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Amtrak Train May Have Been Struck Before It Derailed, Officials Say
New Yoirk Times ^ | May 15, 2015 | DAVE PHILIPPS and EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS

Posted on 05/15/2015 4:20:44 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey

PHILADELPHIA — An assistant conductor on the Amtrak train that derailed on Tuesday believes she heard the engineer tell another regional train operator in a radio transmission that the train had been struck by something just before the accident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

At a news conference on Friday, Robert L. Sumwalt, the safety board official who is leading the investigation, said the F.B.I. had been asked to examine what he described as a fist-size impact area found on the lower left side of the train’s windshield. Officials said that the F.B.I. had been called in because it has the forensics expertise needed for the investigation, but that it had not yet begun its analysis.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: amtrak; amtrakinvestigation; derailment; philadelphia; train; trainwreck
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To: Ez2BRepub
responding to another poster’s idea that the Engineer was distracted

Of course that is always a possibility. Could explain the acceleration from 70 to 106 in the minute thirty sec before the derailment, but you would think that a distraction - as the reported 'something hit the train' story - still would not cause a qualified engineer to not remember which side of dead man's curve he was on... We'll need to wait for further analysis of the data recorder to find out if the acceleration was defect triggered or operator initiated.

hence the comment on signal aspect and speed.

My error. I misunderstood your intent with the example.

I am a train person..

Would that be train person as in 'I've been working on the railroad' or train person as in 'foamer trackside with six cameras..' ;-)

(Of course there is the ultimate choice - 'both' ;-)

241 posted on 05/15/2015 8:29:47 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: MeshugeMikey
I found some interesting links on the engine.

Amtrak ACS-64: Speed, power, efficiency

Amtrak Cities Sprinter ACS-64 Electric Locomotive (Siemens PDF)

Two significant takeaways from links are a maximum speed of 125mph and a time of 8 minutes to attain that speed.
242 posted on 05/15/2015 8:36:32 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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To: PA Engineer
a time of 8 minutes to attain that speed.

From a stop...

243 posted on 05/15/2015 8:39:16 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: Publius

Port Richmond’s the place my ancestors settled when they got off boats from Ireland (Nativity BVM parish) and Germany (Our Lady Help of Christians parish) 4 generations ago. Still a few cousins up there. Last I was in Port Richmond was 1967. I’m sure it’s changed a lot!


244 posted on 05/15/2015 8:44:03 PM PDT by onemiddleamerican (FUBO and all your terrorist agencies/buddies)
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To: Alberta's Child

How is the throttle operated?

If the engineer is disabled by a impact on the windshield while accelerating, can the train continue to acceralerate?


245 posted on 05/15/2015 8:58:56 PM PDT by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: justlurking

I thought most trains had a “dead man’s switch.”


246 posted on 05/15/2015 9:03:14 PM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse (Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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To: MeshugeMikey

It looks to me like the center fuel tank exploded in the first passenger car.


247 posted on 05/15/2015 9:11:27 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: NoCmpromiz; Paladin2
Thanks for the clarification. I'm trying to piece a timeline together. Paladin2 posted a timeline and schedule for the day. The hot link is gone now, however he posted the info to the thread.

* PHL * * 1 910P * 910P Departed: On time.

Does anyone have the actual time of crash from security video?
248 posted on 05/15/2015 9:13:10 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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To: Secret Agent Man
a projectile IMO would not impact the train whatsoever....

question is was the train going over 100mph or was it not....

the engineer's ONLY job is to control the speed, am I right?....there is no steering...

what could have possibly prevented the engineer from slowing the train down when he should have...and btw...a slowing down process takes a short while to do it...why wasn't the slowing process started well before the curve?

249 posted on 05/15/2015 9:20:50 PM PDT by cherry
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To: Alberta's Child

My first thought too.


250 posted on 05/15/2015 9:23:48 PM PDT by Conservative4Ever (Hey Hillary, ... liar, liar pants on fire.)
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To: American Constitutionalist

If this train was hit it would have been the third train in the Philadelphia region to be have experienced that type of damage within a 30 minute or so window of time. Projectiles breaking windows on trains are so incredibly rare statistically it makes perfect sense for the FBI to investigate whether the separate incidents on the other trains had anything to do with this particular incident.


251 posted on 05/15/2015 9:50:51 PM PDT by erlayman
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To: cherry

Exactly.


252 posted on 05/15/2015 10:01:11 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Publius
The GG-1’s are all in museums.

I know. Or recycled into razor blades. These two weren't...

United Railroad Historical Society of NJ

253 posted on 05/15/2015 10:13:54 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: Rides_A_Red_Horse
I thought most trains had a “dead man’s switch.”

No.

See HERE for one place this has been discussed.

254 posted on 05/15/2015 10:19:52 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: MeshugeMikey

There was a report from another train that something had hit them a short while before this train’s accident.


255 posted on 05/15/2015 10:30:01 PM PDT by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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To: Karl Spooner

It was enough that YOU latched with a scoff onto a remark that said not to be obsessed with the matter. You can hold a mirror up to yourself. He who excuses himself, accuses himself.

As for the bible it says not to sit in the seat of scoffers.


256 posted on 05/15/2015 10:49:50 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: MeshugeMikey

if Amtrak moves to award a billion dollars to the victims without even a court appearance, then we’ll know that they know.....


257 posted on 05/15/2015 10:50:19 PM PDT by cherry
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To: MeshugeMikey

Some may think my POV extends a klick or two too far beyond the horizon of the box, my reasoning tainted with a number of phobias but don’t let that cause you to miss this list of mostly local attractions you may find interesting

http://www.salatomatic.com/sub/vRvbmiBM7E

Some coincidental background

http://www.cfr.org/israel/al-aqsa-martyrs-brigade/p9127


258 posted on 05/15/2015 11:00:34 PM PDT by MurrietaMadman
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To: MeshugeMikey

did that train crash too?.....I think not....


259 posted on 05/15/2015 11:08:18 PM PDT by cherry
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To: Sir Napsalot

and that crack or breakage could have happened months ago if it was small enough...


260 posted on 05/15/2015 11:09:34 PM PDT by cherry
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