My brother sent me this link.
I can't believe someone would do this.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3520281.stm]
I can't believe someone would do this.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3520281.stm]
Modern day train robbery
- Thread starter Ray Marinaccio
- Start date
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philip
The real problem here is that someone would buy this as scrap. A steam engine. a bridge, sewer covers, statues... geeze, the buyers are as bad as the thiefs.
That's really sad. I used to complain that I couldn't get anything for scrap metal. I got more in the 70's than it's worth now. I just take it out with the garbage and let the city sell it for themselves, not worth the 1/2 mile drive for small amounts. I guess I should be happy it's not worth a lot.
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Fred_M
Back in the late 60's some guys from the Chicago area stole all the brass out of a string of cars setting on the Penn Central yard in Logansport, IN. The cars were pulled before anyone knew and all the trucks and wheelsets were damaged. The men were caught after selling some cast brass igots to a Chicago area salvage yard. The men had melted them down at home in a ceramics kiln and poured them into home made sand molds.
So this is not a new type of crime. I have read on other forums how railfans remove signs, spikes, switch stands, doors, ticket counters, anything they can get their hands on and think it's OK because the "railroad wasn't using it" or "I only took 1", or "nobody will miss it", or my favorite" I would ask, but they always say no everytime someone asks, so i just took it because it's unreasonable for them to say no I can't have it". So this also isn't something that happens "over there". Stealing is stealing wheather it be a piece of ballast stone or a locomotive. I would like to say I'm shocked, but I'm not. People steal out of my store all the time. They steal mostly $10 software and $8 mice. I have also lost hard drives, memory, cpus, expensive stuff I no longer can afford to put on the shelf but have to keep in a controlled access area. I heard the local Walmart manager say one day he looses 2 to 3% of his inventory to "shrinkage" which is a pretty way to say theft.
Please don't steal, even a piece of ballast. FRED
So this is not a new type of crime. I have read on other forums how railfans remove signs, spikes, switch stands, doors, ticket counters, anything they can get their hands on and think it's OK because the "railroad wasn't using it" or "I only took 1", or "nobody will miss it", or my favorite" I would ask, but they always say no everytime someone asks, so i just took it because it's unreasonable for them to say no I can't have it". So this also isn't something that happens "over there". Stealing is stealing wheather it be a piece of ballast stone or a locomotive. I would like to say I'm shocked, but I'm not. People steal out of my store all the time. They steal mostly $10 software and $8 mice. I have also lost hard drives, memory, cpus, expensive stuff I no longer can afford to put on the shelf but have to keep in a controlled access area. I heard the local Walmart manager say one day he looses 2 to 3% of his inventory to "shrinkage" which is a pretty way to say theft.
Please don't steal, even a piece of ballast. FRED
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Fred_M
On the flip of that jon, since it has little value the theives have to steal big things (like locomotives and bridges) to make it worthwhile. FRED
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philip
oops off topic.........copper flashing
At one time copper roof flashing was a easy choice for robbers in this neck of the woods. Off high rise buildings. No one even realized until water started leaking in.
At one time copper roof flashing was a easy choice for robbers in this neck of the woods. Off high rise buildings. No one even realized until water started leaking in.
I remember in '79 seeing a security guard armed with a shotgun necessary to keep theives from stealing copper piping on a construction project I was associated with. Then my father and brother, as firemen, had to deal with hydrants whose cap nuts had been cut off for the value of the scrap bronze. But a whole loco...?!
Our Housing Authority had to chance to Steel Storm Doors - because people were stealing them at night and selling them for the aluminum. The Wal-Mart across the street from me allows for $200,000.00 per year "shrinkage" 
Also in answer to dash10's post - There is a story about the grand canyon, that everybody wants to "just toss One stone in" to see how long it will take to hit bottom. Some college did a study (Dont they always) and found that if everyone "just tossed one in" in 50 years it would be 1/2 full
Don't know if it's true or not
Also in answer to dash10's post - There is a story about the grand canyon, that everybody wants to "just toss One stone in" to see how long it will take to hit bottom. Some college did a study (Dont they always) and found that if everyone "just tossed one in" in 50 years it would be 1/2 full
Don't know if it's true or not
That is pretty sad...On the HVRR we have to hide the marker lights so that they don't get stolen, not that they would use those as scrap metal, but it is along the lines of people stealing. One of the boiler plates was stolen from one of the steamers quite some time ago and was found on ebay. We tried getting it back but they wouldn't part with it unless we were willing to pay the hefty price tag for it. It is sad what the world has come to these days.
Freelancer
Freelancer
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Fred_M
I'm sorry freelancer, but it's not really "these days". Stealing is as old as life. The 10 comandments have a passage which reads "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods" which show this has been a problem for a while now. We always tend to think that the time we live in is the worst or best of times. My dad said I was immoral and worthless, just like his dad did. But really, the next generation is . I'm 45 so you readers that are 60-70 think I'm low in values, and the kids think I'm an old fool. FRED
. I'm 45 so you readers that are 60-70 think I'm low in values, and the kids think I'm an old fool. FREDA "blurb" in our local paper lists things from 100, 50, 25 and 10 years ago. In todays colume, they said that 100 years ago someone was robbed in broad daylight by an assailant that punched him & kicked him after he was knocked down. Someone came to his aid, so the thief didn't get any money.
