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"...but if the recorders were used on general-purpose trains, they might be able to, with proper software, detect rail problems which develop between inspections."

Your idea to prevent more accidents might put a couple of people out of work.
The Union workers will be outraged!

The rail unions fight A LOT of things, but safety advances isn't one of them. Its not like we are police or firefighters, but thee are enough deaths every year that we talk about safety nearly every day. Almost every railroader can name a coworker killed or maimed on the job. These freight trains are 10,000+ tons, can take a mile or more to stop, and every day a train hits a truck that ran a crossing. And if its a log, cement, or propane hauling rig, the odds get a lot worse. Plus most crews are on call 24/7, with no regular work schedules and often no regular sleep pattern. So even if the track is good, you still have to worry about the crew of another train falling asleep and running a signal. I know of railroaders killed or severely injured by by bad track causing a derailment, signal malfunctions, struck by a passing train(they can be very quiet drifting downgrade in the snow), slipped and tumbled down an embankment, engine explosion, fell asleep and ran into the back of another train, ran into a derailed train, struck a garbage truck, stepped between moving equipment and slipped, and sabotage. The worst is when a guy accidently gets caught between the couplers while making a joint. He doesn't die, the railroad covers part of him with sheet or something, and brings the family out to say their goodbyes. But he won't live either, and when they pull the cars apart, he dies. Thank goodness I never lost a coworker that way, but have heard the stories from the guys who did.