Union Pacific Weighs Avoiding Los Angeles as Cargo Theft Rises

9,577 Views | 111 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by TexAgGrad19
doubledog
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Union Pacific needs to be more proactive...
oysterbayAG
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AG
Who would have thought that 120 years later the Hole In The Wall Gangs would re-emerge to rob the Union Pacific Railroad. That's what happens when you have mindless political leaders destroying law enforcement. Allan Pinkerton is churning in his grave !
Squadron7
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captkirk said:

Libs have turned a lovely state into a **** hole

The ****hole hasn't quite expanded into their gated enclaves yet.
torrid
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Satellite of Love said:

Tony Franklins Other Shoe said:


Didn't think they were that knowledgeable on hygiene back then to have water tanks on trains available for handwashing. Seems pretty extravagant for rail travel, what era was this?
You would be surprised to know that even early to mid 1800s passenger cars had "toilets" and water. Granted early on it was a tiny compartment where people did their business and it would dump directly on to the tracks below.

Edit: Sorry I meant to say early to mid 1800s they had sh**ters on board. Very crude holes to the tracks, but there were places to take a piss.
I think even through most of the 20th century, the train toilets had signs saying "not for use at station".

edit - Hopper toilets till in use in the UK as of 2019 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_train_toilet

nortex97
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Ok, outside of the 19th century wild west, the 21st century LA problem is obviously...Soros DA Gascon.

Quote:

One of the signs that Ronald Reagan noted as an indication that the Soviet Union had entered a state of advanced decrepitude socially and economically were news reports in late 1980 in both the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times about three separate freight trains bound from Moscow to Odessa that simply disappeared, victims apparently of piracy.

One wonders whether Russia, currently contemplating reassembling the Soviet empire starting with the Ukraine perhaps at any moment, is looked out at events in the United States and wondering if we're slipping into a similar decadence and decrepitude. I refer to the shocking photos out of Los Angeles of widespread thievery from freight trains.

Even the Los Angeles Times has noticed:




These are not serious policies, and demonstrate how Democrats, of all stripes (none of whom are calling for his removal from office) are intent only on the destruction of America.
techno-ag
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torrid said:

Satellite of Love said:

Tony Franklins Other Shoe said:


Didn't think they were that knowledgeable on hygiene back then to have water tanks on trains available for handwashing. Seems pretty extravagant for rail travel, what era was this?
You would be surprised to know that even early to mid 1800s passenger cars had "toilets" and water. Granted early on it was a tiny compartment where people did their business and it would dump directly on to the tracks below.

Edit: Sorry I meant to say early to mid 1800s they had sh**ters on board. Very crude holes to the tracks, but there were places to take a piss.
I think even through most of the 20th century, the train toilets had signs saying "not for use at station".

edit - Hopper toilets till in use in the UK as of 2019 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_train_toilet


Yup. Did Eurail in college and recall looking right down on the tracks when flushing.
Trump will fix it.
jickyjack1
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PaulC_80 said:

The Dems are trying to strangle the rest of the country of needed products coming through the Cali Ports. They are slow walking the unloading of ships and are now allowing and encouraging theft and looting of what is being unloaded. They are purposefully trying to collapse the countries economy.

It's obvious. Civil unrest and confusion are the goals. Because George wants it.
jickyjack1
fka ftc
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UP is scoring political points. Per their own website,:

The Union Pacific Police Department has primary jurisdiction over crimes committed against the railroad. Special Agents have primary jurisdiction over crimes committed against the railroad. The department is responsible for all Union Pacific locations across 32,000 miles of track in 23 states.


https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/safety/special_agents/index.htm
AgBQ-00
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AG
Loss Angeles is more like it
You do not have a soul. You are a soul that has a body.

We sing Hallelujah! The Lamb has overcome!
JamesE4
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Rockdoc said:

The dems want lawlessness. How anybody can support democrats is beyond comprehension.
If you are a criminal it makes sense to support the dims
davehurt
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Buffet sold all his stock in Union Pacific when Berkshire Hathaway bought BNSF.
aggiehawg
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davehurt said:

Buffet sold all his stock in Union Pacific when Berkshire Hathaway bought BNSF.
Thanks for clarification.
richardag
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UTExan said:

nortex97 said:

Laugh, but I hope this spurs a big shift to blimps for trans-pacific/oceanic cargo. Don't have to stop in California. A lot of competitive economics have been studied/discussed.


Funny you should mention that:


So it has been reported we are running out of helium. Then there will be a need for nuclear fusion reactors to fuse 2 hydrogen atoms into helium.

