Wikipedia

List of train robberies in the United States

This is a chronological list of train robberies that occurred in the United States from the 1860s to 2024.

1800s

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Location Date Culprits Description
Western and Atlantic Railroad, Georgia 12 April, 1862 2nd, 21st, and 33rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment led by James J. Andrews During the American Civil War, James J. Andrews and his men commandeered a Confederate train known as The General.[1]
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 14 October 1864 Confederate Guerrillas A party of Confederate guerrillas robbed a train and burned the cars.[2]
west of Cincinnati, Ohio 5 May, 1865 possibly Confederate Guerrillas A group of armed men boarded a train and robbed it of all its valuables, it is suspected the men were Confederates angered by the south's surrender.[3]
Seymour, Indiana 6 October, 1866 John and Simeon Reno John and Simeon Reno of the Reno gang robbed a Ohio and Mississippi Railway passenger train. The men boarded the train and entered the an Adam Express Co. car and intimidated employee Elem Miller into giving them the keys, the men then emptied the safe and left the train once it stopped.[4][5]
Marshfield, Scott County, Indiana 22 May 1868 Reno Gang The Reno gang held up a Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad and stole $90,000 ($2 million dollars in 2024).
Verdi, Nevada 4 November, 1870 a gang of 5 men A gang of 5 men stop a Central Pacific Railroad train in Verdi and forced the train engineer Henry Smalls to stop the train and stole $41,600 [equivalent to $1,001,261 in 2024] only $3,000 were returned.[6]
Moscow, Kentucky July of 1871 Farrington Brothers Levi and Hillary Farrington, William Taylor, George Bertine, and William Barton, a former railroad brakeman, robbed a Southern Express car on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad at Moscow, Kentucky. They successfully made off with $1600.[7]
Union City, Tennessee 21 October, 1871 Farrington Brothers The group robbed another Mobile & Ohio Railroad and made off with about $6000.[7]
Adir, Iowa 21, July 1873 James–Younger Gang Jesse James and the gang robbed a derailed Rock Island Line train and stole $3,000 (equivalent to $76,000 in 2023), the gang wore Ku Klux Klan mask in protest of President Grant's Enforcement Acts.[8]
Gads Hill, Missouri 31 January, 1874 James–Younger Gang The gang entered and robbed a small general store, they then stopped and boarded a train at 4:45 PM and stole $12,000 (equivalent to $290,000 in 2023) from rich men (they avoided robbing working-class men and women.)[9][10][11]
Big Springs, Nebraska 18 September, 1877 Sam Bass, Joel Collins, Jack Davis, Tom Nixon, Bill Heffridge, and Jim Berry The Black Hills gang led by Sam Bass boarded Union Pacific express train No. 4 at 10:48 PM and proceeded to rob the passengers and pistol-whip an employee, the men stole $60,000 [equivalent to $1,716,750 in 2023] worth of gold.[12][13]
Medicine Bow, Wyoming 16 August, 1878 Big Nose George, Frank McKinney, Joe Manuse, Jack Campbell, John Wells, Tom Reed, Frank Tole, and Dutch “Charley” Burress. The group of 7 men planned to rob a Union Pacific train by derailing the train but were stopped by the trains crew and gang received a $10,000 bounty.[14]
Glendale, Missouri 7 September, 1881 Jesse and Frank James The brothers committed their last robbery and stole $1,000 - $3,000 from the train.
Bellevue, Texas 11 December, 1886 Rube Burrow, Jim Burrow, W.L. Brock, Leonard Brock, Henderson Brumley, and Nep Thornton Rube and the men robbed a Denver & Fort Worth Express train in Bellevue, Texas. The gang boarded the train and held everyone at gun point, the men got about $300 from the passengers and Sgt. Chase Conner of the 24th Infantry Regiment, nearly shot the men but was persuaded not to.[15][16]
unknown early May of 1887 Bill Whitley Gang and Brack Cornett Brack Cornett with the newly formed Bill Whitely Gang attempted to rob a train but it was unsuccessful.[17]
San Antonio, Texas 18 May, 1887 Bill Whitley Gang The gang robbed a Missouri-Pacific train and stole $4,000.[18]
