SEPTA and another Amtrak train both "struck by projectiles."

[Gene Poon]

In addition to the SEPTA train taken out of service due to an engineer's windshield shattered with reported
"projectile" (bullet) holes (discussed on other railfan media yesterday), a westbound Amtrak train
in the same immediate area and time of the wreck was also struck by "projectiles" (bullets).

The possibility exists that the engineer of Amtrak 188 was temporarily disoriented by his train being shot at. The daytime photos of the engine show three holes in the engineer's windshield. Disorientation could have led to inadvertent control actuation, or panic...as in, "I have to speed up to get out of here."

There are also reports of a radio transmission from a member of a train crew at the immediate time and place,
that his train was being shot at.

With the three holes easily seen in the windshield of the wrecked engine, there should be concern. A pack of lowlife with assault rifles could be a real threat to trains, crew and passengers. Only Philadelphia Mayor Nutter could deny that they exist in that cesspool of a neighborhood. But finally, after a day of silence, at
least two Philadelphia media outlets, KYW and the Philadelphia Inquirer, have broken that silence.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150514_SEPTA_train_hit_by_projectile_before_Amtrak_crash.html

 

[TinCan782]

IF true AND related, that will certainly be an interesting twist to the investigation

 

[Ryan]

This is already under discussion in the main thread.

 

[TinCan782]

The "main" thread is so long (22 pages), I don't even go there anymore :excl:

 

[Guest]

If it was related, why is the engineer refusing to say this as his own statements by his attorney seem to be incriminating him.

And if it was planned who would do this and why and why aren't appropriate investigation agencies treating this like a true crime scene.

From the way it sounds, the engineer mistook the curve and was not paying attention to visual cues and the like and was distracted.

If this event distracted him and was the cause, his attorney is making his case look bad. There was sabotage to Amtrak before and investigators never caught the perpetrators who did a lot of damage in a rural part of the country and left a clue

 

[reppin_the_847]

Here's another good article / interview (with an Amtrak conductor) regarding the potential theory of the train being shot at:

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/conductor-suggests-outside-force-is-likely-cause-of-amtrak-188-train-crash-in-philadelphia

 

[another guest again]

If it was related, why is the engineer refusing to say this as his own statements by his attorney seem to be incriminating him.

And if it was planned who would do this and why and why aren't appropriate investigation agencies treating this like a true crime scene.

From the way it sounds, the engineer mistook the curve and was not paying attention to visual cues and the like and was distracted.

If this event distracted him and was the cause, his attorney is making his case look bad. There was sabotage to Amtrak before and investigators never caught the perpetrators who did a lot of damage in a rural part of the country and left a clue

I'm not guest_guest above. I'm crescent2 who still needs to look at her password so I can log in properly.

I don't think we can make the assumption that the engineer is just pretending to not remember at this time. Concussions and other head injuries can cause that. He may very well be telling the truth. Hopefully, his memory will come back soon and he can shed some light on what happened. I still think the most UNlikely scenario is that he was a reckless idiot who deliberately went 106 mph in a 50 mph zone. When I said "...medical, mechanical, or whatever..." might be involved, the "whatever" is sure turning out to be interesting. We'll have to wait and see.

I also don't think we can assume that this projectile scenario is not being actively investigated. The NTSB has a reputation for being thorough in their investigations and for not making assumptions until all the evidence is in.

 

[Slasharoo]

with the investigation over a day and a half old, I can't imagine that not being leaked out by now if it were a main concern of the investigators. There are just too many people involved to hide bullets through a windshield scenario.

 

[Ryan]

If we're discussing it here, it has leaked out.

 

[MikefromCrete]

The news that at least two other trains were hit by projectiles in the same area and time as the Train 188 has been discussed since the beginning. It certainly cannot be ruled out that Train 188 was also hit by something and the engineer started to speed up. The NTSB is very thorough and I'm sure this is part of the investigation.

 

[niemi24s]

While the windshield of a locomotive is probably thicker than that of an automobile, here's an assortment if pix showing bullet holes in the later: https://www.google.com/search?q=bullet+holes+in+windshield&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS481US482&espv=2&biw=1841&bih=910&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1DVVVf76HI6MyATUgIH4Bg&ved=0CB0QsAQ To me, they look nothing like the cracked areas shown in the 20+ page thread on the accident. Perhaps bricks or rocks, but bullet damage/holes? I wouldn't bet on it.