Robbery
I am no longer surprised at what I read about how people steal anything they can get hold of. Immediately after retirement from the USMC, I took a job as Sgt on a security force for a power plant which was in the midst of changing from coal to oil. COPPER TUBING!!! At the time copper was selling for over $1 per lb. and I had confrontations (some armed) over taking tubing from the job site. I picked a guy out of a line checking out for the night and had him open his lunch pail. He had about 10 lbs of screws, nuts and bolts in it. As he dumped them out he asked me, "How did you know?" I smiled and said real loud, "I've got spies everywhere." You wouldn't believe at how fast the percentage of "shrinkage" dropped.
We also have had a Wal-mart in this area MOVE because of the stealing. It didn't do any good. The thieves just moved with them.
JR
I am no longer surprised at what I read about how people steal anything they can get hold of. Immediately after retirement from the USMC, I took a job as Sgt on a security force for a power plant which was in the midst of changing from coal to oil. COPPER TUBING!!! At the time copper was selling for over $1 per lb. and I had confrontations (some armed) over taking tubing from the job site. I picked a guy out of a line checking out for the night and had him open his lunch pail. He had about 10 lbs of screws, nuts and bolts in it. As he dumped them out he asked me, "How did you know?" I smiled and said real loud, "I've got spies everywhere." You wouldn't believe at how fast the percentage of "shrinkage" dropped.
We also have had a Wal-mart in this area MOVE because of the stealing. It didn't do any good. The thieves just moved with them.
JR
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Fred_M
Where I use to work there was this guy who was leaving work one cold winter day an as he walked by the guard shack they noticed he had a hose dragging behind him. The stopped him and upon opening his coat the discovered he had wound new 1/2 bulk air hose around his body and it had came loose. He was a portly man of 300 or so pound and when they unwrapped him they were amazed to find he had over 500 feet of air hose padding under his parka. When asked why he was taking it he stated he had got a new compressor from WalMart and the hose was too short to reach the back tires of his truck. The supervisor asked him just how long his %^&$ truck was? That outburst by the supervisor saved the theif his job and got the supervisor fired for verbal abuse. It still makes me mad every time I think about it, and I never did get an answer to how long his ^%$# truck was. FRED
My kid brother had a computer/gaming store and lost his front window and some nice toys to a smash and grab. He got his pal to make him a steel bar window cover to theft proof the store at night.
Being a good pal he put some effort into it and built a very attractive grille work with curly cues and such. Yup, my bro' arrived at his store to find someone had stolen his window bars.
Being a good pal he put some effort into it and built a very attractive grille work with curly cues and such. Yup, my bro' arrived at his store to find someone had stolen his window bars.
In my city, the Parks & Gardens service use to plant fresh flowers each spring. They were stunned when discovered that lots of them were predated by charming grannies soon after planted.
You know, maybe each granny thinked: "sure, nobody will miss this tiny violet, and it will look great at my window".
Now, the Parks & Gardens service buys extra quantity of plants and give the surplus for free to the elderly people each spring, just after planting the public gardens. It seems to work.
For me, this shows that the elders not always are better mannered that the youngsters. What world.
You know, maybe each granny thinked: "sure, nobody will miss this tiny violet, and it will look great at my window".
Now, the Parks & Gardens service buys extra quantity of plants and give the surplus for free to the elderly people each spring, just after planting the public gardens. It seems to work.
For me, this shows that the elders not always are better mannered that the youngsters. What world.
They did all that stealing for $3700?!? And then they cut off a poor local town?!? I feel sad for those townspeople. :cry:
fifer
Active Member
Mexico Bandits
When I worked in Sunland Park NM , we were doing a Fiber Optic job from Sunland Park to the new boarder crossing ( about a 3 mi stretch) . The fiber followed a wood high voltage line to the boarder and the boarder crossing buildings. As we approched the line early in the AM to splice we noticed from the distance that something was amiss. As we got closer we found that during the night bandits had come accross and removed every other H Fixture with a bucket truck and chainsaws for about 2 mi.
They cut the poles at the ground and just below the X braces at the top. The high line in between was now about 20' from the ground in the cut midspans. I guess to some thieves life is not important. We have also had Fiber reels stolen and burned , to the dismay of the robbers there was no copper to be had.
Mike
When I worked in Sunland Park NM , we were doing a Fiber Optic job from Sunland Park to the new boarder crossing ( about a 3 mi stretch) . The fiber followed a wood high voltage line to the boarder and the boarder crossing buildings. As we approched the line early in the AM to splice we noticed from the distance that something was amiss. As we got closer we found that during the night bandits had come accross and removed every other H Fixture with a bucket truck and chainsaws for about 2 mi.
They cut the poles at the ground and just below the X braces at the top. The high line in between was now about 20' from the ground in the cut midspans. I guess to some thieves life is not important. We have also had Fiber reels stolen and burned , to the dismay of the robbers there was no copper to be had.
Mike
