Is theft from the railcars a big problem?

Question

I've heard stories of people "breaking a train in half" and looting the cars when they stop rolling. How is this possible if the train is moving (is it done when there is slack on the couplers?) Is theft a big problem on the rails in some places? What do these a$$es just randomly pop open cars and containers hoping to find one with electronics or something??? I imagine in places where this goes on it doesn't make for friendly security people when railfanning.

Answer 1

Yup, still is. They hit the cars when they are in the yard. TVs and basketball shoes are the big ticket.

Answer 2

It has always been a major problem around big cities that have a never ending supply of intermodal traffic passing through.

There was a local into Watts that got hazardous duty pay.

It is a simple matter for someone to pull the pin on any train that is stopped when the slack is not stretched tight, which will prohibit uncoupling.  When desiring to uncouple, a trainman will ask the engineer for "a pin."  The engineer will back slowly, just enough to relieve strain on the coupler, allowing the pin to be lifted to uncouple.

They don't vandalize and burglarize only when the train is standing.  Riding along, they'll cut the seal on a van door and help themselves to the contents, sometimes with someone trying to follow in an automobile to pick up the unbreakables tossed off while the train is in motion, or off load at another stop in a siding somewhere.

I am assuming a general lack of railroad police across the nation.  You only find one every two hundred miles or so around this neck of the woods.  But, when it was thought a good idea to have railroad police on the payroll, if an intermodal shipment had to be set out on line for repairs, the police department would babysit the car until car department personnel arrived to effect repairs.

Penalties vary from state to state.  In one place, it may be a class A misdemeanor, but in California, it is burglary and carries a hefty prison sentence if convicted.

Automobiles have become quite secure in shipment.  When there were open tri-levels and bi-levels, the thieves would remove what they wanted, tossed it off and came back later and picked it up.  There was no way to determine when or where the theft occurred, as it wasn't discovered until the cars were delivered.

Though security measures as far as car seals and other anti-theft measures are better than they once were, the pilferage and vandalism is still a problem.

Answer 3

It a bid problem in Texas where stopped trains are looted and the gang head back across the boarded.

PS- I know where they park boxcars full of beer on a side track in SC.

Answer 4

This used to be a bigger problem than it is - on the East coast, there used to be a big group that called themselves "The Conrail Boys" that would do this.  They would roll old wheels and tires downhill at a railroad track that had a train going over it.  If they were lucky (and if you had enough tires you would get lucky fairly often). they would either hit a cut lever or break an air hose, causing the train to go into an emergency stop.  When that happened, they would then run like a well oiled machine, with teams of unloaders and vehicles ready to strip a container or boxcar of its contents in minutes.  Obviously, they had to have inside help to make sure they got a car full of good stuff - it's no good to have a huge group[ like this and get a car full of insulation or cat-litter or something.  The Conrail Boys are no more, but you never know...

Answer 5

When I worked in Chicago, I would notice empty boxes along the rails that had been looted out of containers andother cars.  Honda lawnmowers were the product sticking out in my mind.  This was at 80th St. where the UP (ex C&EI/C&WI) joined the Belt RR of Chicago.  Farther north on the ex- C&NW there were highway guarrails sticking straight up and down next to each other forming a fence next to a housing project.  This was to keep the locals from shopping in the cars.  Yes.  Its still a problem.

Answer 6

Well, it's not as big a problem as it used to be, but I think it still does happen occasionally.

Answer 7

Apparently not.  Do you ever remember a news broadcast starting "Train robbery, our lead story tonight" or seeing a story about it in the newspaper?  Me neither.

Answer 8

It all depends on what you call a big problem...Railway theft occurs everyday.  As trains are uncoupled and left on a spur, waiting for a train heading in another direction, box cars are broken into.... Normally it is a random act, someone hoping that they will "get lucky".  A boxcar full of electronics, car parts, high end items.  Most of the time, what they run across is "junk" as far as value.  Brake drums for a front end loader...Expensive, but to d**n heavy to carry...

Occasionally, they will have "insider information".  One boxcar out of 60 that has the "valuable" items in it..

Something that most people don't think about, when it comes to theft, that the Railroad industry is facing...Lights, Signals and the copper wiring that is used to power them... The copper wiring for its scrap value, and a big collector market for the lights and signals...

And the reason that you don't hear about it..The thefts normally happen in  the yards  of small country towns.  Local paper, no local t.v. or radio...Real slow news day, somebody may pick it up, but, that is seldom