History many not repeat, but it sure does rhyme.

Note the coordination and sophistication involved.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/train-robber ... 10142.html

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lif ... ngNewsSerp

My more suspicious side thinks this may be a diversionary attack, that the target is something other than Air Jordans, but concentrating on shows is meant to test the attack vector while appearing to be focused only on shoes.

Breaking into containers has been going on for decades. IIRC, the two hot spots are or were just west of El Paso and the joint line coming up out of the Port of LA. Sometime random containers, sometimes targeted.

Yup, It's just not usually virally reported.

This happens frequently around Baltimore, Md. Whenever we moved a PV through Baltimore we always assigned two escort officers and gave them both 12 gauge shotguns to show prominently on the exterior to discourage the natives from coming any closer. It worked.

I'm told that things are worse there now with several neighborhoods near the CSX main that are " no-go " areas at night even for the cops who will only go in them after dark with at least 2 additional back up officers.

Sad but true. Ross Rowland

The only rail transportation I have seen that discouraged theft was the NS Triple Crown road-railers. When they were assembled into a train there wasn't sufficient room between trailers for the doors to be opened on any trailer other than the rear trailer in the train.

Images like this have been around for years....

This is nothing new, happens LITERALLY every day... Memphis is particularly bad, I know our special agents stay busy there.

Which area? Bel air Road to Edison highway?

Back in the 70's (1970's) My Dad ran TV/TOFC trains from Buffalo to Syracuse on the PC/Conrail.

On the West Side of Rochester NY was an interlocking where trains frequently got held while the Dispatcher's routed things around/through Rochester Yard, etc.

The locals learned to close the angle cocks while the train was stopped, then when the train got a clear they broke apart.

Train Crews where not allowed to go out and hook things back together. They had a "Flying Squad" of guys in trucks that would go on the ground with Police escort and put the train back together.

Eventually they started loading the TOFC trailers with the doors facing each other so you could only open the door a foot or so.

Could easily do the same thing with upper containers in well cars but I don't think the cranes at the ports are equipped for that. Probably cheaper to eat the losses than retrofit the cranes.

And the Dispatchers were ordered not to stop the TOFC trains in that neighborhood if possible.

Yep, old problem Cheers, Kevin

A guy I met at Navy bootcamp was from Baltimore. He learned I liked trains and told me how he and some neighborhood guys liked trains. He then explained they like to steal from UPS trailers but would open any trailer if conditions were right. UPS trailers often had guns and other valuables. The best heist was....wait for it....pampers. All the babies needed diapers, mothers could buy them at a discount, and they moved quick!

That's completely made up there's no areas in Baltimore that are no go. The csx police patrol the Baltimore terminal subdivision solo almost every shift rarely with backup.


I'm also questioning the truthfulness of having armed people on PV. Heck the ICS moved are patrolled by the railroad police but they sure aren't waving a shotgun around.

Yup they hit the ups train hard.

Particularly Leonard Edwards, you could always tell when he wasn't locked up cause the theft would drop, I remember going on the raid to his apartment and watching Baltimore City police smash his door in with their ram that left an impression that read BCPD SWAT on the door

I remember reading stories about the Conrail Boyz attacking trains in Northern NJ in the early 2000's:

https://nypost.com/2003/07/11/end-of-li ... -rob-gang/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/conrail-bo ... ht-trains/


And apparently back in 1977 too:
https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/28/arch ... earny.html


And I think there were posts on here about some dangerous part of New York where the Engineers and Conductors knew that people would be attacking their train to get it to stop and raid the containers.

I can't believe what the country I grew up in has become!
Maybe our military could stay active and gain training taking out gangs and stuff like this. The justice system doesn't seem to work.
In California, you can shoplift up to $900 and skate on it. Where do we go from here?
There are areas around here that aren't fit for humans after dark. East St. Louis, IL isn't safe for train crews and I'm sure any big city has the same set of conditions and areas.
How sad!

You do realize that many of the stories being told above are over 20 years old, right?

It's always been this way. You're just an adult with access to news and information now.