Not really, we're not actually running out of helium, we are depleting our national reserves of helium.
Science Monday: Are We Really Running Out of Helium?
This does create somewhat of a conundrum as the largest source of helium is extraction from natural gas. Which everybody knows when natural gas is burned for energy it creates CO2 causing global warming. So we extract helium from natural gas and pump the natural gas back into the ground so we can have dirigibles that produce less CO2 saving us from global warming, right. I was just kidding about the generation of helium from fusion reactors, would not produce enough for all the dirigibles and birthday balloons anyway.

Sorry for the derailment.
Among the latter, under pretence of governing they have divided their nations into two classes, wolves and sheep.”
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Edward Carrington, January 16, 1787
jac4
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AG
Interesting that UP penned that letter around 12/20. The pics didn't go viral until the last week or so as far as I remember. I bet they helped to leak and amplify the message.
nortex97
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Well, you learn something new every day, as they say, that is news to me.

Also, Andrew McCarthy, who is great, had an article about all of this railroad robbery stuff, which is good. I forget to check NRO most weeks as otherwise it is trash nowadays but it's a good piece.

Quote:

In the year ending October 2021, Union Pacific says train robberies are up by . . . wait for it . . . 356 percent. As Forbes notes, the surge is materially contributing to national delivery delays, holding up "retail shipments of everything from at-home Covid-19 tests, fishing lures and parcels from Amazon, REI and UPS." About 40 percent of goods shipped into the U.S. come through ports adjacent to the train route in question. The Forbes report elaborates:
Quote:

Thieves can break into stopped or slow-moving cars and pull a kind of hand brake, which slows the wheels. Sensors in the track read this as an equipment breakdown and stop or slow the train to a crawl. At that point, individuals can use bolt cutters to open up cars and grab items quickly. What they don't want is left on the sides of the track to blow in the breeze and slowly rot in the southern California sun.
The train ambushes are just one part of the epidemic of robberies and retail organized crime plaguing California not just in Los Angeles, but in San Francisco, and other commercial hubs.

Obviously, Gascn and, in general, California's state government are disastrous. But what is the federal government doing about this? In many crime situations, the feds can seem superfluous, muscling in on matters that are chiefly local concerns. Here, however, we are talking about interstate and international commerce, the very foundation of federal criminal jurisdiction.

If addressing this outrage is a priority of the Biden administration's interim U.S. attorney, Tracy Wilkison, that is not evident from her office's website (which catalogues press releases issued in recent cases that the office deems its most significant) or its Twitter feed. If we visit the Twitter feed of the FBI's Los Angeles office, we are urged to provide any information we may have about the Capitol riot, and we are reminded that Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" But we are not told what, if anything, the bureau is doing about the train robberies.
...
The people of Los Angeles elected Gascn, so it is fair enough to observe that they are getting the kind of law "enforcement" they voted for. But the train robberies are a national problem that has ramifications throughout the economy and the country is now having them at a time of rising inflation and empty store shelves. It is for such challenges that we have federal law enforcement. The feds do not need state or municipal permission to act they can move on their own initiative, and in contravention of the woke prosecutors' nonenforcement approach.

The Biden administration owes the public an explanation of what it is doing to end this dangerous and embarrassing siege.
Clearly, the FBI is too busy with school board meetings, the insurrectionists from J6, and white supremacists to bother with stuff like this. Sigh....40 percent of Americans or so still approve of Xiden.
twk
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fka ftc said:

UP is scoring political points. Per their own website,:

The Union Pacific Police Department has primary jurisdiction over crimes committed against the railroad. Special Agents have primary jurisdiction over crimes committed against the railroad. The department is responsible for all Union Pacific locations across 32,000 miles of track in 23 states.


https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/safety/special_agents/index.htm
They have jurisdiction to arrest offenders. But, when the LA District Attorney reduces the charges down to trespassing and immediately releases them after booking (with no bail), the power to arrest is rendered meaningless. It's not about scoring political points--it's about having UP's main port of entry serve as a buffet for criminals.
G Martin 87
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CanyonAg77 said:

nortex97 said:

Laugh, but I hope this spurs a big shift to blimps for trans-pacific/oceanic cargo. Don't have to stop in California. A lot of competitive economics have been studied/discussed.

