Six trains damaged near Kirkstall Forge

[JordR]

The BBC is reporting that six trains were damaged in a "series of attacks", possibly with an air gun, near Kirkstall Forge station in the Monday evening peak.

Does anyone know anymore detail, that they're able to share? Has it taken six trains out of action for a time with a subsequent impact or not?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-65686629

Officers were called to Kirkstall Forge Station at 17:25 BST on Monday after a train's window was cracked when it was hit by an object, a British Transport Police (BTP) spokesperson said.
No passengers or rail staff were injured in the attacks.
Those responsible were yet to be found and extra officers would patrol the area around the station, BTP said.
Initial reports suggested the train had been hit by air gun pellets, but the services could have been hit by other objects, the spokesperson said...

 

[800001]

Northern tweeted pictures of one of there trains after its windows were shattered, and several customers also tweeted similar.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are we seeing an increase in this sort of vandalism lately across the country?

On Sunday ( 21st May ), 159 010 was stoned approaching Salisbury with the 12.25 Exeter - Waterloo and a 20 minute delay was incurred while the broken window was taped up.

 

[The exile]

Weather’s finally turned nice….

 

[Adam0984]

Had a window smashed by youth on a bridge on Friday near Nottingham

 

[diffident]

I was on a 158 from Wrexham General to Birmingham on Monday 15th that had a passenger window taped up too. Seems pretty widespread.

 

[6Gman]

Such incidents appear to me to be less common than they were 30-40 years ago (possibly a result of the upgrade of boundary fencing?).

When I commuted weekly between South Wales and Cheshire in 1977 my train was stoned five times in six weeks in the southern edges of Birmingham.

In the last 10 years I can scarcely recall a single incident.

Though I appreciate this is personal experience and anecdotal.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are we seeing an increase in this sort of vandalism lately across the country?

On Sunday ( 21st May ), 159 010 was stoned approaching Salisbury with the 12.25 Exeter - Waterloo and a 20 minute delay was incurred while the broken window was taped up.

Here's the images from that.

How long ago did they change from simply making a diagonal cross with two bits of tape to completely taping the entire window?

 

[W-on-Sea]

When I commuted daily on c2c 10-15 years ago it was not a very rare experience to be on a train that was stoned, and seeing 357s bearing the evidence of such attacks was if any anything frequent. The part of the route between Barking and Upminster had been notorious for this since much earlier.

 

[zwk500]

Here's the images from that.

How long ago did they change from simply making a diagonal cross with two bits of tape to completely taping the entire window?

Possibly when they moved to laminated glass that breaks in the pattern it does rather than plate grass that would crack around the impact point.

Also possibly related to a track staff welfare decision to mitigate broken glass in the cess.

 

[scrapy]

19.06 Newcastle to Liverpool has had a window broken on approach to York this evening.

 

[fgwrich]

Are we seeing an increase in this sort of vandalism lately across the country?

On Sunday ( 21st May ), 159 010 was stoned approaching Salisbury with the 12.25 Exeter - Waterloo and a 20 minute delay was incurred while the broken window was taped up.

I do wonder if there has been a recent spate of this one the SWR Network - I passed an 8 car 450 on the way back from Eastleigh last week with at least 3 damaged and taped windows in the rear unit

 

[Flange Squeal]

I do wonder if there has been a recent spate of this one the SWR Network - I passed an 8 car 450 on the way back from Eastleigh last week with at least 3 damaged and taped windows in the rear unit

A unit had one or two windows smashed in an attack in the Ash Vale/Frimley area, on the Aldershot to Ascot branch, last week.

 

[Recessio]

When I commuted daily on c2c 10-15 years ago it was not a very rare experience to be on a train that was stoned, and seeing 357s bearing the evidence of such attacks was if any anything frequent. The part of the route between Barking and Upminster had been notorious for this since much earlier.

That section Barking to Upminster was terrible on the District too. Youths used to throw rocks and bricks from footbridges right into the front of the cabs. They covered it in a documentary in the mid-2000s, it's available here on YouTube.

 

[InkyScrolls]

The current understanding at Skipton depot (from someone who was directly involved) is that it was a real gun being used to shoot at trains.

 

[Nym]

Can't have been a particularly high muzzle energy if it only penetrated the outer lamination.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I’d be surprised if it was a real gun, given the (comparative) lack of damage. But air guns can make quite the racket and can do quite a bit of damage, they’re not like the pop guns we had as a kid.

I did hear that WY police scrambled their armed police, though, which may contribute to the rumours.

As for the spate of incidents, the nights are light and it’s warm and sunny. A bit of rain and they’ll stop again.

 

[ainsworth74]

The current understanding at Skipton depot (from someone who was directly involved) is that it was a real gun being used to shoot at trains.