Benbrook, Texas 9 June, 1887 Rube Burrow and his gang Rube Burrow and his gang boarded a Texas & Pacific Express and held the train engineer at gunpoint and stole $1,350.00 from the mail car.[19]
near Fort Worth, Texas 20 September, 1887 Rube Burrow and his gang Rube Burrow robbed another Texas & Pacific Express in a manner very similar to the robbery in Benbrook.[20]
Genoa, Arkansas 9 December, 1887 Rube Burrow and Jim Brock The men stopped a St. Louis, Arkansas & Texas Railroad express train in Genoa, Arkansas. The train was protected by Pinkerton agents from the Southern Express Company and stole money from a Louisiana lottery payoff estimated to be between $10,000 and $40,000.[21]
Canyon Diablo, Arizona 21 March 1889 William D. Sitrin, “Long John” Halford, John J. Smith, and D.M. Haverick A group of 4 robbers robbed an Atlantic and Pacific train and stole $1,000.[22]
Canyon Diablo, Arizona April 1889 James Lee James Lee robbed a train in the Canyon Diablo and wet on the run until his capture in January of 1890.[23]
Arkansas River’s Royal Gorge 31 August, 1891 Peg Leg Watson and Bert Curtis The men halted a Denver & Rio Grande train and stole thousands of dollars and gold.[24]
Monroe Junction, Florida 11 May, 1892 4 unknown men A train belonging to The West Indian Fast Mail was stopped north of Monroe Junction, two of the men forced the fireman and train engineer, a man known only as Dumas, to stop the train. The other men attempted to enter the express car but were stopped by two men W. N. Saunders and I. M. Cox, Saunders was shot in the breast and later died. The men fled into the woods fearing the possibility of being lynched by a mob.[25]
Minnesota River, Minnesota 1 July, 1892 George, John Sontag, and Chris Evans The trio attempted to rob a train traveling between St. Peter and Kasota but where stopped by the arrival of Pinkerton agents.[26]
Frenso, California 1 August, 1892 George, John Sontag, and Chris Evans The trio robbed a train leaving Frenso and got $500 worth of Mexican and Peruvian currency.[27]
Huntington, West Virginia before 16 December, 1892 4 unknown men Around 11 o'clock, a train on the Chesapeake and Ohio road was held up by four robbers, two of the passengers, an unknown German immigrants and Peter Drake of Cincinnati tackled the robbers and both men were shot but not killed, the robbers fled into the dark when the ticket collector named Zingley opened fire unto the men.[28]
Between Houghton and Calumet, Michigan 15 September 1893 The LaLiberty Gang The gang stopped a Adams Express Company train and stole $65 but were stopped and arrested by the Pinkerton Agency.[29]
Jackson County, Arkansas 7 November, 1893 The Oliphant Train Robbers (presumed to be Dalton Gang) The gang robbed a St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, the men stole $6,000 and were briefly stopped by the Irish conductor William P. McNally who shot at them with a pistol he received from a passenger named Charles Lamb, they shot him and left the train.[30][31]
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 18 July, 1894 Crawford Goldsby and his gang Goldsby and his gang held up a Frisco train Wells-Fargo Express Company and the St Louis and San Francisco railroad train at Red Fork.[32]
Correatta, Oklahoma 20 October, 1894 Crawford Goldsby and his gang Crawford Goldsby and his gang robbed a train.[33]
Twin Mountain, Colorado 9 September, 1897 "Black Jack" Ketchum and his brother Black Jack and his brother boarded a passenger train and stole $10,000.[34]
Glyndon, Minnesota 26 September, 1897 2 men Two men boarded the train and detached the Wells Fargo express car and ordered the conductor to continue driving, the men then looted it and planned to blow it up but were scared off by the law.[35]
Wilcox, Wisconsin 2 June, 1899 Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. A Union Pacific train was flagged down over a wooden bridge and the Wild Bunch boarded it and blew up the safe with dynamite and stole $36,000.[36][37]
Cochise, Arizona September 9, 1899 Alvord-Stiles Gang The gang led by Bill Downing held up the train crew and detached the Wells Fargo express car from the train and stole $10,000.[38]

