If any person shall wantonly or maliciously injure, or place any impediment or obstruction on any railroad, or do any other act by means of which any car or vehicle might be caused to diverge, or be derailed, or thrown from the track, such person, on conviction, shall be committed to the custody of the department of corrections for a term of not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10) years, and the penalty provided in this section shall apply to any engineer, conductor, switchman, brakeman, train dispatcher or telegraph operator who shall wilfully or negligently cause the derailment or collision of a passenger train.