Australia's Disappearing / Stolen Railroad Bridges (Historical RR trestles)

[krump]

I've intended to post this topic for about two weeks:

Recently on the local radio I listened with great interest and amazement to a discussion / interview about the 12 stolen railroad bridges (so far) of the 200 that exist throughout Australia. The interviewee was on the phone from Australia - I believe from the Historical Railroad Society ??? - and indicated that these dozen or so (previously used) RR bridges have been secretly removed from the back country, in the middle of the night. The bridges were taken apparently for 1) scrap metal purposes 2) personal use for fabricating 3) private bridges over a pond or ? on personal property or 4) other...
- these bridges are from the 1880's and 1890's, from deserted tracks
- as I recall, they had covered stretches of land from 20 ft to more than 100 ft
- it is believed that the shorter / smaller bridges were simple enouph to remove that it could be done simply, quickly, and hauled away with any truck ...
[V][V][V][V][V]
but really - how could this occur more than once?
simply baffling????
the fact that the 12 or so have been reported stolen, tells me that they have not been sold

[lupo]

maybe they will end up as scrap somewhere, would be a waiste for these historical items. I read a story about a city in some third world country where lots of manhole covers were stolen, prob/ for scrapmetal
or;
maybe someone is stealing his own railroad together, I read a report the other day that in Finland a large piece of tracks dissapeared overnight.

[railman]

just when you think that they can't steal anything else...

[Anonymous]

I seem to remember something about this on CBC radio "As it Happens" program.
These people are in fact stealing history. They will never be replaced.

[Anonymous]

im from Australia... never heard about this???

[krump]

QUOTE: Originally posted by luct

I seem to remember something about this on CBC radio "As it Happens" program.
These people are in fact stealing history. They will never be replaced.

... you're probably referring to the same program that I was listening too ... I though that program was called "HOW'd it Happen? [:D][:D][:D]
- my brother is in Australia, but he's not into trains so perhaps he's heard nothing about it either. Think I'll email him

http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/17/wbrid17.xml

it's a link to the story

[M636C]

I haven't heard of this problem here in Australia! However, more than thirty years ago I was told that the radiator cores were stolen from a locomotive shut down overnight in a remote branch line terminus in Queensland.

Peter

[Anonymous]

Things like this sicken me!

In February, the trains.com newswire had a story about metal theives stealing an 0-4-0T from a Ukrainian railway museum. A group of lowlifes came to the museum at night with a big crane and truck and forged permits to move the engine. The locomotive was found the next day cut into pieces in a scrapyard. This wasn't just any old tank engine, though-it was the first locomotive ever built in the Ukraine in 1924! Aparently metal thieves are a huge problem in the Ukraine.

Here's a before and after picture of the engine.