1900s

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Location Date Culprits Description
Fairbank, Arizona 15 February, 1900 Bob Brown, "Bravo Juan" Tom Yoas, the brothers George and Louis Owens, and "Three Fingered Jack" Dunlop. The gang held up the train and attempted to access the Wells Fargo express car, Jeff Milton was shot in the shoulder and in response he shot Dunlop with a sawed-off shotgun and died, the gang couldn't find a key or dynamite and they only stole 17 Pesos.[39][40][41][42]
Tipton, Wyoming 29 August, 1900 Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, and possibly Will Carver Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, and another unkown gang member (possibly Will Carver) robbed a Union Pacific train.
St. Louis, Missouri 1901 Laura Bullion Laura Bullion robbed a train and was convicted in early November.[43]
Omaha, Nebraska 22 May, 1909 Donald Woods, Fred Torgensen and Frank Grigward along with two others At 11pm the 5 men held up a Union Pacific mail train and stole $500-$700, the Post Office Department placed a bounty of $20,000 on the robbers and by November 11th all 5 men were arrested and sent to Leavenworth Prison.[44]
Lenapah, Oklahoma 25, March 1911 Elmer McCurdy, 3 other men Elmer and his men robbed a Missouri Pacific Railroad train and found a safe filled with $4,000, Elmer used his military experience to put nitroglycerin on the safe and blew it open. However it was too much and most of the money was destroyed and they only made out with $100-500 worth of melted sliver coins.[45][46][47]
Okesa, Oklahoma 4, October 1911 Elmer McCurdy, and two others the 3 men intended to steal $400,000 in cash being sent as royalty payment to the Osage Nation. However they accidentally robbed a regular passenger train and made away with only $46. this robbery would led to McCurdy getting a $2,000 and on the 11th police found him and killed him.[48][49][50]
Sanderson, Texas 13 March 1912 Ben Kilpatrick and Ole Hobek At 12:05 am, Ben Kilpatrick, a former member of the Wild Bunch and his associate Ole Hobek boarded Southern Pacific's Train #9 In Dryden, Texas and rode on it until the was out of the town. Upon leaving the town, Kilpatrick and Hobek made the train engineer, D. E. Grosh, stop at a bridge near Baxter's Curve. Whilst Kilpatrick watched over the engineer, Hobek went to the express car with the express messenger David A. Trousdale along with two other crewmen, Trousdale managed to grab an ice mallet and when they made it to the car, Trousdale beat Hobek over the head killing him instantly. The men then grabbed his rifle and two pistols and shot Kilpatrick.[51][52]
Blue Mountains, Oregon 2, July 1914 Clarence Stoner, Albert Meadors, Charles Manning The men robbed a Oregon & Washington Railway Navigation Co. passenger train when it stopped in the Blue Mountains, the men robbed the wrong train and were shot at by a sheriff who was on the train, Manning was killed in the gunfire and the other two escaped.[53]
Muskogee, Oklahoma 1915 Jack Davis A notorious robber from Oklahoma robbed a Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad train which landing him a ten year sentence.[54]
Bliss, Oklahoma Winter of 1916 Joe Davis and his gang Joe and his gang robbed a train from Santa Fe, Texas and shot and killed the mail clerk.[55]
Wyoming 9 February, 1916 William L. Carlisle William stopped and held up a train while wearing a white bandana and was notably very kind to the passengers and guards.[56]
Arizona April of 1917 Joe Davis Son of Jack Davis and robber committed a robbery and was given a 21 year sentence.[54]
Whiting, Indiana 18 September, 1919 Carl Stieler Jr., John S. Wejda, Leo Wejda and Walter Filipkowski Carl Stieler a World War 1 veteran along with the other two robbed a payroll train and stole $234,000.[57]
Kauai, Hawaii 11 February, 1920 Kaimiola Hali A fisherman wearing a towel with eye holes, stopped a train near the Kekaha Sugar Co. held the conductor known only as Mr. Asser and stole several dollars worth of USD.[58]
Roseville, California 19 May, 1921 Roy Gardner Roy Gardner boarded a Southern Pacific train in Sacramento and stole $187,000 from the express car. This robbery led to a $5,000 bounty being placed on Roy's head.[59]
Siskiyou Mountains, Califorina 11 October, 1923 DeAutremont Brothers The brothers, Roy, Ray and Hugh DeAutremont attempted to rob Southern Pacific Railroad Train No. 13, the brothers armed with sawed-off shotguns climbed onto the locomotive tender and forced the engineer Sideny Bates to stop the train while it was inside of a tunnel and attached all their dynamite to the mail baggage car but were forced to flee when they were shot at by police.[60]
west of El, Paso 24 November, 1937 Henry Loftus and Harry Donaldson The two men boarded a Southern Pacific Railroad leaving El Paso planning to rob it, Loftus left his seat and held the conductor W. H. Holloway at gunpoint, Donaldson then began to rob the passengers of their valuables, panicking Donaldson shot a random passenger and Loftus was tackled by a brakeman W. L. Smith who Loftus killed accidentally, this angered the passengers who beat both men to the point of near death and both men were arrested.[61]

