Eastern Railroad Discussion > Tie Plate theft

MACEDONIA, Ohio -- Two Garfield Heights men who claimed they were
railroad aficionados were turned over to Norfolk Southern Railroad
police after Macedonia police found they had gathered more than two
dozen iron tie plates from around the rail line to sell for scrap, The
News Leader reported.

A Macedonia police officer reported that he noticed a vehicle parked
without its lights on by the railroad tracks in town around 11:30 p.m.
on Sept. 16.

The officer reported the men, ages 20 and 19, told him their hobby is
watching trains and said they were members of a club.

The officer said he looked in their car and noticed several rusty tie
plates inside and asked the two what they were going to do with the metal.

The two reportedly admitted they were going to sell the metal for scrap
and the police department notified Norfolk Southern Railroad police, who
arrived on scene and took the two men into custody.

Police recovered about 30 of the metal plates from the men's vehicle and
reported they were worth approximately $250.

The two were turned over to railroad police, who charged with
trespassing and theft, according to Macedonia police.

(The preceding report appeared on the Web site www.the-news-leader.com
on October 14, 2009 and was further distributed by the United
Transportation Union in UTU News.)

Somehow I bet they were not railfans, and just using that as a excuse.

It's kinda hard to steal a tie plate out from under the rail, so this must have been stuff the railroad already considered scrap. They werer doing a favor and cleaning up random tie plates that littered the ROW, that otherwise would not have been taken care of. That comment was sorta tongue-in-cheeck...but at the same time, not really. Not knowing the details, it's hard to presume what the case really is...they may have been NEW tie plates, which would be a different story..."Hey, we need those!" Easy nab for the railcops, either way. Aside from tresspassing, which I do not condone, I don't see the harm in picking up rusty old discarded chuncks of metal that aren't being taken care of by the railroad. Spikes, tie plates, springs, brakeshoes, etc...What kid has not walked the tracks and taken a loose spike home for a souvenier...oh wait...that's vandalism :P

Intersting...most probably took place around the new rail overpass built over RT. 82 near I271.
The project required a large track reconfiguration/realignment to access the new overpass once the overpass was completed. A lot of track was pulled up.
Regarding the value...let's see $250/30 plates = An astonishing value of $8.33 each. WOW...what a bunch of BS! STEEL SCRAP IS NO WHERE NEAR THAT MUCH.

Rich S.

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MACEDONIA, Ohio -- Two Garfield Heights men who
> claimed they were
> railroad aficionados were turned over to Norfolk
> Southern Railroad
> police after Macedonia police found they had
> gathered more than two
> dozen iron tie plates from around the rail line to
> sell for scrap, The
> News Leader reported.
>
> A Macedonia police officer reported that he
> noticed a vehicle parked
> without its lights on by the railroad tracks in
> town around 11:30 p.m.
> on Sept. 16.
>
> The officer reported the men, ages 20 and 19, told
> him their hobby is
> watching trains and said they were members of a
> club.
>
> The officer said he looked in their car and
> noticed several rusty tie
> plates inside and asked the two what they were
> going to do with the metal.
>
> The two reportedly admitted they were going to
> sell the metal for scrap
> and the police department notified Norfolk
> Southern Railroad police, who
> arrived on scene and took the two men into
> custody.
>
> Police recovered about 30 of the metal plates from
> the men's vehicle and
> reported they were worth approximately $250.
>
> The two were turned over to railroad police, who
> charged with
> trespassing and theft, according to Macedonia
> police.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/09 10:17 by richs.

I'm just wondering with the way these replys are leaning so far, If you had property sitting out in your backyard would it be ok with you if these two fine people came into your backyard at night and loaded up your property?

Who is to say they wouldn't be picked up for use in a relay project?

Stealing is stealing even if the current owner doesn't care about the item

esprrfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm just wondering with the way these replys are
> leaning so far, If you had property sitting out in
> your backyard would it be ok with you if these two
> fine people came into your backyard at night and
> loaded up your property?

