DARING TRAIN ROBBERIES
G'day folks,
Just the other day, one of the most notorious train robbers died - Ronnie Biggs. So, today I thought I'd give you some details about some of the most daring train robberies.
Almost as long as there have been trains, there have been
train robberies. These dramatic stickups have become the stuff of legend thanks
to dime novels and Hollywood westerns, but they also account for some of the
most fascinating—and lucrative—true crimes ever committed. From high profile
capers by the likes of Jesse James and Butch Cassidy to a raid by a gang of
Indian political dissidents, find out more about six of history’s most
audacious rail heists.
1.
Jesse
James’ Iowa Train Robbery
Notorious
outlaw Jesse James is best remembered as a bank robber, but he was also one of
the first bandits to hold up a moving train. The earliest of these heists came
on the evening of July 21, 1873, near Adair, Iowa. After gathering information
on the train schedule, James and his gang loosened a section of track on the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. As their target rounded a blind
curve, the thieves used a rope to dislodge the track, causing the locomotive to
derail and topple into a ditch. The crash killed the engineer and badly injured
another man, but the rest of the cars lurched to a stop on the tracks.
Disguised
behind white cloth masks, two of the robbers—most likely Jesse and his brother,
Frank—boarded the train cars and sought out a safe belonging to the U.S.
Express Company. The gang had been led to believe it would contain a large
cache of gold bullion, but upon opening it they found only a meager $2,000.
Disappointed, the men resorted to robbing the stunned passengers of their money
and valuables. Despite its modest haul, the Adair robbery shocked the public
for its sheer boldness, and went a long way toward establishing Jesse James’
reputation as a folk hero and celebrity criminal.
2. The Great Train Robbery of 1963
The biggest train robbery in British history came in 1963, when a gang of 15 thieves stole more than $7 million in banknotes—the equivalent of $60.5 million today—from a Royal Mail train. In the early morning of August 8, the robbers rigged a false red signal light near a section of track called Sears Crossing. When the locomotive stopped at the light, more than a dozen men in ski masks appeared, beat the driver with a metal rod and uncoupled most of the cars. After forcing the driver to move the remaining cars to a rendezvous point a mile up the track, the thieves formed a human chain and quickly transferred 120 bags of money—most of them containing bills set to be removed from circulation—into three waiting vehicles.
The biggest train robbery in British history came in 1963, when a gang of 15 thieves stole more than $7 million in banknotes—the equivalent of $60.5 million today—from a Royal Mail train. In the early morning of August 8, the robbers rigged a false red signal light near a section of track called Sears Crossing. When the locomotive stopped at the light, more than a dozen men in ski masks appeared, beat the driver with a metal rod and uncoupled most of the cars. After forcing the driver to move the remaining cars to a rendezvous point a mile up the track, the thieves formed a human chain and quickly transferred 120 bags of money—most of them containing bills set to be removed from circulation—into three waiting vehicles.
After
escaping the scene, the robbers hid out for several days in a nearby farmhouse,
where they celebrated by playing Monopoly with their two-and-a-half tons of
stolen cash. Spooked by the high police presence in the area, the men
eventually divided the loot and split up. Police were later called to the scene,
where they discovered heaps of evidence—including fingerprints on the gang’s
Monopoly board—that helped them track down the thieves. Twelve of the gang
members were eventually arrested and sentenced to a total of 307 years in
prison.
3. The Great Gold Robbery of 1855
Most train robberies are high profile crimes committed by armed bandits, but the Great Gold Robbery was the railway equivalent of a cat burglary. The heist was discovered in May 1855 in Paris, when authorities found that the gold in four lock boxes shipped from London had been partially replaced with lead shot. The boxes had been kept in double-locked safes and showed no signs of having been tampered with. At some point during the train journey between England and France, around 12,000 British pounds worth of gold bullion—the equivalent of some $1.5 million in modern day currency—had simply vanished.
Most train robberies are high profile crimes committed by armed bandits, but the Great Gold Robbery was the railway equivalent of a cat burglary. The heist was discovered in May 1855 in Paris, when authorities found that the gold in four lock boxes shipped from London had been partially replaced with lead shot. The boxes had been kept in double-locked safes and showed no signs of having been tampered with. At some point during the train journey between England and France, around 12,000 British pounds worth of gold bullion—the equivalent of some $1.5 million in modern day currency—had simply vanished.
As police
would later learn, the crime was a carefully planned inside job. Working with a
stationmaster and a train guard, masterminds Edward Agar and William Pierce had
obtained wax imprints of the safe keys and painstakingly made copies. On the
night of the robbery, the men disguised themselves as gentlemen and boarded the
train in London carrying luggage filled with lead. Once in transit, Agar and
Pierce stowed away in the baggage car and used their copied keys to open the
safes. After switching the gold with their dummy lead weights, they resealed
the boxes and disguised the loot in their luggage before exiting the train in
Dover. The heist would have been the perfect crime, but Agar later confessed to
authorities after he was arrested for a separate offense. Police rounded up his
accomplices shortly thereafter.
