Railfan or thief?

[Anonymous]

I have a very largwe amount of old, rusty spikes, etc. that I've picked up from trackside, but you find those things along every rail line and I wouldn't consider that theft. I can't see the railroad hiring a guy to go and pick up every last spike laying by the trackside to collect for scrap. I would never take anything that the railroad is using or has stored. I do have a set of crossbucks that my uncle picked up for me that were ery bent out of shape when he got them and even have bullet holes in them. They came from a crossing that was being torn out and he asked the guys who were doign it if he could have them first. He also almost got me a switch pole that was being taken out at the mine he works at. He asked and they almost let him have it, but them changed their mind and decided to keep it for parts. I'd love to own a dwarf signal, but I would never go and actually steam one from the railroad. Why would a railfan actually sabatoge (that's the best word I can think of for the dwarf signal incident) the industry they love so much?

[bigboy4024]

what happens if that rairoad property is in a scrap yard? i have a crossbuck that was shiped to a scrap yard and when i took my old bailer i found it in a pile of metal. it is good shape as well as the one with glass reflecter balls that i found the same day, but i doanated it to the minnesota transporttaion museum. that day there was several other peaces of rail equipment there. when i left i asked the front desk how much for the two crossbucks and they said $4.00 i could not fork out the washingtons fast enugh. right there i know that it was not stealing. the same in the antique tractor world if it is sitting out in the back fourty do not take it who knows the farmer may still want it . you have to go find out whos farm it is an talk with the farmer if he wants to sell it or not. for me I go to a tractor salvage yard in barnesville minnesota, or go to a big swap meet in le seuer minnesota. if its in the back fourty do not take it with out asking. if it is on railroad property do the same they may sell it or give it to you who knows my dad alwas says dont take it with out asking. big boy

[Anonymous]

The fact that someone even has to ask this question shows how our society has declined. The taking of others prorperty is stealing no matter if you can talk yourself into justifing it or not. It matters not wheather it's your neighbor's property or some faceless corperation like UP, stealing is stealing. Who are you to decide what's wanted or not. Like the switch stands rusting away by the fence, it will take 500 years for them to rust away, so they have at least scap value for the next couple don't they? I mean if you are mowing your yard with an 8 year old push mower and shut it off cause you are done mowing this week it should still be where you left it next week shouldn't it? Or am I justified in taking it just because you were done using it, it's old and junky looking, and you failed to lock it up and guard it!!! Get real people! DO NOT STEAL is a comandment, not an optional recomended pratice. FRED

[eolafan]

Simple, if you venture onto railroad private property and take something that does not belong to you (regardless of what it is or if it is currently being used) you are a thief...period. On the other hand, if you are on public property and you see (for example) a tie plate or an old spike on the ground, you are free to take it as being road trash. Bottom line, don't be suprised to find yourself in trouble if you wander onto the Railroad's private property and take something that clearly belongs to the railroad, that they bought and paid money for. PERIOD, END OF STORY.

[Anonymous]

Most people on these forums (and everywhere else) are very strict about trespassing and taking railroad property. Anyone who saw the movie "October Sky" might remember the scene who the teens took all the spikes and rails off the ties for metal for their rockets. Then they heard a train whistle and started trying to put it all back. Thank god the line was an abandoned branch line, so the train didn't go there.
My point: don't take anything from tracks that ensures the safe train opetration along the line. You may take the metal scrap (spikes, plates, bolts) that is not directly attached to rails, ties or any other part. I used to have a bucket full of spikes, but I took it back to the line after I realized I coudnt really do anything with them.

[Anonymous]

[:D] Yeah, so thats great.. Make the train have to go 15 MPH the whole way!! [:D]

Yeah, i would love to know what those bulb lights look like, add it to my collection,!

[Train Guy 3]

My dad told me the stories from the 60's when he would walk down the tracks with his buddies and take the light bulbs out the signal and leave the lenses. I wish i had those bulbs..... he never said what they did with them. He also said the managed to get a milepost out the ground once, that must have took some work.

