Hopping trains and stealing drivetrain parts

Heard a first hand story about hopping trains (car hauling rr cars) in Los Angles in the 60's and stealing transmissions etc. from muscle cars as the train was in route, throwing the parts off in remote areas for later retrieval. Any other stories on such capers?

 

Unless you're hopping trains with some heavy equipment I find it hard to believe.

 

I worked for the C&NW RR in Chicago right after I got out of college. They had two cars loaded with 240 Z's that had the engines and trans's pulled in the yards. Looked like come-alongs were used as the top layer was outside and wasn't bothered. That's why the carriers are now closed and have doors on the ends. That and kids along the track with rocks.

 

Back in the 60s I can remember the stories of UP ****s catching guys doing that exact thing out here in the sticks.

 

My '85 GT was vandalized on the train, on its way to the dealer.

I wish they had gotten the whole POS!

I said I'd never buy another Ford, and now I have a T-bird, Edsel and a GPW.

 

YES, thats urban legend around here..The local Midnight Auto Supply boys would drive up to Austin and hop the car train to Laredo..throwing off Muncie four-speeds, those new fangled 8-track stereos and Holley four barrels for the crew to pick up later..I bought my first Holley carb from those guys...35 Bucks

 

I don't know about that but I do know that my friends who work for the railroad all have John Deere batteries in their vehicles!

 

A four-speed, clutch, PP and bellhousing, manifold and 4 bbl was EZ pickin's...didn't take that much to remove them on the train...in the dead of nite...in the country...

Of course, this is NOT the VoE speaking here...my innocence is intact...

R-

 

As long as you did it at night, around mid-train (away from engines, away from caboose), and had a lookout to watch for a lantern if the train stops, it seems reasonable enough. It wasn't until the early '70s that they started adding sides and later tops and ends on those cars. But you'd have to toss your parts off when the train was stopped, or going very slow, or there wouldn't be much left to go back and pick up. Which, on the right line with a grade or busy crossing it probably wouldn't have been hard to find a couple places to do just that.

 

and let's not forget how many auto parts were stolen by railroad employees working in the trainyard

 

no parts, just beer

 

they did it in an episode of "Banacek"

 

Can remember back in the late '50's and early '60's, jumping the trains with our jerry (gas) cans. Fords usually came with the mandatory 2 1/2 gallons of gas in the tank from the factory.

In 56, Merc's used to have four hubcaps in the trunk wrapped in oiled paper. Keys were in the ignition, but trunk key was in an envelope in the glove compartment. You pulled the spare tire out along with the bumper jack and tire iron and went to work. Jacked up the front of car and wheel spun the nuts off while holding on to the tire iron. You put the spare tire under the middle of the cross member and set it down on that. Then jacked the other side and took it off. If you didn't put something under the crossmember, you couldn't lower the jack far enough to get it out. The spares were usually 670 X 15 black walls, whereas the tires on the cars were whites. Most we could do was about a half dozen cars with three or four guys. Just before the city, we would push the tires off in a nice stubble field close to a good side road. Some of the time, we would lose a few wheels and the local farmer would gain a few. It all worked out in the end. Most of the guys at school had Firestone tires on with a red stripe painted around the outside of the rim. If you pulled the hubcap off, the rim would be green and the other blue or black. At $10 bucks a piece, you couldn't be choosy!

A few carbs could be picked up, as well as, distributor caps, wires, and batteries. I don't know if anyone knows how it feels to be knocked on the head or back with a hood while you swaying along a flat car at 50 mph but it kind of takes the wind out of you. Batteries didn't look too good after being thrown off, but you tried it once.

If someone said 'they took a transmission out of a car", I would say that was an urban legend. In my day, cars were wooden block chocked to the deck of the flat car, front and back. Later on, on the steel decks cars,they were chained down with geared boxes that required a 5 foot bar to maneuver the safety lock. Never did find one of those bars on a train! Pretty hard to lift a car when it was chained down. Just saying, it would be pretty hard caper to pull off on a moving train. A stopped one is a different story, anything is possible.

