Western Railroad Discussion > Caliente Narrows access

I just returned from a quick trip to the Tehachapi area.  Yesterday morning I thought that I would spend some time in one of my favorite areas, the Narrows, just north of Caliente.  Typically, I will drive down the dirt road, past the "old oak tree", and then park in the large dirt area, before the first road crossing.  From there, it's about a 3/4 mile walk down to tunnel 1/2, but there's a lot of great angles to film from.  As I got to Caliente this morning, I was surprised to see a yellow metal fence and (open) gate at the beginning of the dirt road.  A sign on the gate said it was railroad property, etc.  So, I guess that another area that's off-limits now.  I'm sure that the Narrows is a prime area for container-theft, but I have rarely seen anyone back there, or evidence of broken-into containers (like Rowen).  Sadly, another sign of the times.

That hole area (Sandcut to Caliente) is littered with UP and BNSF Police and private security. Its also bad around Rowen and Woodford. I haven't been hassled, but going to the normal spots is just about out. I tend to stay around Cable and between Tehachapi and Mojave, and haven't seen any law enforcement. I'm not a huge drone fan, although I do own one, and use it in Tehachapi manily to avoid issues with driving into area's that are off limits, areas 5 years ago I'd not have throught twice about driving into. 

Drones near Tehachapi would also seem like a very useful tool for both the cops and robbers.  Knowing where the other is and isn't. 

I did drive back into Rowen, and didn't notice any sign of container theft.  I posted these shots before, but these were taken in Rowen last year.

 

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From what I heard the private security that BNSF is using right now is a bit nicer compared to the Pinkertons they previously used. If anything they might ask you what youre doing and then leave you be. It happened to me by a UP private security guard at Bealville last year. After telling them that im only here to take photos of trains and whatnot the guard told me that there are suspicious people in the area and to call them if I see anything suspicious or if anything happens.  
 

When I first joined TO, I used to enjoy reading all the stories of Rusty when he worked in that area 

On the way home from Winterail this year, there were a lot of scattered broken-into boxes at Tunnel 2.  I was walking around, with a train in the Bealville Xing when a security guard blasted from Hwy. 58 onto the dirt road along the tracks.  Might have been something going on between Tunnels 3 and 5.  

mapboy

The only solution is HEAVY sentences to end this behavior.  How very sad such a great place is now this way.

coach Wrote:
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> The only solution is HEAVY sentences to end this
> behavior.  How very sad such a great place is now
> this way.

The people doing this are the mules. The low level b&e guys.  Arrest them and a hundred guys will step up.

Have to arrest the fences, the guys who wholesale this stuff on the internet and black web, the railroad people and the repack people who give the tip offs if you want to make a difference. They are protected, connected, 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> coach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The only solution is HEAVY sentences to end
> this
> > behavior.  How very sad such a great place is
> now
> > this way.
>
> The people doing this are the mules. The low level
> b&e guys.  Arrest them and a hundred guys will
> step up.
>
> Have to arrest the fences, the guys who wholesale
> this stuff on the internet and black web, the
> railroad people and the repack people who give the
> tip offs if you want to make a difference. They
> are protected, connected, 

the way to get to the fences is thru the mules. arrest, interrogate, then offer plea deals for ratting the handler

Port and Railroad employees are the biggest thing in this chain. Criminals would be attacking blind without their insight into what to target. 

No matter how many people you arrest on the ground, no matter how many getaway drivers you arrest, there will always be someone eager to replace them. Arrest RR and dock workers and you blind the metaphorical beast. 

BrandonRC Wrote:
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> Port and Railroad employees are the biggest thing
> in this chain. Criminals would be attacking blind
> without their insight into what to target. 
>
> No matter how many people you arrest on the
> ground, no matter how many getaway drivers you
> arrest, there will always be someone eager to
> replace them. Arrest RR and dock workers and you
> blind the metaphorical beast. 

Agreed.  Many times the mules (and the guys who sledge hammer jewelry cases, etc) don't even know who hired them. They do the work, hand over the sack, collect a few hundred $, and move on

These guys are expendable,

Interesting observations... all.

"Action" involves some very tricky equations.  If the focus involves "punishment," what is the public cost of that?

Lets say someone gets arrested for breaking into a railroad car and stealing some of its contents.  The usual sequence of events (...not necessarily in a particular order) is that they (1) spend some time in a local jail that is funded by the state or local government;   (2) are introduced to a court-appointed attorney who is paid by the local government;  (3)  a deputy district attorney, who is paid by the local government, files charges against the perp, (4) one or more hearings / meetings may be scheduled between prosecutors, defense attorneys and the assigned judge or judicial staff;  (5)  a plea bargain may occur;  or (6) a trial will be held (...at a significant public expense);  (7)  the perp is incarcerated, at considerable public expense.

So does that really make sense?  The cost of "punishment" is usually only "time" for most perps, while the cost to the public is "time" and "taxpayer dollars" in huge quantities... vastly exceeding the cost / value of the stolen item.

