AFTER AMTRAK VANDALISM: SWITCH GONE, NO ARRESTS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 21, 1993                   TAG: 9302210042
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOE TAYLOR ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS                                LENGTH: Medium
AFTER AMTRAK VANDALISM: SWITCH GONE, NO ARRESTS
The 6-month-old investigation of a vandalized railroad switch that derailed a passenger train has yet to produce an arrest.
The switch, in the meantime, has gone - probably permanently. "Any time we get a chance to remove switches from our main line, we do it," said Lynn Johnson, a spokesman for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX Transportation Inc., which maintains the tracks where the Aug. 12 derailment occurred.
The FBI took over the investigation the morning after the derailment, the city's second involving an Amtrak train last year. The first occurred in April when a northbound Colonial slammed into a dump truck at a crossing about 150 yards from the site of the August derailment. The truck driver was killed and 57 people on the train were injured.
No one died in the August derailment, which involved a southbound Colonial. Despite reports from nearby residents who said they saw people near the tracks, no one has been charged and no suspects have been identified by authorities.
"It's still active," Jim Watters, an FBI spokesman in Norfolk, said of the investigation. "We're still working. There are some witnesses out there that we've not been able to identify."
Watters said authorities believe someone knows what happened to the switch, but investigators have not found out who that someone is. "Every possibility is being looked at," he said. "It's frustrating not being able to solve it so the problem won't happen again."
The National Transportation Safety Board said a manually operated switch had been left open, turning the train off the main CSX line and onto a siding that goes to a battery factory. The train, nearing the end of its run from New York City, was traveling at its allowed maximum speed of 79 mph, much too fast to make the turn onto the 15-mph siding, investigators said.
A signal about three miles from the switch gave no warning that the device was in the wrong position, indicating that the switch was tampered with shortly before the accident, investigators said. Also, another train had passed the switch without incident less than two hours before the 9 p.m. derailment.
Investigators said a lock on the switch apparently was cut off. Bolt cutters and metal shavings believed to be from the lock's hasp were found at the site.
Alan Pollock, an NTSB spokesman in Washington, said the agency probably will issue only a summary of its findings,"since it's clear that somebody tampered with the switch" and the FBI is handling the case.
The engine, a dining car and all four coaches of the train jumped the tracks. The engine fell on its side against an embankment, while the other cars were left askew across the rails.
Milton Womble, the train's engineer, was the most seriously injured of four people who had to be hospitalized from the derailment. Womble underwent surgery and hasn't returned to work, said Patricia Kelly, an Amtrak spokeswoman.
When CSX repaired track that was damaged in the derailment, the siding switch was taken out. "We can get in on the other side. It may never be put back in," Johnson said.
Switches like the one that was vandalized are considered safe because of their locks and other security measures such as the warning signal, Johnson said. But they still can pose maintenance problems, he said.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB