If you see a guy on the street in Geneva trying to sell you a locomotive, be wary........

[marmar]

(AFP) Two trains, including one weighing almost a tonne, have been stolen from a miniature train park in western Switzerland, the park said Saturday.

The Swiss Vapeur Park said in a statement online that "the offenders have forced open the doors of two different depots, and took the two trains".

One is a petrol-run train called BVB, while another is a steam train that runs on gas, said the park located at Le Bouveret.

"We do not understand how they have managed to load these trains, knowing that the BVB train alone weighs about 800 kilogrammes," it added. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/thieves-off-two-trains-switzerland-200744316.html

[pinboy3niner]

1. The Great (Miniature) Train Robbery!

Never fear. Miniature Swiss cops are all over this one. :)

[PoliticAverse]

2. Couldn't they just follow the thieves' tracks ? n/t

[marmar]

3. It's Europe. It was proabbly high-speed miniature rail.

nt

[TheMadMonk]

4. Sadly their most likely destination is a scrap merchant.

Most model steam locos contain significant amounts of brass.

Intact resale value is nonexistant, since at the scales of these models, each is unique and easily recognised. Even breaking them up for parts is unlikely since a good many of those parts are hand made.

[saras]

6. You're asserting that model railroaders are hugely more moral than art collectors

Is there really no model railroading fan in the world who woudn't want this for a private estate somewhere?

[TheMadMonk]

10. No I'm saying that the value is probably not worth the risk of keeping.

The petrol model is unlikely to be worth more than a couple of thousand dollars. The steamer, a few tens of thousand at the most.

They're not millon dollar artworks.

[onethatcares]

7. are the Swiss also having a rash of A/C thefts?

seriously, how many scrap merchants could there be in Switzerland?

True story: I metal detect as a hobby, I sell gold stuff I find to jewelers, pawn shops and gold buyers, no one asks me for an i.d.

I also collect scrap metal as a side hobby, I go to the scrap yard with extruded aluminum and they take my picture, make a copy of my drivers licence, write down the tag number of my truck, usually for less than 25.00

why?

[Ikonoklast]

5. The Swiss need to check out and see if these guys are up to their old tricks again...

[Tesha]

8. Randall? 'Zat you? (NT)

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. inside job?

:-) I hope they get them back.

[HopeHoops]

11. A year or so ago, overnight, several dealers had dozens of cars stripped of their wheels.

Not only were they heavy, but the effort had to have been coordinated and by a professional group. They were going for the rims, not the tires. Only the ones that sell for the highest price were taken and they just jacked cars up, put them on blocks, and whipped off the lug nuts. They did it on a Sunday (can't remember if it was early Sunday morning or late Sunday night) and that's a good time for thieves because dealers can't sell cars on Sundays in PA. I get the paper every day and don't recall any report that said they even had a hint of a lead as to who executed the theft.

[taterguy]

12. Thanks for the heads-up! I was about to reply to his ad on Craigslist

Now I'll have to think of something else to get my kids for Christmas.

A miniature locomotive would have been so freaking cool though.

:mad: