The Great Train Robbery

Published 18 Aug 2010 11:40

By Alistair Neil

AN EIGHT tonne diesel locomotive and three 20 tonne steel wagons are among a hoard of items that have been nabbed from a heritage site near Dalmellington.

Over the last 12 months brazen thieves have pinched 300 tonnes of steel with a scrap value of more than £45,000 from the site at Burnton.

Police predict the amount taken is enough to fill 15 lorry loads and would have required specialist lifting equipment.

The group responsible for the site has meanwhile been left counting the sentimental cost of the goods, much of which cannot be replaced.

Neil Bruce, director of the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group, explained: "Locomotives are irreplaceable.

"There were old wagons from the 1890s that had steel buffers and wheel sets - they have disappeared. A lot of what we have has been donated to us so it's a massive loss. We're shocked."

Along with the Luston diesel locomotive and the steel wagons, lengths of narrow gauge track and three five tonne rail cars have also been taken.

Thieves have systematically targeted the site for the metal which can then be sold on as scrap.

The Preservation Group has been in the process of moving goods from the old pit site to the north of Burnton to the nearby Dunaskin Heritage Centre.

Neil added: "We left some items up there because they were very difficult to shift.

"In February we took away nearly all of our railway vehicles to Dunaskin and then we went up recently to make plans to shift what was left and it was gone.

"The problem we have is that if we are to move the machinery it would have to be in one piece which is very difficult to do. But whoever did it has cut it up on site and then lifted it in pieces.

"A handler has likely been used to lift it onto the back of a lorry."

Last summer around 200 tonnes of metal, much of which had been used as rail, was taken from the same site.

Large quantities of fencing from the Dunaskin site have also been disappearing.

When this article went to press the police had yet to make any arrests over the thefts.

PC Frank Kennedy, from Dalmellington Police Office, said: "We believe the locomotive was taken in the last two months.

"An estimate of 300 tonnes of steel with a scrap value of £45,500 has been taken over the last 12 months. But obviously there is a great historical value on top of that.

"The goods have more than likely been cut up on site and would have been enough to fill about 15 lorry loads."

Anyone with information regarding the thefts should contact Dalmellington Police Office on 01292 551426 or Crimestoppers anonymously 0800 555 111.

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