A valued community attraction in Thames-Coromandel has been hit by a significant burglary, just weeks after a separate incident raised concerns about safety on the tracks.
The recent break-in at Thames Small Gauge Railway is believed to have occurred overnight on Saturday, March 21, when unknown offenders forced entry into a storage container used to house locomotives, ride-on cars, and essential maintenance tools.
The incident was discovered early Sunday morning as volunteers arrived to prepare for a scheduled run day.
TSGR president Garth Familton said Tony, a regular volunteer and typically the first to arrive on site, noticed something was wrong when he found the container door ajar.
Upon inspection, it became clear that three locomotive batteries had been stolen.
“These locos are electric only and the batteries are high performance so we can run trains all day without needing to recharge,” Garth explained.
Also taken was an angle grinder, an arc welder, a welding helmet, a leaf blower, a hedge trimmer, a jump starter, and a wheel barrow.
“While some of these items are not high value, we need them to maintain the tracks and buildings,” Garth told The Profile. “The batteries, however, are worth many thousands of dollars and without them there are three locos that cannot run.”
Garth suggested the burglary was likely carried out by individuals familiar with the site and its contents.
The offenders appear to have used a grinder to cut the container’s latch before spending time inside removing the batteries, which required undoing bolts and fittings. It remains unclear how the stolen goods were transported, though the missing wheelbarrow may have been used.
“While all crime is upsetting, this is really a crime against the community,” Garth said. “The railway brings a lot of fun and pleasure to children and adults from all over the Thames-Coromandel area, and after operating for over 30 years, we have people bringing their children and telling us how they used to ride the trains when they were children themselves.”
The burglary follows a separate and unusual incident earlier in the month that had already raised safety concerns among volunteers.
On March 6, members arriving for routine maintenance discovered piles of rocks deliberately placed across sections of the track. Witnesses reported seeing a woman moving rocks onto the line days earlier.
Garth said the discovery was unusual, and could have caused significant damage.
“It would have resulted in derailments for any trains hitting these rocks,” he said. “Of course, we do a very thorough track check before running any trains, so the big rocks would have been moved. However, smaller stones may not always be seen and these can cause issues.”
Some of the rocks were so large they could not be moved by a single person.
Police have been notified of both incidents, and TSGR is urging members of the public to report any suspicious activity in the area.
BY KELLEY TANTAU
