Who said the youth of today has no interest in trains?
"JERSEY CITY, N.J. - A gang that used night-vision binoculars and other modern technology to steal railroad cargo has been broken up after a decade of exploits that far surpassed the James Gang and other fabled outlaws, authorities said Thursday.
The "Conrail Boyz" stole millions of dollars of cargo, mostly consumer goods such as designer clothes. One 2001 robbery netted more than
17,000 Sony PlayStation units worth $5 million.
In most of the robberies, "train jumpers" would board a slow-moving train to search for valuable cargo, said Steven Hanes, director of Norfolk Southern's police force. Other gang members would pose as rail workers to find out where the train was stopping.
The goods would be unloaded, then peddled on the street or in shops.
Some gang members were arrested repeatedly over the years, but they avoided long jail terms because they did not carry weapons.
The Conrail Boyz were the "largest single gang ever to attack North American railroads," Hanes said, citing the size of their membership, their longevity and the value of the stolen merchandise."