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20 boxes of fro]en pigs' feet taken in train heist

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20 boxes of fro]en pigs' feet taken in train heist
Posted by rdamon on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:09 PM

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/state/story/20-boxes-of-frozen-pigs-feet-taken-in-train-heist/MozE_YQMOk2qOus6LJXoOQ.cspx?rss=154

20 boxes of fro]en pigs' feet taken in train heist

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (AP) ² Train robbers have broken into a rail car and carted off 20 boxes of frozen pigs' feet during a Southern California desert stop.

Union Pacific Railroad spokesman Aaron Hunt tells the Victorville Daily Press that the thieves probably didn't know what was in the rail car when they broke into it Friday night.

It wasn't a lucrative heist: The entire haul was worth about $200.

Hunt says the theft was discovered when the freight train made an emergency stop near Victorville, about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Hunt says authorities are investigating why the train initiated emergency stop procedures.

A train can make an emergency stop for various reasons, including if the crew sees something on the tracks ahead of them or if one of the rail cars has a braking problem

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:37 PM

Frozen pigs feet?  Well, it sure wasn't  Al Queda.

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Posted by edbenton on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:59 PM

Hopefully no one is wanting to make Pickeled Pigs feet on the other end of that trip.  Could have been worse it could havve been worse could have been Hog Jowels.

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 6:06 PM

I thought pork products were against the Muslim faith.

Firelock76

Frozen pigs feet?  Well, it sure wasn't  Al Queda.

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 6:41 PM

Things that make you go, "Huh?"

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Posted by locomutt on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 7:03 PM

"Got Cabbage?"

Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!

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Posted by MikeF90 on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 7:15 PM

Since the train was southbound, the thieves probably got on in Barstow or Yermo.

Probably local Meth heads without a clue.

http://www.highdesert.com/news/frozen-30985-vvdailypress-pigs-rob.html

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Posted by MikeFF on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 7:15 PM

And, Pilsner?

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 8:14 PM

Pork products ARE against the Muslim faith, hence my supposition it wasn't an Al Queda caper.   Wonder where the railroad bulls were?  Out chasing photographers?

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Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 9:12 PM

All they need now is some dirty rice and jambalaya...

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Posted by samfp1943 on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 9:26 PM

PirateThat much pigs feet in cases will sure Chefsweeten a whole mess of Pintos and Onions! Dinner

The gas aloneCrying would enough to  blow the thieves cover.LaughLaughWhistling

 

 


 

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 11:41 PM

With a haul like that, they certainly won't be "eatin' high on the hog"!

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20 boxes of frozen pigs' feet taken in train heist
Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 6:47 AM

Lets be logical. Victorville? This is just stocking up for the new Desert Express trains. They will be aged properly by time train service starts?

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Posted by zardoz on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 9:52 AM

I wonder if any of the thieves will 'squeal' on each other.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 12:52 PM

I wonder what the thieves thought they were going to find.

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Posted by kolechovski on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 1:52 PM

I assume the emergency stop was intentially set by the robbers, especially since it was such a stop.  They likely had gotten on a some yard just prior.  I wonder what was in the other cars.  Maybe they simply counted wrong and opened the wrong car.

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 5:27 PM

Either those boxes are not very big, or that cargo is pretty low value - for $10 a box, I wonder why the pig's feet needed to be shipped at intermodal rates ?

Many funny comments above (Ed Blysard's being my favorite).  Laugh

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 5:56 PM

Back in the early sixties, I was offered some pickled pig's feet. To be polite, I ate one or two. I have eaten none since, even though it is possible to buy them in stores around here.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 8:19 PM

Paul_D_North_Jr

Either those boxes are not very big, or that cargo is pretty low value - for $10 a box, I wonder why the pig's feet needed to be shipped at intermodal rates ?

Many funny comments above (Ed Blysard's being my favorite).  Laugh

- Paul North. 

Was it a container or reefer broken into?  All the on-line sites I've looked at (Can't get the original link to open) just say a UP rail car.  I've just assumed it was a mechanical reefer.

I'd imagine the boxes were in the 10-15 lbs range, the exact weight of each box varying.  If shipped in the big bulk boxes, you'ld need a fork lift to move them.  I worked for three and a half years for IBP (now Tyson) at their Perry, IA pork plant.  For the first six months, my job there was cutting off the hind feet and tail on the disassembly line.  After that I got the job doing the plant inventory.  Boxes of meat were of different sizes depending on product.  IIRC, about 25 lbs was the heaviest for being handled manually.  At that plant the less desirable parts (like pig's feet and ears) usually went to the freezer, operated by an IBP subsidiary.  The conveyer line however went through the fresh meat storage area and once in a while I'd find a box on the floor or there might be an order for a few boxes and they'ld be taken off the line and placed on a pallet.   

While IBP only shipped meat by truck, the freezer operation did ship by rail.  After going to work for the UP, I caught the Perry way freight a few times and switched the plant.  IBP was the only "regular" customer on the line and switched (usually) once a week.  Most of the line has since been abandoned.

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Posted by ericsp on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 9:58 PM

jeffhergert

I wonder what the thieves thought they were going to find.

Jeff   

Maybe they thought the reefer would contain some weed.

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Posted by rdamon on Thursday, November 3, 2011 9:54 AM

Here is another link ..  Not too much additional information, besides the info about the truck ..

 

http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles/frozen-30985-pigs-rob.html

 

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Posted by RRKen on Friday, November 4, 2011 7:31 PM

No part left unshipped.  You would be surprised what goes overseas via Oakland or Seattle.   Cloverleaf  ships the lion's share from this area.   One standard reefer can hold about 3000 boxes of pig "parts".   Don't ask, and I will not state specifics.

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Posted by edbenton on Saturday, November 5, 2011 8:11 AM

Trust me you would puke if you knew WYH I was hauling for Export to places like China Japan India Austrailla and other countries.  Or some of tthe things I hauled for animal food.  that Ipicked up in the ports. 

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Posted by kolechovski on Saturday, November 5, 2011 12:39 PM

I don't know.  Those pig rectums seem especially wanted by the Chinese.  If you were Chinese, I'd bet you'd be all stocked up on pig rectums. ; )

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