Today's Scrap Theft Victims: Reading RR Museum, Hamburg, Pa.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2020 10:50 am

But at least this time most of them were apprehended, for what little that proves to be worth:

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/3- ... 97aba.html

Quote:

HAMBURG, Pa. - Three men were caught when they returned to a popular railroad museum to steal more metal, according to the police.

Kurt Webber of Palmyra, Lebanon County; David Hartman, of Bethel; and Eric Reppert, of Fredericksburg, were arrested after the police said they tried to steal copper, aluminum, and battery materials near the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum.

"This initially started out in the early hours Saturday morning with one of the officers receiving a call that there was a break-in at the Blue Mountain Train Museum on South Third Street in Hamburg,” said Hamburg Police Chief Anthony Kuklinski.

Reading and Northern Railroad police sent out images of missing materials to area scrap yards.

A patrol early Monday morning prompted by the reports led to the arrest of the individuals outside the museum, but not before the railroad police gave chase and Hamburg police were brought in to assist.

Damage estimates are rising.

“As the victims go through the equipment that’s down there they’re finding thousands, actually closer to hundreds of thousands, of dollars worth of damage as a result of individuals in there stealing scrap metal from them,” Kuklinski said

According to police, employees at Laurel Street Recyclers in Reading recognized the stolen items and alerted authorities.

More at the link.

jrevans · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:39 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

But at least this time most of them were apprehended, for what little that proves to be worth:

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/3- ... 97aba.html

I live in the area and am a RCT&HS member, so I was really saddened when I received the WFMZ alert about the theft today. The guy interviewed made some confusing statements regarding the "Blue Mountain" museum. I wonder if the R&N facility next to the RCT&HS was also hit? I dread to hear of what was taken, especially with regards to traction motor cables. :(

Arrested or not, we know that they won't have to repay the actual replacement costs.

Yenko Stinger · **Joined:** Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:18 pm **Posts:** 21

Would/could this be considered a federal offense due to being on railroad property?

jayrod · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2020 4:15 pm

Yenko Stinger wrote:

Would/could this be considered a federal offense due to being on railroad property?

Nope. Grand theft doesn’t generally qualify as a federal offense. They’d be prosecuted at the state level. What degree of theft depends on the value of stuff taken.

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:00 pm

Given the amount the Police Officer was describing, this should amount to a felony under PA law. Now to get the County DA to charge them with a felony.

Kudos to the scraopyard for reporting the material.

Phil Mulligan

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

The RCT&HS MP&RE (motive power and rolling equipment) facebook page doesn't have anything about thefts/vandalism, and they just posted yesterday: https://www.facebook.com/RCTHS-MPRE-151 ... sYEmSo7aTy

They have some neat stuff there, and I too worry about traction motor cables ($10 Grand or so, rare units have been scrapped because cretins have stolen the traction motor cables).

jrevans · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2020 11:10 pm

The article itself is confusing as to who was hit, the R&N or the RCT&HS, and the R&N have their Hamburg shop next to the RCT&HS, and the article says R&N Railroad Police were involved.

Quote:

...were arrested after the police said they tried to steal copper, aluminum, and battery materials near the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum.

Quote:

Reading and Northern Railroad police sent out images of missing materials to area scrap yards.

Quote:

A patrol early Monday morning prompted by the reports led to the arrest of the individuals outside the museum, but not before the railroad police gave chase and Hamburg police were brought in to assist.

Unfortunately it probably was the museum. :(

nedsn3 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:25 am

When I worked on the Elk River RR we lost 1 1/2 miles of 110RE joint bars to theft. None of the local junk yards would admit to having bought them, nor did any locals admit to seeing the thieves at work.

