WHISKY TRAIN RAIDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 109, 18 February 1935, Page 5

WHISKY TRAIN RAIDS.

BANDITS CREASE! LINES. . AT DEAD OF NIGHT. > LONDON, February 2. Railway detectives of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and theLondon arid North-Eastern Railway are investigating an astonishing series of thefts of whisky and other spirits from trains during the past few weeks. The thefts, which have all occurred after the trains have left Glasgow and before they have.reached theif destina-' tions, are known to be the work of organised gangs of bandits. It is now definitely established that ip every instance where spirits have been missed the train in question has been brought to a standstill at one part of its journey. The bandits select for their operations parts of the line in lonely districts where-there is a heavy gradient. Most of the thefts have occurred on the Scottish side of the border, though a few have occurred in Lancashire and Yorkshire. As a whisky train approaches the sang works, feverishly smearing the line with grease carried to the spot in five-gallon containers. The detectives obtained their first clue from empty containers which the bandits had left behind them. . p On the greased line the wheels or an engine do not grip, and the tram is stopped until the line has been well sanded. Engine-drivers arid their firemen have been blaming the moisture caused by bad weather for, such stoppages. . . Meanwhile, the bandits seize then opportunity to raid the tram—such a train, composed of nearly 100 trucks, may be more than a quarter of a niile long with only three men;in it, the engine-driver, the fireman, and the o-uard There are 300 crates, each containing 12 bottles of whisky, m. a

The crates are 'thrown from the train on to a grassy slope by the side of the line and then placed on waiting motor-lorries and driven away. The value of the spirits stolei which the greater part has been whisky is estimated to be already nearly £4OOO. . . i These losses have been taking place since it was found that a quantity of whisky had disappeared from a train which arrived in London. Lao seals on the trucks had been tampered with and at some points on the journey the bolts on the doors had been withdrawn. ■ 4