GARIBALDI, Ore. — The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad has been plagued by thefts of ties and tampering this month. Vandals broke into a historic diesel and fired off a fire extinguisher inside while also opening and tampering with the electrical cabinets.
The railroad also reported a large number of ties being stolen from work sites along the railroad. Someone stole 41 ties on Sept. 3-4, damaging ties plates and rail as they pulled the ties out. The railroad suspects these were then sold on Facebook Marketplace very shortly after they were taken.
On Sept. 18 more ties were stolen from outside the Old Mill Event Center at the railroad’s Garibaldi site. This area is monitored by camera, so the railroad will have an image of who took them.
“It breaks our hearts that people will just take things and leave us to fix the damage they have caused,” the railroad’s post on Facebook read. “We are not a multi-million dollar operation like some may believe, we are on a limited budget that relies on tourism, just like many others in this community.”
The railroad is asking that if anyone has more information about the thefts to contact the Tillamook Sheriff’s Office at (503) 842-2561. They can also contact the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad via email at info@oregoncoastscenic.org.
Theft in the US is out of control. Target, Walmart and other major company’s looked the other way for a long time . Now they all are complaining crime is at a all time high. Start convicting them or some sort of punishment is needed, only then will anything get better. When the thieves know there is no recourse, why would they stop? The sad part is the people that pay will be treated as thieves and ultimately have to pay more for the companies to recoup their losses.
Railroad ties are in demand where homes require large walls for retaining dirt or hillsides. With the ongoing of expansion of greater Portland into the foothills of the Cascades and Coastal Ranges, ultra cheap landscapers will be looking for “deals”.
While they are freely available at your local Lowes, Home Depot or farm supply store, they can get expensive, up to $27 a sq ft.
I remember our new building had its landscaping stolen 4 times after it was built, shrubs, trees, even some of the sod. We just kept replacing it until finally the roots took hold and it became to hard to steal.
Maybe Oregon Scenic should burn a brand into the end of their ties just before they install them, makes them easy to locate for the city inspectors.
Some of those ties in the pics look like they may have been stolen for firewood.
The tie stealing is not vandalism; it’s theft. The article admits they were likely sold. If you add up the replacement cost, it could add up to be a felony.
If the RR could convince Law Enforcement it’s felony theft, they might just get them to do something.