Train robberies are rare in Sedona; especially ones where the train itself is what’s been stolen.
That’s not as difficult as it sounds, however, considering the locomotives are small enough to be picked up with one hand.
Detectives with the Sedona Police Department are investigating the theft of model railroad equipment believed to be taken sometime between March and Saturday, July 23, from a trailer off Airport Road.
Sedona Police Cmdr. Marlayne Hatler said detectives are looking into the matter, though they have no new leads as of yet. She said the stolen equipment is unique in some of the lettering found on both the bags and train equipment.
“Some of the cars were very distinctive with the words ‘Sedona-Oak Creek and Southern,’” Hatler said. “The bags had lettering of ‘Sedona and RRERS.’”
The two bags, each containing locomotive and cars, carried in a total of eight trays, were reported missing Sunday, July 24, by members of the Sedona Railroaders organization. The bags were left in a trailer, which the group regularly parks at the Elks Lodge off Airport Road. The trailer was most recently parked at the lodge following a show with the Cottonwood Flywheelers in March. The trailer, containing model railroad equipment, remained at the lodge until it was needed for a display at the Sedona Public Library on July 24. The trailer’s door was found ajar.
Guy Forsythe, a member of the Sedona Railroaders, estimated the loss at over $2,000.
“We picked up the trailer, unloaded and realized we did not have a couple of items that were in the trailer, basically all of our locomotives, passenger cars and freight cars. They were in these two packages. We could lay our cars down in those boxes and that kept them very secure from damage,” Forsythe said.
The missing locomotives and cars, he said, measure approximately 12 inches by 12 inches by 40 inches. The items were in blue canvas-style bags.
Besides the missing items, he said there were no signs of damage to the trailer.
“Nothing else appears to be missing. Everything was in the trailer, all the modules, and there was no damage done to any of that stuff,” Forsythe said.
He added his thanks to the Elks Lodge for allowing the Sedona Railroaders use of the property.
“The Elks let us park our trailer there free as a public service. We have no complaints with the Elks over all of this,” Forsythe said.
He said investigators are looking online to find out if anyone has tried to sell the railroad equipment recently.
“If it happened in late March, anybody who got the stuff has long ago gotten rid of it, so we most likely won’t be able to find it on eBay at this time, but we’re looking,” Forsythe said.
The Sedona Railroaders meets monthly on Saturday mornings. They also provide Christmas storefront displays, most recently in the Village of Oak Creek. According to Forsythe, the group, which formed in the mid-1990s, boasts approximately 25 members.