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Gee, were those plates made out of copper or brass? The price quoted is way off base for steel! - JLH

Lets face it if you leave plates of steel worth over $8 a piece on your front yard or porch or property your just asking for trouble! especially now days with the ecomony in the tank and its still getting worse everyday. Soon your dollar will be worth about 15 cents if your lucky... Hence the reason why gas has gone up over a buck a gallon the last 6 months. Its not supply and demand this time..... its the weaking US dollar from bailout after bailout , handout after handout ... borrow after borrow

I really hate it when the cops start snooping around the railroad. Most of them are too ignorant to realize that they dont have jurisdiction on the railroad. Only an officer from the FRA can enforce laws at railroads. Of cource if the railroad asked them to help out , then i believe its ok. Heck, i almost got a ticket when i was urinating next to our train in TN cause the shortline i worked for didnt provide us with restrooms on the locomotives. lol

cjvrr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Who is to say they wouldn't be picked up for use
> in a relay project?
>
> Stealing is stealing even if the current owner
> doesn't care about the item


Exactly the THEIEFS said they were selling them scrap, where does it say NS was intending on scrapping them? Even if the RR was to scrap them these men still stole them. It shouldn't matter if the the scrap value for 30 plates is .05 it is the RR's property not theirs.

And we wonder why jurys award millions of dollars to people who are never responsable for THEIR OWN ACTIONS

esprrfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cjvrr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Who is to say they wouldn't be picked up for
> use
> > in a relay project?
> >
> > Stealing is stealing even if the current owner
> > doesn't care about the item
>
>
> Exactly the THEIEFS said they were selling them
> scrap, where does it say NS was intending on
> scrapping them? Even if the RR was to scrap them
> these men still stole them. It shouldn't matter if
> the the scrap value for 30 plates is .05 it is the
> RR's property not theirs.
>
> And we wonder why jurys award millions of dollars
> to people who are never responsable for THEIR OWN
> ACTIONS
==================================================

You take life and this post way to serious. But really when was the last time you saw the RR clean up after themselves?
I see shit scrap laying around all the time and most of it year after year its still laying there when i visit again. Does it make it right to steal..No... but the story is totally wacked with false quotes and or prices to begin with so why be so serious about the thread? I beleive that everyone here is being as silly as the topic and its false info ... maybe we should see what FOX news says! I beleive them more than any of the other gov controlled Alphabet soup news outlets

What's really funny is the tone of how these thiefs were "wronged"

I'd kind of like to see how the responses would be toned if while commiting this crime one of them got hurt and sued the RR. Oh to hear the "outrages" of how they shouldn't of been there picking them up anyhows's. Not to mention the "Where were the cops to prevent this" and lastly the "these thieves deserve jail not settlements"

This poorly written story is suspect in so many ways. First, when to local police officers 'turn over' people to the railroad police? So they can incarcerate them in the secret underground NS private jail? No, it is always the other way around. Secondly, who says the article is sympathetic to the railfans? I don't read it that way. They come off as idiotic. But we must admit, there has been a lot of recent publicity about thievin' railfans--the guy who stole the locomotive and took it to on a joy ride to the local tavern....regular reports of thefts of builder plates, whistles, etc. (done by people who must know what they are doing....) I mean jeez....maybe it's time railfans stopped worrying about and calling in poor kids crossing the tracks with their bikes or homeless hobos just trying to get down the line...and take some community self-responsibility!

D.G.

I agree rr's have in the passed been bad stewards as far as keeping the ROW neat and clean, but we are try to change that.... Small steps! To change 100 + years of bad habits.

During the last depression, people "stole" coal from along side the tracks....
And firemen who knew the score would occasionally loose a shovel full of coal at certain locations.

Do you know who railroad police contact to report thefts, vandalism etc??? The local police.....who are too ignorant to know that they shouldn't be looking at persons on railroad property.......only a fool calls others ignorant..