Modern day train robbers

Anybody surprised?

Dave

When you insist on trying to do business in a dumpster fire of a country, this is what you get.  You couldn't PAY me to set foot in that country, or a lot of other ones for that matter.

Time to come back home.

Not surprised, but to be honest something like this could happen in the US, too, as much as we would like to think it wouldn't. Mexico has big problems with its law enforcement, there is no doubt (lack of them, corruption due to low wages, poor morale, etc),and also horrendous poverty,  but if the need is there, people will take advantage of it. It has happened here, though not on this scale, when stores get looted during riots or other disasters like a major blackout, people argue it is 'social justice', too. There are a lot of impoverished areas in the US where I could see something like this happening, especially with the drug addiction epidemic going on, people might get desperate enough to do this as well, or at least try it. It happens on a smaller scale every day, stuff gets stolen from trucks, stuff gets stolen from shipping ports, stores, cars get broken into, stuff gets stolen from trains as well. What is it someone said, civilization is often just a thin veneer?

bigkid posted:

Not surprised, but to be honest something like this could happen in the US, too, as much as we would like to think it wouldn't. Mexico has big problems with its law enforcement, there is no doubt (lack of them, corruption due to low wages, poor morale, etc),and also horrendous poverty,  but if the need is there, people will take advantage of it. It has happened here, though not on this scale, when stores get looted during riots or other disasters like a major blackout, people argue it is 'social justice', too. There are a lot of impoverished areas in the US where I could see something like this happening, especially with the drug addiction epidemic going on, people might get desperate enough to do this as well, or at least try it. It happens on a smaller scale every day, stuff gets stolen from trucks, stuff gets stolen from shipping ports, stores, cars get broken into, stuff gets stolen from trains as well. What is it someone said, civilization is often just a thin veneer?

Chicago?

How about using a small train with a wedge plow infront of the main train?  Drones?

Glad l got to see some of Yucatan's Mayan ruins years ago...hoped to get back to others west some day...no hope now..drove around to obscure ruins in remote areas.  Playa del Carmen has made the news .  They haven't printed enough money to get me there now..too bad.

JoeSage posted:

Time to come back home.

To Japan?  

Stopping the train aside, this has been happening over here forever too, don't kid yourselves.

  They changed to more modern truck hijacks from just stopping semi trucks for quick raids a few decades ago; but trailer theft and tossing goods off a boxcar never seems to go away.  The local liquor commission tracks supplied many high school parties over decades; it only took one to be unlocked before half the neighborhood would lose their morality. Those were small losses compared to the times they many got emptied overnight.   Ever seen a "ditch fort" of liquor cases near the mainline?  I recall busted tvs, cloths, toys, and radios littering some stretches of rails at times.   

That said, south of our border hasn't been somewhere I'd be willing to visit for a long while.

A member of my family has worked and lived in Mexico for the past 3 years. The employer had a list of tips, one being: If you get pulled over for a traffic stop, even if you have done nothing wrong, just pay the bribe in cash.

When US auto racing series, (NASCAR XFINITY, Grand Am, etc) raced in Mexico City, the race transporters had to congregate at the border and by escorted in armed convoys to ensure the safe passage.  Looting from freight trains is an occurrence in the US.  In Mexico, it's standard operating procedure.

Are you kidding?  Same amount of thievery goes on at your local Wal*Mart.  

Colorado Hirailer; no need to wait to see the Mexican ruins.  Just travel south of the border now.

 I go to Wally World late to avoid the crowd.  I sometimes get security to follow me around if I catch them pulling the old 007 on me. But your right, I can't recall a store with such an obviously large theft issue, and I likely shouldn't mess with them... But it is both annoying and then just so fun to to get "payback", lol. Management knows my face anyhow , Wally World is my neighbor at the end of the block.

 I prepped for running the Baja race for years, till I met folks that no longer owned their buggy, but luckily got to walk to the nearest town with their pistol whip bruises. 

There's cooler breezes and nicer border guards when going north anyhow

bigkid posted:

Not surprised, but to be honest something like this could happen in the US, too, as much as we would like to think it wouldn't. Mexico has big problems with its law enforcement, there is no doubt (lack of them, corruption due to low wages, poor morale, etc),and also horrendous poverty,  but if the need is there, people will take advantage of it. It has happened here, though not on this scale, when stores get looted during riots or other disasters like a major blackout, people argue it is 'social justice', too. There are a lot of impoverished areas in the US where I could see something like this happening, especially with the drug addiction epidemic going on, people might get desperate enough to do this as well, or at least try it. It happens on a smaller scale every day, stuff gets stolen from trucks, stuff gets stolen from shipping ports, stores, cars get broken into, stuff gets stolen from trains as well. What is it someone said, civilization is often just a thin veneer?

yeah like COPS Season3  Episode19, Feb 1992. Conrail lends them their "Sting Trailer" 

colorado hirailer posted:

Glad l got to see some of Yucatan's Mayan ruins years ago...hoped to get back to others west some day...no hope now..drove around to obscure ruins in remote areas.  Playa del Carmen has made the news .  They haven't printed enough money to get me there now..too bad.

It's not as bad as the US press makes it out to be.  Was in the Playa del Carmen area twice last year.  Loved it.   Just need to know the places to avoid.  I've enjoyed time driving my personal vehicle in my border state of Sonora.  Yes, got stopped by teenage military with Kalashnikovs, but they were more curious about how bad my Spanish was more than anything else.  There are some back country roads I won't drive anymore, but that's the same here in some places I've been to in the US. 

There are bad actors everywhere and people intent on doing others harm for their own personal game.  The big difference in the US is we elect them (right and left)!