2000s

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Location Date Culprits Description
Chicago, Illinois 12 October, 2024 30 armed thieves A large group of armed people swarmed a Union Pacific freight train in Chicago[62] and stole various objects like air fryers and televisions.[63]

References

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  1. ^ "Stealing the General - Russell S. Bonds". Westholme Publishing. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  2. ^ "Image 3 of Dayton daily empire (Dayton [Ohio]), October 15, 1864". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  3. ^ "Almanac: The first train robbery in the U.S. - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2013-05-05. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  4. ^ "Today in History - October 6". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  5. ^ "The Reno brothers carry out the first train robbery in U.S. history | October 6, 1866". HISTORY. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  6. ^ "The Great Train Robbery | SHPO". shpo.nv.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  7. ^ a b "Farrington Brothers – Confederate Train Robbers – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  8. ^ Stiles, T. J. (2002). Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War. A.A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-375-40583-9.
  9. ^ "Gad's Hill, Missouri Train Robbery". www.angelfire.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  10. ^ Trail, Sundown (2013-01-14). "The Gads Hill Train Robbery". Sundown Trail. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  11. ^ "Almost Yesterday: The Gads Hill Train Robbery". KRCU Public Radio. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  12. ^ "FrontierTimes - Outlaws: Sam Bass". www.frontiertimes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  13. ^ "Sam Bass and His Train Robber Gang – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  14. ^ "Big Nose George Becomes a Pair of Shoes – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  15. ^ "Old West Outlaw List – B – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  16. ^ https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ndnp/txdn/batch_txdn_foxtrot_ver01/data/sn86064205/00175035199/1886121201/0334.pdf
  17. ^ "Brack Cornett – Texas Train Robber – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  18. ^ "Brack Cornett – Texas Train Robber – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  19. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1887-06-10). "Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, June 10, 1887, Image 6". p. 6. ISSN 2333-6196. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  20. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1887-09-22). "The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, September 22, 1887, Image 1". ISSN 2331-6519. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  21. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1887-12-11). "Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, December 11, 1887, Image 1". ISSN 2158-9054. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  22. ^ "Train Robbers of Arizona – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  23. ^ "Image 1 of Evening capital journal (Salem, Or.), January 6, 1890". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  24. ^ "Cotopaxi Train Robbery | Colorado Encyclopedia". coloradoencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  25. ^ "https://windsorlocks.advantage-preservation.com". windsorlocks.advantage-preservation.com. Retrieved 2024-11-23. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  26. ^ "Sontag Brothers – Outlaw Train Robbers – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  27. ^ "Sontag Brothers – Outlaw Train Robbers – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  28. ^ "https://windsorlocks.advantage-preservation.com". windsorlocks.advantage-preservation.com. Retrieved 2024-11-23. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  29. ^ "The LaLiberty Gang and the Detective". pinkerton.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  30. ^ "Olyphant Train Robbery". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  31. ^ Mansker, Dennis. "Olyphant Train Robbery: Contemporary Newspaper Reports". mansker.org. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  32. ^ "Cherokee Bill – Terror of Indian Territory – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  33. ^ [The Coffeyville Daily Journal Feb 19, 1913 .p.8]
