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LAT: "Officials have focused on the train’s acceleration leaving Philadelphia. An analysis of the train data recorder and a camera set up in the locomotive showed the train rapidly and steadily increased its speed in the last 65 seconds before the crash.

Sumwalt said Thursday that the train was traveling above 70 mph at 65 seconds before impact. At 43 seconds before impact, it exceeded 80 mph. At 31 seconds, it had increased to 90 mph. Sixteen seconds before impact, it topped 100."

This camera video might be useful. Yep.

for the train experts out there...does acceleration need constant effort?....iows....the engineer had to actually do something to make it speed up?....

Sumwalt said Thursday that the train was traveling above 70 mph at 65 seconds before impact. At 43 seconds before impact, it exceeded 80 mph. At 31 seconds, it had increased to 90 mph. Sixteen seconds before impact, it topped 100."

Just doing the math on that, would leave 16 seconds (.267 minutes) at 100 MPH, 15 seconds at 95 MPH (.25 minutes), 12 seconds at 85 MPH (.20 minutes), and 22 seconds at 75 MPH (.367 minutes), for respective distances of 1349 ft., 2090 ft., 1496 ft., and 2422 ft., which would put the start of acceleration roughly 8,357 ft. up the track from the point of derailment (plus a little farther for exceeding 100). --Just under 1.6 miles back from the point of derailment.

Now, the question arises of whether that falls within the area where the other trains were hit by objects, or whether it just doesn't fit.