 

My dad works for the UP and worked for the Rio Grande Railroad and the Southern Pacfic and he said before they had inclosed car hauling cars that it was pretty common to have stripped new cars on them, he still has no clue how they got engines and transmissons out of them but they did.

 

Last time I was in mexico we had dinner with a bunch of americans that worked management/engineering at dodge neon & ram plants down there. Wasn't uncommon for em to lose a whole traincar full of engine/transmission ***emblies. Not in cars of course.

 

I knew a guy back in the day that would steal transmissions out of cars parked at the once a year carnival in town. He was a very thin guy who could easily slide under a car pull the drive shaft, shift linkage, speedo, and four bolts in bell housing. Most cars then had no crossmember under the trans. He kept the trans under his house.

 

My father told me stories about 'finding' parts from construction vehicles building roads near his place in the early 60s. Back then they parked all the trucks and tractors for the night, didn't lock them but took the keys. Its funny how he ended up with a GMC blower on his car and several spares too, incidentally the trucks at the road works wouldn't run either?? Odd huh?

 

I've been on the railroad 39 yrs now and all this stuff is true!!!

 

In the late 60's ...
there was a fellow who worked for the local Chevrolet Dealer and everyone said he made " new Chevrolets " disappear from the dealership. He was the new car clean up person and had easy access to the car keys. He reportly got a copy key made and went back at night and drove the cars off the dealership lot. It might be a week or more before the car was missed ... He always had 4 speeds, new wheels and tires ... even engines and 12 bolt rear ends for sale ... at cheap prices.

I never would buy anything from him

He was shot with a shotgun and killed coming out of a late night beer joint ... and no one was ever charged. Karma ... will get you everytime ... sooner or later

 

i could see trannies being stolen if they were manuals, my dad told me about getting ready do go to work one morning and the ****** in his 57 chevy was gone.

 

Bought a 57 Nomad in 73 in Santa Maria Ca and it had its 4 speed shifter bailing wired to a 3 speed - enough to get it back to the previous owner after some guys took it for a 'test drive'. Also worked at Short Cut Garage in Holland Mi when some 'friends' brought in some wide oval redline tires and rims from new Judges that were hidden in a field before the dealers could put them on the lot. I could have the rims if I removed the tires. Shortly after some detectives came around asking questions so the rims went back to the 'friends'.

 

A guy I know blew a drive shaft out racing a Lions so headed over to Cormier Chevrolet and "borrowed" one from a car on the lot. Back to the track for more racing.

 

Back in the 70's I knew some guys that would always steal **** off parked trains. Car parts (* esp tires ) and whatever was in the freight cars . Till some got arrested

 

have heard old stories of people sleeping in cars going across the nullaboor on the trains, apparentlly its a regular occurence and a fair ****** few stories of people stealing parts, If you've got five hours between the stops its not hard to get stuff out and off trains- I know that a in the last threee months a toyota landcruiser "fell" off of a carrier on the way to a mine- the driver at the rear saw it and reported it- and that it rolled twice then drove away into the night!

another was back in the early 50's when some ex military cars and trucks where transported to the postwar sales- an old farmer told me how thier rusty claped out 40 trucks had nice new 49 and 50 engines and gearboxes in them- cheeky sods

 

I know for a FACT that the Muncie 4 speed was a prime target off of trains down around south Georgia in the late 60s. No, not me, but one or two friends did almost go to jail for it............I do know that there were a lot of Muncie's around with broken tailshafts and ears.
M.

 

Wow, bonus points for remembering "Banacek" (although I thought it was "Banicek"?).

 

Those that did it, don't talk about it.

 

At 17 my buddies were low rent, no car parts. Just hide in the alley behind the local tavern and crab a case of beer when the driver went inside. Best beer ever.

 

I saw a coke machine fall over into a truck bed one night. Strangest thing....

 

Amazing how many guys take pride in being a thief. Is it just an internet thing, or do you go around bragging about stealing to everyone you meet?


Mutt