  34. ^ "The 'Black Jack' Ketchum Gang robs a train... - RareNewspapers.com". www.rarenewspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  35. ^ "This Minnesota train robbery in 1897 proves stupid criminals are nothing new". InForum. 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  36. ^ "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  37. ^ paperspast.natlib.govt.nz https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DTN18990715.2.38.6. Retrieved 2024-10-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. ^ "The Cochise, Arizona Train Robbery – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  39. ^ Patterson, Richard M. (1985). Historical Atlas of the Outlaw West. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books. ISBN 0933472897. OCLC 11654817.
  40. ^ "usgwarchives.net: Cochise Train Robbery". James H. McClintock. 1913. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  41. ^ "Ghost Town Trail - Fairbank, Cochise County, Arizona". Archived from the original on 2012-04-11.
  42. ^ "Adventure Out West". Tom S. Coke. 2001. Retrieved June 30, 2012
  43. ^ "Laura Bullion". Archived from the original on 2009-04-14.
  44. ^ "Omaha Train Robbery: May 22, 1909". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  45. ^ Anderson, Dan (2007). One Hundred Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen, 1839–1939. Pelican Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4556-0004-5.
  46. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1911-03-25). "The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, March 25, 1911, Image 1". ISSN 2693-1044. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  47. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/26/books/where-s-elmer.html
  48. ^ Snow, Clyde C.; Reyman, Theodore Allen (1977). The Life and Afterlife of Elmer J. McCurdy: A Melodrama in Two Acts. Paleopathology Association.
  49. ^ Harvey, Steve; Times, Los Angeles (2011-07-03). "Inept train robber had an unimpressive life but a celebrated afterlife". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  50. ^ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  51. ^ "index » Page 1 of 1". web.archive.org. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  52. ^ "History". web.archive.org. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  53. ^ Hatfield, Shanna (2024-06-19). "A Wild West Train Robbery in Oregon". Petticoats & Pistols. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  54. ^ a b "[Article]". The Daily Ardmoreite. 1917-04-22. p. 15. ISSN 1065-7894. OCLC 12101538. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  55. ^ "[Article]". The Daily Ardmoreite. 1917-04-22. p. 15. ISSN 1065-7894. OCLC 12101538. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  56. ^ "Bill Carlisle, Gentleman Bandit | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  57. ^ "Whiting's Great Train Robbery". Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  58. ^ "Train Robbery". Images of Old Hawaiʻi. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  59. ^ "Outlaw Roy Gardner's Loot – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  60. ^ Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Robberies, Heists, and Capers. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2002. (pp. 78–79) ISBN 0816044880
  61. ^ Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Robberies, Heists, and Capers. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2002. (pp. 179-180)
  62. ^ Terry, Jermont; Cramer, Matthew (2024-10-12). "4 in custody after thieves raid freight train on Chicago's West Side, taking box after box - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  63. ^ Dorgan, Michael (2024-10-12). "Mob of up to 30 looters, some armed, ransack freight train in Chicago". Fox News. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
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