$15,000 in scrap metal stolen

$15,000 in scrap metal stolen

"Someone stole $15,000 worth of scrap metal from a railroad.



Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena said employees at DMVW Railroad reported someone stole scrap metal from sites where the company is rebuilding train tracks, somewhere from Bismarck to 10 miles out of the city limits.

Buschena said the theft occurred between 5 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday."

I really think this is poor reporting. What was taken?

Even if we were paying $200/ton for #1 iron then this would be 75 ton of material... 150,000 lbs. Taken in 1 evening? Or maybe it was all copper? $3/lb would be 5,000 lbs of copper? With 2 yards here in town this should be easy to spot. Who has that kind of equipment to move that much stuff overnight and not be noticed?

Railroad employees that is who. I say inside job for sure. Rail is worth much more then regular scrap. Sticks of track can't be stolen easily. If it was OTM spikes and plates and joiners can easily be stolen. What yard is going to take the material unless they go way out of there way to a far away yard.

Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing

Railroad employees that is who. I say inside job for sure. Rail is worth much more then regular scrap. Sticks of track can't be stolen easily. If it was OTM spikes and plates and joiners can easily be stolen. What yard is going to take the material unless they go way out of there way to a far away yard.

It like that bridge that was stolen awhile back they report the replacement value.

Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing

Railroad employees that is who. I say inside job for sure. Rail is worth much more then regular scrap. Sticks of track can't be stolen easily. If it was OTM spikes and plates and joiners can easily be stolen. What yard is going to take the material unless they go way out of there way to a far away yard.

I agree. This is way too much metal for one man to move overnight. That stuff got put into empty boxcars and shipped elsewhere, and there were several people involved at a minimum.

It's a bit of a stretch calling that item in the newspaper a "story". That was pretty poorly done.

--Geoff