Have heard credible reports that property crimes against businesses have spiked because of the pandemic. The bad guys know two things: Authorities are concentrating their efforts on suppressing the spread of the virus, and thousands of first responders are either in quarantine or out sick. Some have taken this as a green light to burgle with impunity. Your tourist railroad, museum, hobby shop, or model railroad club of whatever scale, may have taken on more attraction to the wrong elements at this time. I'm especially thinking about trolley/streetcar museums, with miles of valuable overhead copper lines running through isolated areas, now not energized as a deterrent against theft. I have read numerous press releases stating that such facilities are closed to all, including staff and volunteers, and I've got to say, that to those inclined to larceny it sounds like you've sounded the dinner bell to "come and get it". Would suggest having a rotating patrol of volunteers to at least drive by your facility on a regular basis to make sure all is well for the day we can all return to our avocations.

We have had a) vandalism and b) theft since the quarantine here in Denmark. It is just a reality that all kinds of people have a) time on their hands and no where to go and b) no work (although we have really great unemployment and social benefits - some people still take the easy path).

We spent a whole day at a scrap yard last week looking for our stolen bronze. We called all the scrap yards, and one identified a part, after they had already been dumped in the pile. We had to dig through the pile to find our rod bearings. It is amazing in this modern age the odd bronze parts that still can be found at the scrap yard. Lots of steam and Victorian stuff.

The sole remaining scrap dealer here in town came by my shop to buy a steam whistle of mine he'd been drooling over for years. I finally broke down and sold it to him. It was an 8" Lunkenheimer fire alarm type whistle.

Anyhow, I told him that I was gonna load up a bunch of scrap and bring it out cause I wanted to clean up around the place.

He said "well, if it isn't heavy and cut to size, don't bother." He said if it wasn't for a foundry in a town close by, he would be up the creek because his normal buyer wasn't taking any! He says that he won't take tin and appliances and stuff like that.

I didn't ask him what non-ferrous was bringing.

What does seem to be in big demand are catalytic converters from autos. The "Facebook Marketplace" pages are loaded with guys wanting to buy your converters. I know guys who buy and sell them.. just regular guys with a place to go with them.. and they're talking hundreds of dollars for items out of some foreign autos! Some are worth more than others, depending on what make and model car they come out of.
A friend of mine buys junk autos... and only if the cat's are still in them. Give a hundred for a car, cut the cat out and make all his money back, and only get trifling amount for the rest of the car, but it pays for hauling it to the salvage yard.

A friend with a Toyota pickup had his Cat converter stolen while it was parked in front of his house. He then bought a used one and wondered if he bought his back!

I can't help it -- I've got a story to tell.

My brother has a 1950 Cadillac Fleetwood. He is the third owner; first was a great-aunt of our mother, then a cousin of our grandmother. When the second owner died my brother was in college (about 1971-2) and asked our mother to find out what the widow was going to do with it -- he wanted the car. Mom fronted the $400 to buy the car; the widow was happy that the car would remain in "the family."

Later while working at a summer job, between school sessions, my brother had the wheel-well covers stolen; a year or two later he sees a set advertised in an advertiser and buys the set. When they arrived they were the same faded green as the car!

By the way, my brother still drives the car for special occasions; otherwise it is the garage behind the house.

A 1950 Fleetwood!

He should visit Perris and have it photographed with Red Cars (and Yellow Cars)

Phil Mulligan

Phil,
Yes, with the tailfins the light assembly that swings out of the way for filling the car and vacuum powered antenna.
I don't know why I never thought of that! It is a now painted a dark green (maybe the original color).

Its still worth it to get out to those facilities on a regular basis to maintain a presence. Designate someone to visit at least once a day. We are only a danger to others when others are around so do it singly. Doing some volunteer work that does not require a crew is a good way to pass the time as well as keep watch over our priceless collections.

Every day I drive over to YSH, close the gate behind me and work on a huge backlog of projects. That isn't going to change. But I now make sure to close and lock the gate so that someone who is not taking this seriously doesn't just stop by to BS.

There is no need to compound the health and economic problems with vandalism/theft problems right now.

I think Rick's idea makes perfect sense, actually more than one person could be working if they are working far apart (Ie, one person in shop, one person out on the line). However the board managing the theatre where I am a volunteer installing a theatre organ has a policy that NO ONE will be in the building. There's a lot of unfinished projects I could be doing by myself inside a locked building, but nope, NO access. Recently the city, who still owns the building, is repairing some accident damage on the building and wanted some special decorative wood I had stored (just in case some got damaged) in the building. All I can do is tell them where I believe it is, as although I still have keys & codes, there has to be a designated person there to "oversee my activity"--a year ago, I was the designated person, but that was a year ago.

We have one staff member take a tour of the line on the speeder a couple of times a week.. He is a allowed in the shop but not into the office.... My assistant gets our shared office... as his, solo... He walks the property 2-3 times a day. I work from home but drive over 3x a week, either to pick up paperwork but also to patrol... including using some fire roads to get access to most of the railroad. I have a couple of large dogs (70 lb) one a puppy... I let them run in the 20 acre fenced "boneyard"...

We have had three homeless encampments set up... Our local police and public works have been good about breaking them up... even providing a truck and driver to move them to a formal space. We are seeing lots of walkers out on the right of way... We say hi from a distance... They know we are present... We find lots of visitors walking the museum grounds, respectfully... many a mother and child, regulars... So, we make a point of being about, and being seen, while being safe...