Thanks for the update, Mike.
In the photo of the crews renewing the railroad embankment with dirt, that's pretty standard. These aren't "emergency" repairs where you dump 5000 tons of riprap, slap the tracks on it and hope it holds.
No need to lay rock that far below the roadbed, and good, compacted dirt will form a barrier against water flow, directing the water to the proper culverts/underpasses. See the guys with the "sheepsfoots" tamping the dirt?
I'd bet they'll let it sit thru a few rains too before they put rock on it, or at least until the tracks get repaired, ballasted and tamped.