Great Western Coffee Shop

A train driver missed death by just six inches when vandals dropped a breeze block-sized boulder on to his cab from an overhead footbridge (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=18851097&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

The rock smashed into the front of the train travelling at 80 mph , as it swept under a footbridge in Long Ashton.

It buckled the door on the front of the First Great Western train , narrowly missing the driver's window.

The attack - labelled as a dangerous schoolboy prank by police - did more than ^20,000 worth of damage to the recently refurbished train. First Great Western is now offering a ^2,000 reward for any information which leads to the conviction of those responsible.

Scum

The train is not a refurbished unit.

What total wan**rs, remember a similar incident on the Falmouth branch two years ago when some scummy chav threw a coping stone through the window of a 150 and nearly killed the driver, the driver in that incident was off work for about six months, he had glass in his eye's and was cut all over after the stone landed on his lap at 50mph. If it wasn't for a passenger who was an off duty nurse who tended to him then things may have been worse. The scroat who threw the stone was caught and was sentanced to I think 12 months in a young offenders, he was 14 years old! I blame the parents!!!!

I was quoting from the article. Interesting that they got that bit wrong.

So which train was it? Hopefully one of the 143's and not one of our remaining 158's.

It was a 158. I imagine it will swap places with the 158 that was next in line to go for refurb, though it may have to go by road to wabtec due to the damage caused.

158865

Isn't refurbished :p

Is that one of the ones going North?  ;)

I think its going north as where only keeping one 158/8(ex-wessex) and judging from the picture it was ex-wessex and will probably never be used down here again- likely to straight for repair and refurb- if Northern are going to refurb.

I heard from from Andy Mellors (West fleet director!) that we are only keeping the 158/7's as they're all from the same leasing company and have the same engines.

this is not a "school boy prank"! IT'S ATTEMPTED MURDER   It really annoys me when such soft descriptions are used for such violent acts!

the driver had reported about the youth presence to police prior to the incident.......

shame they were not removed and prevented from returning............ lucky for him they did not kill or seriously injure him or anyone else on the train.

 

Yeah, all the 158/7's and one 158/8, atleast thats what i've read a couple of times.

Definately not a prank.  Death and/or serious injury are a very likely result of dropping a rock on a moving train and everyone knows that.  Offences like this might be just short of attemted murder but not by much.  They ought to be regarded as as serious a crime as arson because although there is no deliberate intention to kill anyone there is a serious disregard of the very real risks that someone will be killed.

Hope the Police catch the scum and that the driver recovers soon

In the article , it was actually the police themselves who called it a "dangerous schoolboy prank."

In The incident that I referred to earlier about the Falmouth branch in 2004 the youth was initially charged with attempted murder but was later reduced I THINK to GBH with intent, correct me if i'm wrong?

The British Justice system never fails to amaze me.

These people should be deported, they are a danger to society!

I'm sick of theft, vandalism, GBH and attempted murder being classed as "anti-social behavior". They are already crimes and should carry the appropriate punishment.

Vandalism: 1 Year
Theft: 10 Years
Carrying a Gun / Knife: 15 Years
GBH: 20 Years
Attempted Murder: 30 Years
Murder / Paedophilia / Rape: 20 Years (To give adequate time to ensure they really are guilty) then death by lethal injection.

Justice.

Gentlemen, Can I request that if you want to argue for political report and on wider issues such as these there are more suitable forums?  Perhaps something that would relate more to the home office than to the Department for Transport?

Thanks!

It was somewhat on topic  ;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7091177.stm

Great to see the BBC's lead item on their Bristol news website this evening. Maybe their reporters should get an award for the oldest lead story. And even then they get it wrong!