4. Kakori Train Robbery
Most rail heists are inspired by blind greed, but many in India saw 1925’s Kakori Train Robbery as an act of political protest. The holdup was the work of the Hindustan Republican Association, a band of militant revolutionaries who sought to free India from British colonial rule. The HRA often resorted to robbery to fund their rebellion, and on August 9, 1925, they set their sights on a British train operating in what is now Uttar Pradesh.
Most rail heists are inspired by blind greed, but many in India saw 1925’s Kakori Train Robbery as an act of political protest. The holdup was the work of the Hindustan Republican Association, a band of militant revolutionaries who sought to free India from British colonial rule. The HRA often resorted to robbery to fund their rebellion, and on August 9, 1925, they set their sights on a British train operating in what is now Uttar Pradesh.
As the
train neared the town of Kakori, ten armed revolutionaries led by Ram Prasad
Bismil overpowered the guards, hijacked the locomotive and brought all the cars
to a screeching halt. While the rest of the men stood guard, four robbers made
their way to the guard’s van and used hammers to batter their way into a
British safe filled with moneybags. All ten of the revolutionaries escaped
without injury, but in the chaos of the heist one passenger was killed in an
accidental shooting. The men eluded capture for over a month, but by September
the train robbers had been arrested along with around 30 other revolutionaries.
Bismil and three other men were later executed by hanging in 1927.
5. The Rondout Train Robbery
The biggest rail heist in American history was the work of the “Newton Boys,” a band of four Texas brothers who robbed at least 60 banks and six trains during their lucrative criminal careers. The caper came on the night of June 12, 1924. Working on a tip from a crooked postal inspector, two of the Newton brothers boarded a mail train on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. After pulling guns on the engineer, the men forced the train to stop near Rondout, Illinois, where the rest of the gang waited with a small fleet of cars.
The biggest rail heist in American history was the work of the “Newton Boys,” a band of four Texas brothers who robbed at least 60 banks and six trains during their lucrative criminal careers. The caper came on the night of June 12, 1924. Working on a tip from a crooked postal inspector, two of the Newton brothers boarded a mail train on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. After pulling guns on the engineer, the men forced the train to stop near Rondout, Illinois, where the rest of the gang waited with a small fleet of cars.
The
thieves then threw bottles of noxious formaldehyde into the windows of the
passenger cars, leaving the train’s 17 armed mail clerks gasping for air. When
the guards surrendered, the bandits made off with several mail sacks containing
a staggering $3 million in cash and bonds. The gang escaped in their cars, but
in the confusion of the robbery an accomplice accidentally shot one of the Newton
brothers several times. The thieves were later arrested after they tried to get
medical assistance in Chicago.
6. The Wilcox Train Robbery
In the late 19th century, Robert LeRoy Parker—better known as “Butch Cassidy”—led a gang of train robbers who went by the colorful nickname “The Wild Bunch.” This band of stickup men was responsible for several railway heists, but perhaps none was as famous as 1899’s Wilcox Train Robbery in Wyoming. The raid began in the early morning of June 2, when several Wild Bunch members flagged down the first part of a two-section train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. After the locomotive came to a halt, two masked men boarded it and ordered the engineer to cross a nearby bridge. As soon as the last car cleared the gap, the bandits dynamited the bridge, stranding the approaching second train on the other side.
In the late 19th century, Robert LeRoy Parker—better known as “Butch Cassidy”—led a gang of train robbers who went by the colorful nickname “The Wild Bunch.” This band of stickup men was responsible for several railway heists, but perhaps none was as famous as 1899’s Wilcox Train Robbery in Wyoming. The raid began in the early morning of June 2, when several Wild Bunch members flagged down the first part of a two-section train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. After the locomotive came to a halt, two masked men boarded it and ordered the engineer to cross a nearby bridge. As soon as the last car cleared the gap, the bandits dynamited the bridge, stranding the approaching second train on the other side.
Having
isolated the train’s first section, the thieves ordered the clerks in the
express and mail cars to open their doors. When the men refused, the robbers
simply the blew the doors off with sticks of dynamite, pushed aside the dazed
inhabitants, and then used even more explosives to crack open a safe. In total,
the gang made off with around $30,000 in unsigned banknotes before disappearing
into the mountains. Their exploits as railway bandits would later help inspire
the seminal 1903 silent film “The Great Train Robbery.”
Clancy's comment: What a wild lot, eh?
I'm ...
Think about this!
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