[Anonymous]

LOL

I rememebr one time, a "Railfan" stole an entire Dwarf Signal.. The funniest thing is the maintenance crew spent 2 hours looking for the signal that was reported "brunt out" little did they know at that was left of a "Burnt out" signal were wires petruding from the ground..

They caught the guy Speeding down the highway, with a Dwarf signal in the back of his truck about 15 minutes after it was reported stolen.. now i can't quite remember the outcome

So i have to agree and disagree..

If you see a spike on the railroad thats lying around and you really want to take it home, spray paint it gold, and call it the "last spike" i'm all for that, but an entire Dwarf signaling system, thats far to extreme.

[Train Guy 3]

I'm gonna take me a locomotive one day and I'm gonna take it " One Piece t a Time" and it won't cost me a dime.

[JoeKoh]

if it isnt yours leave it be!take pictures leave footprints
stay safe
Joe

[wabash1]

where i work they had abandoned a line and now after 5 years are rebuilding this line to start running trains again this is after they replace what has been stolen. bottom line if they dont sell it to you its not yours its called stealing. some one wrote that a old spike laying around or other stuff not being used they dont consider it steeling. well lets put this in another light.. lets say in january i walk by your house and in your garage i see you have a boat and some fishing poles your not using them i guess since i can admire them and use them its ok if i take them. a little to the extream maybe but at the same time its the same thing. it dont belong to you so why take it. Money the railroads have lots of money so they can afford to buy another. well you have money you go buy another boat and more fishing equipment.

[Anonymous]

As csxengineer said it best........stick to taking pics and stay outta my office! You would be surprised at what may sit forever and then get resurrected by the RR. I don't come to your place of employment and deem what is abandoned and what is not and proceed to help myself. If it is not yours then leave it alone. Period!
Ken

[eastcoast]

Anything taken from the property of others without prior authorization is THEFT.
Bottom Line, if I or another agent see you do this act, I as an agent will detain
you as a suspect until action can be pursued by the victim of the theft.
Don't do it unless you want an arrest record..

[csxengineer98]

It takes alot of balls to take things off of rail road proporty. Even us emplyees that might want something that is no longer of any real value can be prossicuted for theft if we get cought.... I know i wouldnt want someone to come ot my back yard and take something that they think is "junk". Just becouse something is has been laying around for years donst mean that someday they might want it for something..... I think you should just stick to takeing your pics of trains..and stay out of my office.... If you realy want something that bad....bid on it on Ebay!!!
csxengineer

[heavyd]

This is really a great argument!!! I would say that anything the railroad is still using obviously no railfan should take. But I know of alot of branch lines that are abandoned and you would think the RR would pay you to take stuff! There attitude is that even though it is of no value to them, they also want it as no value to anyone else either. Then they start the old, well we may need it in the future, blah blah. The railroad by my place took out a bunch of track at the local train station about 2 and a half years ago. There were a few switch stands taken out and thrown against the fence. I asked them if they were going to use them somewhere else or scrap them. I offered to pay the value of scrap metal but they told me they will be definitely be using them. Well all this time later they are still there, rusting away! I am sure they might go "missing" one day!

[dehusman]

If you go onto other peoples's property and take something that's not yours, that's pretty much the definition of stealing.

The newspapers in Houston printed an article about a local railfan who had his whole front yard filled with signals, switchstands, and signs anthey interviewed him about the lore of the railroad.
the next week they printed a story about the local special agents that went to this guys house and identified several of the pieces as stolen property and arrested him for grand theft.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

I know of someone who took a hacksaw to remove an old CN sign from an abandonned branch ("Cartierville").....preserving or stealing?

~Ra'akone

[Train Guy 3]

Well im my opinion it what you take. If your beside the tracks and see a couple of spikes or mabye a old tie mile-marker.... sure take them, but say you come down to an old crossing and take the crossbuck that may be extreme.

[Anonymous]

[:)]If a person removes an item from R.R. property without PROPER authorization is this person a true railfan or common thief?

OLD DAD