stolen train parts - Friends of Locomotive #35

As many of you know, we have been restoring an ex New Haven
Alco cab unit from the 1964 World's Fair. We are near completion of this project and our working on the interior. We had our first work session of 2006, yesterday, to find that the 26 XL Brakestand has been stolen. This unit is very heavy and is of no use to anyone other than a collector. It is an essential part of our project. As friends of the railroad community, we are asking that you keep your ears and eyes open and contact us.
Please pass this along. Thank you for your support.


Wayne Beers

Collector or other railway museum ?? the Alco's had 24RL brakestands , they are hard or impossible to get these days.
Museums and preservation groups need to secure their equipment better like horms , brakestands, bells etc.
Use different nuts, screws etc and make it difficult to steal the stuff, but as long as anything can be taken with a single 12" adjustable , you set yourselfs up for these events

I Know the Area Where the FA cab is and There was and or are still parts left out in the open for any one to take. If this peice was that important why wasn't it removed off sight by Fo35 members to store safely? Now the Museum Is short a Valuable peice for their restoration and mostlikely will cost them money they don't have to if lucky aquire a new one.
I hope this does not happen again and this be a lesson learned from leaveing valuable parts in the open. RMLI and the groups count you selfs in on this lesson.

I passed the area where the FO35 equipment is stored about a month ago and saw where the brake stand was-on the loading dock opposite the building. There would have to be more than one person who stole it because that is definitely not a one man job. The person would also need a pickup truck or van that could handle the size and weight of the brake stand. Did you check with the office buildings around that area? Could there possibly have been a camera that spotted the theft? I would check into that as fast as possible before the tapes are overwritten.

Good luck.

Joe

Thanks for the input on this, but lets not turn this into a typical railroad.net bashing forum. Yes, we could have secured this better, but hindsight is 20/20. This part actually sat there for 2 years with no problems and due to its weight it was left where it was. We moved it when necessary with a forklift . This is not a 1 person activity. The only reason I posted this here was due to the fact that the railroading community is relatively small and close knit and I was hoping someone might hear something or someone bragging about there find and let us know.

Thanks.


Wayne

Being both an avid railfan and collector as well as being in the structural steel industry, I have two things come to mind:

1. Specific theft by a collector
2. General theft for scrap metal

If it's as heavy as you say, and needs to be moved via forkllift, there's a lot of weight there at whatever the going rate for scrap steel is on LI at this time!!!! Lots of beer money for a couple of guys with a beat-up pick-up truck!!!!

Check around with all your local scrapyards. You may be lucky and get it back in one piece before they work at it with a torch or load it in a truck or gondola car headed for the recyclers!!!!!

It would be worth to "buy it back" showing proper identification to the scrap dealer in whose yard it may be found.

However, this COULD be a needle in a haystack based upon the immense quanity of scrap steel at some scrapyards with whom I've dealt in he past!!!

Worth a try . . . Do it fast . . . that stuff doesn't hang around the yard long and gets buried under newer stuff rather quickly!

Dave

Railfans are without a doubt the biggest junk collectors around. You would be amazed at the things I know some people have. However, in this case I don't think it's a collector. The scrap metal idea is possible but there's alot more metal stuff laying around the site that would be good for turning into razor blades and unless something else is missing, I don't think it's in a scrap yard. I think this theft was specifically aimed at this item by someone who needs it. There are many Alcos being restored these days . I don't think any reputable group would resort to theft. I't's likely a private owner. I would suggest posting about the theft on the Alco forum on this board. Also, contact the moderator of that board, Alcoman. He knows alot about what's going on with Alco restorations. The camera idea is a good one. The closest buildings that would likely have cameras are the IRS building and the Navy Exchange.

It's things like this that gives us a bad rep. But what bothers me more is all the finger pointing and name calling that's been going on lately, not just on this thread but the LIRR forum in general. I haven't been posting much here lately because I am tired of all the nonsense that I have to read through before getting to anything worthwhile. If you have nothing productive to contribute then keep your comments to yourself. And above all let's start showing some respect to others. If anyone has any information about this theft, please let someone know so 35 can get on with their work.

Wayne- sorry to hear about this latest theft of materials. Am I correct in assuming you are representing the Friends of 35 with your post? If people have information regarding the theft, can they contact you directly?

-otto-

yes thxs Otto my email is [click button below]

thxs wayne

Wayne, maybe check local scrap buyers and LIRR lists and maybe it will turn up? Have you ever had problem with theft there before?

bodhisattva

Just a note as the President of Friends of Locomotive #35 Inc. Thanks to all those who have offered suggestions and those who have passed our plea along to others. To those who have been critical of us and even claimed that we "set ourselves up" for such a crime, please do not criticize if you don't know the circumstances.

We, like many similar groups, work with very limited resources and a very small group of highly dedicated individuals, such as Wayne (exxcapt). We do the best we can with what little we have. The issues we face and hurdles we must overcome are far beyond anything any of us ever anticipated. Yet, for the love of history and the desire for preservation, we give up our weekends with our families, money from our pockets and spend countless hours on various tasks in unpleasant conditions with no guarantee of success. Criticism such as that given here previously only serves to further demoralize those who give so much and get so little in return.

To those critical of our efforts and of our methods, I offer the following:
1. If you don't know or understand why, ask.
2. If you have nothing positive to say, say nothing.
3. If you really want to help, do so. Get involved.

We, as well as all the railroad museums and historical groups here on Long Island, are in desperate need of active members, political support and financial assistance. It is always easy to stand by and criticize what is wrong. But if you really truly care, get involved and lend a hand!

If anyone wishes to criticize me or my organization, or if you simply have a question you would like answered, I welcome you to contact me directly at [email protected]. Meanwhile, let's keep the commentary positive and enjoyable for those who enjoy the reading!
Steve Torborg, President
Friends of Locomotive #35 Inc.