[cripplecreek]

I can’t imagine there’s enough money in scrap iron for that to be worthwhile. This is something else.

[Ditto]

I can’t imagine there’s enough money in scrap iron for that to be worthwhile.

Sure sounds like a lot of work for very little reward.

[Peet]

I can’t imagine there’s enough money in scrap iron for that to be worthwhile. This is something else.

You'd be surprised. They just busted a couple of idiots in western Mass who were stealing veterens' graveside flag holders (at about three pounds each) for the bronze.

It isn't clear from newspaper articles whether they found a sleazy scrap metal dealer to take the flag holders of if the criminals were melting them down first.

I don't know if this will last, it is the lousy website of a crappy newspaper...

[DesertRhino]

SO true, i bet its harder than we would care to imagine to pull spikes from a creosote soaked wooden tie. There has to be an easier way to find easily stolen steel rather than pulling it by the pound, by hand, from a cross-tie.

[Birdsbane]

“I can’t imagine there’s enough money in scrap iron for that to be worthwhile.”

Maybe the rails are too heavy for two sawed-off illegals to carry away? Just take half the spikes per rail? They are building a house and nails are too expensive? Going to start their own track system, for human and drug smuggling, by underground rail? (This has already occurred). Under the table product testers for a pry-bar manufacturer? (I could come up with a thousand excuses to cover my terrorist ass if I had one.)

[piasa]

Maybe just the right size for hobbyists to forge into something else.

Or maybe they were acquiring materials for a smuggling railroad. Some of those tunnels under the border are pretty big.