Not important at all. I'm sorry that my five minute Paint sketch wasn't to a suitably high level of accuracy.The station is in a perfect line with the maintenance track, which is drawn wrong on @Hixee's diagram but I don't think that is important.
Could just be because they'd push/pull it manually. It's hardly like they're big trains.I should also point out that that small piece of track has no drive tyres or any other mechanism on it, it is just a plain piece of track. This doesn't solve the mystery though.
Yeah, we can't say for sure I don't think. One to keep an eye out for someone seeing it in operation. Or one to ask Gerstlauer next time we see them!