Perhaps more emphasis should be placed upon prevention.  If access to the tracks becomes the primary focus, the cost of restricting it is also expensive and probably not cost-effective.   

Notwithstanding the amazing capabilities of those little battery-powered angle grinders in cutting through metal like butter, with advances in technology, there may be ways of preventing or discouraging break-ins via more secure containers, satellite reporting and other means.  That would be expensive, too,  but far less so than the cost of prosecution, conviction and imprisonment everyone who steals a TV or similar item... or deporting them.   

Another preventative method would be for the railroads to run exclusive "target cargo" trains of shorter length and priority scheduling over all other trains so that there is no stopping en route.  I'm guessing that the monster 2-mile-long stackers are pretty hard to keep moving continuously between loading and off-loading points.

'Just say'n.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/26 16:40 by E25.

It has been my experience that thieves go for what's quick and easy. The more difficult you make it, the less likely they will be to put in the effort. We've all seen pictures of containers with their doors open and contents spilling out. There has got to be a way to secure these better; if they can't pop them open that quick, they will have to find something else to do.

Tom

If the shippers and the railroads really wanted to secure their cargo, it can be done.

Easier to let insurance pay for losses.

Posted from Android

march_hare Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> E25 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Interesting observations... all.
> >
> > "Action" involves some very tricky equations. 
> If
> > the focus involves "punishment," what is the
> > public cost of that?
> >
> > Lets say someone gets arrested for breaking into
> a
> > railroad car and stealing some of its
> contents. 
> > The usual sequence of events (...not
> necessarily
> > in a particular order) is that they (1) spend
> some
> > time in a local jail that is funded by the
> state
> > or local government;   (2) are introduced to
> a
> > court-appointed attorney who is paid by the
> local
> > government;  (3)  a deputy district attorney,
> > who is paid by the local government, files
> charges
> > against the perp, (4) one or more hearings /
> > meetings may be scheduled between prosecutors,
> > defense attorneys and the assigned judge or
> > judicial staff;  (5)  a plea bargain may
> > occur;  or (6) a trial will be held (...at a
> > significant public expense);  (7)  the perp
> is
> > incarcerated, at considerable public expense.
> >
> > So does that really make sense?  The cost of
> > "punishment" is usually only "time" for most
> > perps, while the cost to the public is "time"
> and
> > "taxpayer dollars" in huge quantities... vastly
> > exceeding the cost / value of the stolen item.
> >
> > Perhaps more emphasis should be placed upon
> > prevention.  If access to the tracks becomes
> the
> > primary focus, the cost of restricting it is
> also
> > expensive and probably not cost-effective.   
> >
> > Notwithstanding the amazing capabilities of
> those
> > little battery-powered angle grinders in
> cutting
> > through metal like butter, with advances in
> > technology, there may be ways of preventing or
> > discouraging break-ins via more secure
> containers,
> > satellite reporting and other means.  That
> would
> > be expensive, too,  but far less so than the
> cost
> > of prosecution, conviction and imprisonment
> > everyone who steals a TV or similar item... or
> > deporting them.   
> >
> > Another preventative method would be for the
> > railroads to run exclusive "target cargo"
> trains
> > of shorter length and priority scheduling over
> all
> > other trains so that there is no stopping en
> > route.  I'm guessing that the monster
> 2-mile-long
> > stackers are pretty hard to keep moving
> > continuously between loading and off-loading
> > points.
> >
> > 'Just say'n.

i think you're on to something here. Focus on keeping the trains moving (didn't that used to be the objective of dispatching a railroad?). 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the shippers and the railroads really wanted to
> secure their cargo, it can be done.
>
> Easier to let insurance pay for losses.
>
> Posted from Android

In Tehachapi this has been going on for at least 10 years, but not nearly as bad then as now. Both railroads know who's behind the majority of the theft, and, yes, the crooks always seem to know what to target, so it's obvious kickbacks are part of it.

These are crimes of opportunity and right now BNSF is getting the worst of it. Since BNSF runs the vast majority of container and van trains over Tehachapi, compared to UP, BNSF is the one taking most of the hits. But it's also been an issue, for BNSF, all the way east into central Arizona.

On the UP, from Southern California to El Paso, the break in's have declined. The issues have seemingly moved inland (you can make some good guesses as to why). UP also does not run the very large volume of containers and vans BNSF does into and out of the LA and Inland Empire area's.

UP's two largest container ship to rail partners at the So Cal ports are ONE and EVERGREEN. With both there is an obvious trend to match the bottom container to the exact well size, so the container door is against the bulkhead. The top containers then become the target by default. Thieves have to decide if the top container is worth their time. Usually it's not, and they will look for an easier target elsewhere.

Keith_Kevet



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/26 17:17 by Keith_Kevet.

I've been saying what the poster just above posted:  make the well cars with bulkheads so the doors can't be accessed or opened.  Problem solved.  Notice the shipping companies are now trying to make the bottom container match the well car length so the doors are right against the bulkhead.

Thanks for all the details.

Posted from Android