Whilst it certainly will not be pleasant getting shot at by anything, at all, so don't want to diminish the understandable upset/worry that drivers at Skipton depot will be justified in feeling I'm not entirely sure I buy that it was a real gun. Train glass, like windscreens on cars, is very resilient I'm not convinced that, unless the shot was from very long range, a real gun would only penetrate the outer layer of the windows involved. Air rifle seems far more likely a culprit to me!

 

[InkyScrolls]

Whilst it certainly will not be pleasant getting shot at by anything, at all, so don't want to diminish the understandable upset/worry that drivers at Skipton depot will be justified in feeling I'm not entirely sure I buy that it was a real gun. Train glass, like windscreens on cars, is very resilient I'm not convinced that, unless the shot was from very long range, a real gun would only penetrate the outer layer of the windows involved. Air rifle seems far more likely a culprit to me!

While I'm inclined to agree with you, and we'll have to wait for the report (if one is forthcoming? I presume there will be) to know for certain, my source (whom as I'm sure you'll understand, I can't name!) wasn't driving, but dealing directly with the police, and his understanding from their description was that is was a small calibre, but 'real', gun - but we shall wait and see.

 

[ainsworth74]

While I'm inclined to agree with you, and we'll have to wait for the report (if one is forthcoming? I presume there will be) to know for certain, my source (whom as I'm sure you'll understand, I can't name!) wasn't driving, but dealing directly with the police, and his understanding from their description was that is was a small calibre, but 'real', gun - but we shall wait and see.

Fair enough! Though this is one of those occasions where, unusually, I would be disappointed to be proven wrong as that would be much more worrying.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Fair enough! Though this is one of those occasions where, unusually, I would be disappointed to be proven wrong as that would be much more worrying.

Indeed!

 

[Turtle]

Are we seeing an increase in this sort of vandalism lately across the country?

On Sunday ( 21st May ), 159 010 was stoned approaching Salisbury with the 12.25 Exeter - Waterloo and a 20 minute delay was incurred while the broken window was taped up.

I recall travelling on a commuter train which was stoned approaching Blackheath station in the mid 1960s.

 

[unlevel42]

Decades ago our slowly moving train near Shipley was attacked by three older teenagers with distinctive clothing and witnessed and even photographed by at least four passengers. Neither the guard or BTP at Leeds took any notice or took contact details or statements.

 

[Beebman]

I recall travelling on a commuter train which was stoned approaching Blackheath station in the mid 1960s.

I recall my Grandad (who was a Reading-based DMU driver) telling me about a Henley branch train being stoned approaching Twyford sometime in the mid 1960s.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Half term next week

 

[mm333]

The BBC is reporting that six trains were damaged in a "series of attacks", possibly with an air gun, near Kirkstall Forge station in the Monday evening peak.

Does anyone know anymore detail, that they're able to share? Has it taken six trains out of action for a time with a subsequent impact or not?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-65686629

The only time I’ve ever been on a bus that has been shot at was coming down Leeds and Bradford Road in Bramley, literally on the other side of Bramley Fall Park to Kirkstall Forge station.

 

[Towers]

This sort of thing has always happened, sadly it’ll often be “kids” who just have nothing better to do. There was a news report earlier this week I think about a large gang of youths climbing on vehicles in Wembley, including a moving bus, for absolutely no reason at all, beside them being feral and bored. I’ve had windows come in several times, in one case a group of three or four “yoofs” casually smashed one as the bus drove past them and then just nonchalently walked off. Increasingly absent law enforcement doesn’t do much to help the situation of course.

There have been several very nasty rail accidents in decades past as a result of similar behaviour; the Scottish EMU and the West Ealing derailments immediately come to mind.

 

[Wyrleybart]

This sort of thing has always happened, sadly it’ll often be “kids” who just have nothing better to do. There was a news report earlier this week I think about a large gang of youths climbing on vehicles in Wembley, including a moving bus, for absolutely no reason at all, beside them being feral and bored. I’ve had windows come in several times, in one case a group of three or four “yoofs” casually smashed one as the bus drove past them and then just nonchalently walked off. Increasingly absent law enforcement doesn’t do much to help the situation of course.

This kind of stuff was inevitable after the then Prime Minister chose to sack 30,000 police officers, When was the last time you saw a police officer in your street ?

 

[Cakestall]

Shooter at Kirkstall Forge probably the same personage who shot out all the glass panels on the footbridge over the last few years making it much bleaker.

 

[AC47461]

That section Barking to Upminster was terrible on the District too. Youths used to throw rocks and bricks from footbridges right into the front of the cabs. They covered it in a documentary in the mid-2000s, it's available here on YouTube.

Laindon to Basildon is known locally as Bomb Alley...