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Train windscreen shattered by 'shot'

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Smethwickian

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Posted a few minutes ago by the website associated with Gloucestershire Echo newspaper
http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.u...rain-station/story-29548954-detail/story.html

"Trains in and out of Cheltenham Spa station are reported to be stopped after reports of shots being fired at a freight train driver approaching the town. A passenger on a train near Cheltenham told Gloucestershire Live: 'I'm on a train which is stopped outside Cheltenham. It seems that all trains at the station have been stopped. It seems that a freight train driver was shot at.' Gloucestershire police have confirmed that the window of the cab of a freight train was broken by a shot. The train is currently stopped in Swindon Village [a suburb of Cheltenham]. Police are deploying an armed response vehicle to investigate."

Potentially the latest example of dangerous summer school holiday madness involving an airgun or BB gun? Very unfortunate if so. Hopefully no-one injured and even better it turns out to be a mistaken report of some other cause of damage...
 
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bramling

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Posted a few minutes ago by the website associated with Gloucestershire Echo newspaper
http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.u...rain-station/story-29548954-detail/story.html

"Trains in and out of Cheltenham Spa station are reported to be stopped after reports of shots being fired at a freight train driver approaching the town. A passenger on a train near Cheltenham told Gloucestershire Live: 'I'm on a train which is stopped outside Cheltenham. It seems that all trains at the station have been stopped. It seems that a freight train driver was shot at.' Gloucestershire police have confirmed that the window of the cab of a freight train was broken by a shot. The train is currently stopped in Swindon Village [a suburb of Cheltenham]. Police are deploying an armed response vehicle to investigate."

Potentially the latest example of dangerous summer school holiday madness involving an airgun or BB gun? Very unfortunate if so. Hopefully no-one injured and even better it turns out to be a mistaken report of some other cause of damage...

More than likely. Can work out what time of the year it is without needing a calendar.
 

AlterEgo

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I very much hope this was a stupid idiot with a BB gun rather than something even worse.

Is the driver okay??

Hopefully BTP make an arrest, if it turns out there was a shot fired.
 

Harbornite

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This is an unfortunate incident, let's hope that the scrote responsible is found.
 

Haig paxton

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Golly, train windscreens are amongst the toughest glass out there. I hope the train was brought to a stand and shut down as any vibrations may hinder the investigation of the ballistics expert if the hole is compromised.
 

sciisfun

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Trains on the move again - longest delay I can see was 1hr 55mins for a Plymouth to Glasgow service which eventually left Cheltenham 5.06pm.

This (steel?) train from Margam to Round Oak seems to have vanished off Realtime Trains' radar in the relevant area just before all the delays began... http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H32573/2016/07/25/advanced Anyone know if this was the train halted?

would make sense for it to be, anything else freight in the area at the time?
 

swt_passenger

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Golly, train windscreens are amongst the toughest glass out there. I hope the train was brought to a stand and shut down as any vibrations may hinder the investigation of the ballistics expert if the hole is compromised.

Are side windows as strong though? The reports don't seem to say for certain that it was the front windscreen.
 

Smethwickian

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AndyPJG

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BBC News Channel Reported just before weather bulletin at 17:25.

BBC News item

2 minutes ago
Cheltenham train shot or hit with slingshot, police say

Armed police rushed to a level crossing amid reports a train driver had been shot at.
The freight train was travelling through Swindon Village in Cheltenham when the window of the cab shattered. There are no reports of injuries.
British Transport Police (BTP) said the damage "looks like could have been caused a pellet or slingshot."
Police say they are trying to establish if a weapon was used or if it could have been another item such as a rock.
A BTP spokesman added: "Officers are investigating and deploying resources to the scene along with their colleagues at Gloucestershire Police. They are trying to establish what happened."
 

Haig paxton

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Are side windows as strong though? The reports don't seem to say for certain that it was the front windscreen.

Yes that's a good point. The side windows may be inherantly weaker. I believe windscreens were toughened at some stage in the 1970s owing to house bricks being dangled from bridges having a tendancy to hit drivers square in the face.

If it was the side window then in July I'd expect it would be open. A lucky escape for the driver.
 
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thenorthern

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Regarding the weapon I reckon it would be an airgun and most likely a rifle as the air pistols are much less powerful and don't have as much of an impact.

Regarding the power of air rifles though a pellet fired from a firearms certificate exempt air rifle will very easily smash glass and can very easily kill people. Many parents think though that because they air rifles that fire under 12 ft-lbs don't need a firearms licence they must be safe but thats not the case. Also air rifles are not toys they are potentially lethal weapons that children should not really be using.
 

Crossover

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Trains on the move again - longest delay I can see was 1hr 55mins for a Plymouth to Glasgow service which eventually left Cheltenham 5.06pm.

This (steel?) train from Margam to Round Oak seems to have vanished off Realtime Trains' radar in the relevant area just before all the delays began... http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H32573/2016/07/25/advanced Anyone know if this was the train halted?

I'd wager that it was the freight involved - now showing as cancelled beyond Cheltenham

As an aside, the 115 min delay is only really half of the story (I notice one of the previous news links has it mentioned and I can't help but wonder if it came from here) - that service in question appears to have been delayed by 80 mins around Tiverton (cited as a track circuit failure). The incident at Cheltenham only actually delayed the service by a further 35 minutes
 

Smethwickian

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As an aside, the 115 min delay is only really half of the story (I notice one of the previous news links has it mentioned and I can't help but wonder if it came from here) - that service in question appears to have been delayed by 80 mins around Tiverton (cited as a track circuit failure). The incident at Cheltenham only actually delayed the service by a further 35 minutes

Ah, well spotted - should have looked a little more closely and realised the timings didn't add up. Apologies for any confusion. Still, plenty of delay minutes added up in total, I am sure, showing once again that even escaping major damage and injury, stupid acts of vandalism have consequences lasting a long time and costing a lot of money altogether.
 

Philip Phlopp

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Ah, well spotted - should have looked a little more closely and realised the timings didn't add up. Apologies for any confusion. Still, plenty of delay minutes added up in total, I am sure, showing once again that even escaping major damage and injury, stupid acts of vandalism have consequences lasting a long time and costing a lot of money altogether.

What it starts to go wrong, it just keeps on going wrong.
 

Peter Mugridge

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Potentially the latest example of dangerous summer school holiday madness involving an airgun or BB gun?

Not exactly the latest I'm afraid, about 25 years ago I was on a 302 on what was then the LTS, on a down service crossing the marshes near Dagenham... suddenly the window immediately in front of me on the right hand side shattered inwards and simultaneously the equivalent window on the opposite side of the train shattered outwards...

Somehow I don't think that was a stone... Although the area did have a reputation as a stone throwing hot spot at the time, this happened rather too quickly to have been one; I also doubt a stone could have been thrown hard enough to take out the window on both sides of the train at the same moment.
 

thenorthern

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If they caught the person using the weapon it would be a very serious offence and they would be jailed for a fairly long time, I know trespassing with an air weapon is classed as trespassing with a firearm and shooting a train would be an even more serious offence.

I doubt they will ever catch the culprit though.
 

Antman

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If they caught the person using the weapon it would be a very serious offence and they would be jailed for a fairly long time, I know trespassing with an air weapon is classed as trespassing with a firearm and shooting a train would be an even more serious offence.

I doubt they will ever catch the culprit though.

And even if they are I wouldn't bank on a lengthy prison sentence, community service more likely :-x
 

Ron Hale

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The Grand Central leaving Doncaster at 16:24 had a side window shattered in a similar way. According to the conductor this happened on the way into Doncaster.
 
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