in Nantes on a section of double track.

Nor can I find a theory that allows the tank cars to get in front of this with both parts of the train still on the track.

[Paladin2]

Here's a pic of the Nantes siding the day after showing the siding being partially full of mixed freight cars.