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I don't really understand what is happening here. Why is the ground completely covered in packages? Do thieves just break into the passing train compartments an

I don't really understand what is happening here. Why is the ground completely covered in packages? Do thieves just break into the passing train compartments and start throwing out packages?

vondur 5y ago
They open things up, take what they want, and dispose of the rest.
- ohCh6zos 5y ago
  This seems like a problem that armed guards would fix pretty quickly.
  - mnd999 5y ago
    Maybe. Or you just up the stakes and now you have thieves with automatic weapons having a gunfight with the train guards.
    - CrispinS 5y ago
      The stakes remain unchanged, because the stakes are the packages. Since there can't be that much profit in this activity, I think it's reasonable to assume that a lot of the people responsible are doing it just because it's easy.
avalys 5y ago
Yeah, that's exactly what they do, and they open the packages right there on the side of the tracks and take anything that's valuable inside.
codemac 5y ago
The trains come to a stop from time to time. They break in to a container and throw as much as they can to the ground before the train continues. Once the train is moving again, they go through all the packages on the ground looking for things of value.
- Ansil849 5y ago
  So the thieves just lurk around the area, waiting for trains to come to a pause, and then break open the containers, I guess the containers are not very secure? And there's minimal patrols? It just seems like extraordinary 'easy pickings'.
  - Doxin 5y ago
    Turns out it's pretty tricky to make a padlock secure against bolt cutters. Of course improving the security of the lock would soon lead to thieves cutting off the locking bars on the container instead.
    - Ansil849 5y ago
      It doesn't have to be the lock that's secured. What about a hinge mechanism which takes a programmable amount of time to open the container door? If it takes 10 minutes for the door to open, the lock doesn't matter as much, since the thieves have a very limited amount of time before the trains start moving again, apparently.
      - asdff 5y ago
        Way too complicated. Apparently shippers are opting to start just welding the door shut and unwelding it at the destination.
      - dkdbejwi383 5y ago
        That sounds like it could be quite error prone. If it's electronic, what about power failures? If mechanical, sounds like lots of intricate machined parts which will wear down over time.
        Ansil849 5y ago
        Time locks have been around for more than 100 years, I'm pretty confident that if something like this was desired by the powers that be, it would have been implemented. What I'm assuming is stopping it aren't the engineering challenges, but the fact that currently it's cheaper to let the thefts happen than it is to mitigate them.
blamazon 5y ago
The trains are forced to stop at this accessible location sometimes, just outside the rail yard. They don’t stop for long, so the strategy is to hop on, cut a container open, and throw as much stuff to the ground as you can before the train starts moving again. Then you hop down and look through your spoils for items of value. Hint: look for “lithium ion battery device inside” warning labels.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- alkonaut 5y ago
  So if the train cars, or the containers thee packages are kept in within the train cars, were at least so secure that they prevented access for say an hour or two, then this likely wouldn't happen? What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock?
  - blamazon 5y ago
    > What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock? Yes, pretty much. Although in many cases it’s not even a padlock, just a tamper-evident seal device with a serial number matching the paperwork for that container: https://shipped.com/img-parts/server/php/files/containers/shipping-container-bolt-seal.jpg https://shipped.com/img-parts/server/php/files/containers/sh... For huge cargo firms handling tens of thousands of containers daily, padlocks can be problematic operationally and quite expensive.
  - wongarsu 5y ago
    Padlocks are easy to cut, a bigger padlock just needs a bigger tool. Some companies apparently start welding their containers shut, which raises the bar for thieves significantly (now they need a grinder and more time).
    - wrycoder 5y ago
      Battery powered grinders being the hot new thing.
bostonsre 5y ago
Don't think you would want to be walking around with someone else's package. Taking just the item gives some plausible deniability and there is probably no way to find the actual package that an item was taken from at that scale.

I don't really understand what is happening here. Why is the ground completely covered in packages? Do thieves just break into the passing train compartments and start throwing out packages?

vondur 5y ago

They open things up, take what they want, and dispose of the rest.

ohCh6zos 5y ago
This seems like a problem that armed guards would fix pretty quickly.
- mnd999 5y ago
  Maybe. Or you just up the stakes and now you have thieves with automatic weapons having a gunfight with the train guards.
  - CrispinS 5y ago
    The stakes remain unchanged, because the stakes are the packages. Since there can't be that much profit in this activity, I think it's reasonable to assume that a lot of the people responsible are doing it just because it's easy.

avalys 5y ago

Yeah, that's exactly what they do, and they open the packages right there on the side of the tracks and take anything that's valuable inside.

codemac 5y ago

The trains come to a stop from time to time. They break in to a container and throw as much as they can to the ground before the train continues. Once the train is moving again, they go through all the packages on the ground looking for things of value.

Ansil849 5y ago
So the thieves just lurk around the area, waiting for trains to come to a pause, and then break open the containers, I guess the containers are not very secure? And there's minimal patrols? It just seems like extraordinary 'easy pickings'.
- Doxin 5y ago
  Turns out it's pretty tricky to make a padlock secure against bolt cutters. Of course improving the security of the lock would soon lead to thieves cutting off the locking bars on the container instead.
  - Ansil849 5y ago
    It doesn't have to be the lock that's secured. What about a hinge mechanism which takes a programmable amount of time to open the container door? If it takes 10 minutes for the door to open, the lock doesn't matter as much, since the thieves have a very limited amount of time before the trains start moving again, apparently.
    - asdff 5y ago
      Way too complicated. Apparently shippers are opting to start just welding the door shut and unwelding it at the destination.
    - dkdbejwi383 5y ago
      That sounds like it could be quite error prone. If it's electronic, what about power failures? If mechanical, sounds like lots of intricate machined parts which will wear down over time.
      - Ansil849 5y ago
        Time locks have been around for more than 100 years, I'm pretty confident that if something like this was desired by the powers that be, it would have been implemented. What I'm assuming is stopping it aren't the engineering challenges, but the fact that currently it's cheaper to let the thefts happen than it is to mitigate them.

blamazon 5y ago

The trains are forced to stop at this accessible location sometimes, just outside the rail yard. They don’t stop for long, so the strategy is to hop on, cut a container open, and throw as much stuff to the ground as you can before the train starts moving again. Then you hop down and look through your spoils for items of value. Hint: look for “lithium ion battery device inside” warning labels.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
alkonaut 5y ago
So if the train cars, or the containers thee packages are kept in within the train cars, were at least so secure that they prevented access for say an hour or two, then this likely wouldn't happen? What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock?
- blamazon 5y ago
  > What is this, open crates or sacks of packages, in traincars locked with a small padlock? Yes, pretty much. Although in many cases it’s not even a padlock, just a tamper-evident seal device with a serial number matching the paperwork for that container: https://shipped.com/img-parts/server/php/files/containers/shipping-container-bolt-seal.jpg https://shipped.com/img-parts/server/php/files/containers/sh... For huge cargo firms handling tens of thousands of containers daily, padlocks can be problematic operationally and quite expensive.
- wongarsu 5y ago
  Padlocks are easy to cut, a bigger padlock just needs a bigger tool. Some companies apparently start welding their containers shut, which raises the bar for thieves significantly (now they need a grinder and more time).
  - wrycoder 5y ago
    Battery powered grinders being the hot new thing.

bostonsre 5y ago

Don't think you would want to be walking around with someone else's package. Taking just the item gives some plausible deniability and there is probably no way to find the actual package that an item was taken from at that scale.