Oh, the humanity
Rigid airship.
CanyonAg77
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G Martin 87 said:

CanyonAg77 said:

nortex97 said:

Laugh, but I hope this spurs a big shift to blimps for trans-pacific/oceanic cargo. Don't have to stop in California. A lot of competitive economics have been studied/discussed.
Oh, the humanity
Rigid airship.
Never let facts get in the way of a bad joke
G Martin 87
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CanyonAg77 said:

G Martin 87 said:

CanyonAg77 said:

nortex97 said:

Laugh, but I hope this spurs a big shift to blimps for trans-pacific/oceanic cargo. Don't have to stop in California. A lot of competitive economics have been studied/discussed.
Oh, the humanity
Rigid airship.
Never let facts get in the way of a bad joke
Missing the core concept, Lana.
Faustus
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Rockdoc said:

Marcus Brutus said:

Anonymous Source said:

Marcus Brutus said:

Anonymous Source said:

Burdizzo said:

Railroad police used to have the toughest reputations around. What happened?


UP fired most of theirs to pad the bottom line


You support shoot to kill for trespassers. Would you also support shoot to kill for the thieves robbing these trains?
I support the railroad police...much like the Capitol police...enforcing their jurisdictions in manners that they see fit, and if that includes someone getting shot, so be it. Much like another case, they shouldn't be there.

In manners they see fit?! So no regard for excessive force, etc... Excessive force is a thing. You know, like in the Floyd case, et al.

I don't believe you. you are OK with a Trump supporter being murdered. If they started killing these thieves, you'd scream at the top of your lungs about excessive force.

I like the way he worked the capitol police into this thread. Lol never give up!


Didn't Marcus kind of put him on the spot by saying Anonymous supported shooting to kill trespassers? I took that as a Capitol dig.
torrid
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Apparently there were also weapons stolen from the railcars, creating concerns of a new crime spree.

"Tens of firearms." Not tons, tens. Compared to what, the thousands of illegal guns already floating around LA gangs?

https://www.hastingstribune.com/ap/national/guns-stolen-from-rail-cars-spark-lapd-concern/article_d8a2c8f5-ae59-5caa-b21b-96d3dae43368.html
Kenneth_2003
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From the article linked above... Looks like a nice pissing match developing between the Union Pacific and the DA

Quote:

The thefts set off a volley of accusations last week between Union Pacific and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascn.

After the railroad company said the theft problem was made worse by Gascon's approach to prosecuting criminal offenders, the district attorney chastised Union Pacific for having poor security.
"It is very telling that other major railroad operations in the area are not facing the same level of theft at their facilities as UP," Gascn said in a letter Friday. "We can ensure that appropriate cases are filed and prosecuted; however, my office is not tasked with keeping your sites secure and the district attorney alone cannot solve the major issues facing your organization."
torrid
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You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.
Squadron7
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torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
aezmvp
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Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
I don't know that they're going to offer enough to move a railyard. Those are... not cheap. Additionally California's drayage system is screwed up so badly moving the railhead further from the port is a really really bad idea. Basically it'd be cheaper to build electric fences and patrol with mercenaries for a couple of decades than it would be to move the yard.
Loyalty
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nortex97 said:

Well, you learn something new every day, as they say, that is news to me.

Also, Andrew McCarthy, who is great, had an article about all of this railroad robbery stuff, which is good. I forget to check NRO most weeks as otherwise it is trash nowadays but it's a good piece.

Quote:

In the year ending October 2021, Union Pacific says train robberies are up by . . . wait for it . . . 356 percent. As Forbes notes, the surge is materially contributing to national delivery delays, holding up "retail shipments of everything from at-home Covid-19 tests, fishing lures and parcels from Amazon, REI and UPS." About 40 percent of goods shipped into the U.S. come through ports adjacent to the train route in question. The Forbes report elaborates:
Quote:

Thieves can break into stopped or slow-moving cars and pull a kind of hand brake, which slows the wheels. Sensors in the track read this as an equipment breakdown and stop or slow the train to a crawl. At that point, individuals can use bolt cutters to open up cars and grab items quickly. What they don't want is left on the sides of the track to blow in the breeze and slowly rot in the southern California sun.
The train ambushes are just one part of the epidemic of robberies and retail organized crime plaguing California not just in Los Angeles, but in San Francisco, and other commercial hubs.

Obviously, Gascn and, in general, California's state government are disastrous. But what is the federal government doing about this? In many crime situations, the feds can seem superfluous, muscling in on matters that are chiefly local concerns. Here, however, we are talking about interstate and international commerce, the very foundation of federal criminal jurisdiction.

