In 1923, the DeAutremont brothers attacked and robbed a mail train. This lead to the infamous title “The Last Great Train Robber.” However, the next year in 1924 the largest and most successful train robbery took place in Rondout, Illinois.
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The last major American train robbery was attempted on November 25, 1937, on a Southern Pacific Railroad's westbound Apache Limited out of El Paso, Texas.
The Great Train Robbery of 1963 made some of the men who carried out the £2.6million heist household names, including the notorious Ronnie Biggs. But whilst 12 men were either jailed or fled, three individuals eluded police. Two, Harry Smith and Danny Pembroke, were later unmasked, but the third remained unidentified.
Although it may sound like a bygone method of heist, robbing freight trains is not unheard-of in modern times. But it has previously required some degree of sophistication to accomplish.
The Great Train Robbery was the robbery of £2.61 million (about £61 million today) from a Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London on the West Coast Main Line in the early hours of 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England.
Trespassing on the railway is illegal and dangerous. You could be taken to court and face a £1,000 fine. For this reason, when we see someone trespassing, we have to stop all trains in the vicinity to remove trespassers, check for damage and clear blockages.
Train Robbery under PC 214 is a felony offense. This means you cannot have your charges reduced, since there is no misdemeanor violation of this crime. If convicted, you could be sentenced to 16 months, 2, or 3 years in a State Prison.
The era of the freight train-hopping, job-seeking hobo faded into obscurity in the years following the Second World War. Many hobos from this era have since “caught the westbound,” or died. A small number of so-called hobos still hop freight trains today.