RDGRAILFAN · **Posted:** Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 am

https://www.berksmontnews.com/news/3-me ... 951f4.html

Link to better explanation of the events, not very smart people!

jrevans · **Posted:** Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:31 am

I read on Facebook that it was indeed the RCT&HS museum that was hit. Here are some of the details from there:

Mike Huber wrote:

They got copper tubing from one of our RDCs and traction motors cables were either removed or cut from 3 locomotives, an mu, and a slug. Cut into small pieces and stripped of insulation.. Even if we do get it back we can't do anything with it.

Mike Huber wrote:

Fortunately they didn't hit any of our operable or close to operable locomotives. 103, 3412, 2719, 5308, 5513 and 621 are unhurt. The previous batch of thieves did cut a traction motor cable on 5204. But left it when they realized it was aluminum. 6300 had cables cut but not taken. Was missing cables since I've been a member.

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

jrevans wrote:

I read on Facebook that it was indeed the RCT&HS museum that was hit. Here are some of the details from there:

Mike Huber wrote:

Fortunately they didn't hit any of our operable or close to operable locomotives. 103, 3412, 2719, 5308, 5513 and 621 are unhurt. The previous batch of thieves did cut a traction motor cable on 5204. But left it when they realized it was aluminum. 6300 had cables cut but not taken. Was missing cables since I've been a member.

Crap. They have one of the two last existing US built FM Trainmaster's there, cut down to a slug by NS, I wonder if it escaped. It's a long way from ever being restored (originally a Wabash unit) but having the traction motor cables stolen wouldn't help.

jrevans · **Posted:** Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:40 pm

PMC wrote:

Crap. They have one of the two last existing US built FM Trainmaster's there, cut down to a slug by NS, I wonder if it escaped. It's a long way from ever being restored (originally a Wabash unit) but having the traction motor cables stolen wouldn't help.

Unfortunately, Mike said that one of the units hit was a slug, and I'm pretty sure the only slug that we have is the ex-NS slug #9905.

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

jrevans wrote:

Unfortunately, Mike said that one of the units hit was a slug, and I'm pretty sure the only slug that we have is the ex-NS slug #9905.

I was afraid of that. It seems like every meth head in the country knows about traction motor cable value. I wish there was a solution to thefts, perhaps embed something poisonous or radioactive in them that only is released when cut? J/K, but it is a serious problem. And I'll bet these losers don't have incomes or anything that could be used to pay restitution.

Tom F · **Joined:** Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:04 pm **Posts:** 314

PMC wrote:

jrevans wrote:

Unfortunately, Mike said that one of the units hit was a slug, and I'm pretty sure the only slug that we have is the ex-NS slug #9905.

I was afraid of that. It seems like every meth head in the country knows about traction motor cable value. I wish there was a solution to thefts, perhaps embed something poisonous or radioactive in them that only is released when cut? J/K, but it is a serious problem. And I'll bet these losers don't have incomes or anything that could be used to pay restitution.

The good thing about problems like this theft, is you can start a Go fund me and usually pay off all the repairs and a lot more. I remember the power companies started having their larger wires printed with "property of (name here) sale of this wire illegal". It was a excellent deterrent as if the scrap yard had it in their possession they were caught red handed. If this was a ongoing problem covering the cables through stainless steel sheathing would prevent cutting, although not sure if that would be allowed for traction motor cables
http://www.delta3n.hu/en/connector-kits ... thing.html

p51 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:14 pm

Theft, I've noticed, is not a big focus of the courts in regard to righting the wrongs, that I've ever seen. Too many friends of mine have bene stolen from, only to have the (often minor) thieves caught and have them walk away without any restitution at all. One parent laughed at a friend of mine over his kid walking away with no issues, just probation. My friend got the last laugh when he sued the father and got it back. It took forever and was a royal pain, but worth it to him in a "what's right is right" way.

PMC wrote:

I wish there was a solution to thefts, perhaps embed something poisonous or radioactive in them that only is released when cut? J/K

I know you were kidding, but even if you did that, the family would sue you once they realized you made such a thing possible only as a deterrent.
And they'd win.