If addressing this outrage is a priority of the Biden administration's interim U.S. attorney, Tracy Wilkison, that is not evident from her office's website (which catalogues press releases issued in recent cases that the office deems its most significant) or its Twitter feed. If we visit the Twitter feed of the FBI's Los Angeles office, we are urged to provide any information we may have about the Capitol riot, and we are reminded that Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" But we are not told what, if anything, the bureau is doing about the train robberies.
...
The people of Los Angeles elected Gascn, so it is fair enough to observe that they are getting the kind of law "enforcement" they voted for. But the train robberies are a national problem that has ramifications throughout the economy and the country is now having them at a time of rising inflation and empty store shelves. It is for such challenges that we have federal law enforcement. The feds do not need state or municipal permission to act they can move on their own initiative, and in contravention of the woke prosecutors' nonenforcement approach.

The Biden administration owes the public an explanation of what it is doing to end this dangerous and embarrassing siege.
Clearly, the FBI is too busy with school board meetings, the insurrectionists from J6, and white supremacists to bother with stuff like this. Sigh....40 percent of Americans or so still approve of Xiden.


Xiden could have public beheadings on the White House lawns of innocent children from republican families and the same 40% would rationalize their approval of him. Pride and stubbornness in the inability to admit you are wrong would keep their approval of xiden.
twk
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Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
The rail yard where the photos and videos were taken is just east of downtown LA, a good ways from the port. It would be a pain in the ass, but they could move this yard outside of LA and just keep the trains moving once the leave the yards by the port.
Squadron7
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aezmvp said:

Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
I don't know that they're going to offer enough to move a railyard. Those are... not cheap. Additionally California's drayage system is screwed up so badly moving the railhead further from the port is a really really bad idea. Basically it'd be cheaper to build electric fences and patrol with mercenaries for a couple of decades than it would be to move the yard.

Send Officer Michael Byrd of the Capitol Hill Police to guard those tracks.

Problem solved.
CanyonAg77
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twk said:

Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
The rail yard where the photos and videos were taken is just east of downtown LA, a good ways from the port. It would be a pain in the ass, but they could move this yard outside of LA and just keep the trains moving once the leave the yards by the port.

You know what would be relatively cheap and easy to move, if politicians had spines and cojones?

The homeless encampments.
twk
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Quote:

You know what would be relatively cheap and easy to move, if politicians had spines and cojones?

The homeless encampments.
No doubt. If you watched the video, the number of beat up RV's camped by the tracks was amazing, but that's how a lot of people who work menial jobs live in LA.
Burdizzo
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twk said:

Quote:

You know what would be relatively cheap and easy to move, if politicians had spines and cojones?

The homeless encampments.
No doubt. If you watched the video, the number of beat up RV's camped by the tracks was amazing, but that's how a lot of people who work menial jobs live in LA.


Jim Rockford lived that way for years.
torrid
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aezmvp said:

Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
I don't know that they're going to offer enough to move a railyard. Those are... not cheap. Additionally California's drayage system is screwed up so badly moving the railhead further from the port is a really really bad idea. Basically it'd be cheaper to build electric fences and patrol with mercenaries for a couple of decades than it would be to move the yard.
It would still need to be in southern California, but I think they could move the railyard somewhere else than an LA ghetto. Having to leave the trains stopped in that area makes theft just too easy.
aezmvp
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Squadron7 said:

aezmvp said:

Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
I don't know that they're going to offer enough to move a railyard. Those are... not cheap. Additionally California's drayage system is screwed up so badly moving the railhead further from the port is a really really bad idea. Basically it'd be cheaper to build electric fences and patrol with mercenaries for a couple of decades than it would be to move the yard.

Send Officer Michael Byrd of the Capitol Hill Police to guard those tracks.

Problem solved.
My guess is he's only good at shooting unarmed women.
FTAG 2000
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AG
Why don't they adjust routing so those trains are not stopped there for any length of time?
aezmvp
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torrid said:

aezmvp said:

Squadron7 said:

torrid said:

You know, that railyard doesn't NEED to be in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are plenty of other towns that would crave the jobs and offer incentives for relocation.

The port of Los Angeles is a little tougher to move.
I don't know that they're going to offer enough to move a railyard. Those are... not cheap. Additionally California's drayage system is screwed up so badly moving the railhead further from the port is a really really bad idea. Basically it'd be cheaper to build electric fences and patrol with mercenaries for a couple of decades than it would be to move the yard.
It would still need to be in southern California, but I think they could move the railyard somewhere else than an LA ghetto. Having to leave the trains stopped in that area makes theft just too easy.
UP has 5 rail heads in the greater LA area. This one is in a bad spot but you're still looking at putting it on a rail line they already control between 110 and the 710 north of the 105. This is some of the most expensive real estate in the US. The cost would be crazy.
 
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