(by Sam Richards) – Model railroaders are a tight-knit group, and when the Just Trains store in Concord suffered a burglary early Tuesday morning, owner Jim Anthony heard from a fair number of modelers, even before a Facebook post about it drew 17,000 views and more than 800 shares.
“I see people by appointment, and one person tells a friend, and they tell other people,” said Anthony, who has owned the shop just off state Highway 4 near the Marathon refinery since June 2015. “I had several emails asking me about it even before I posted (on Facebook).”
Though Anthony, by early Wednesday afternoon, hadn’t yet done a complete inventory of what’s missing, he knows thieves made off with anywhere from 20 to 30 HO scale model locomotives and other rolling stock.
Most of the pieces are made of brass, and valued at between $10,000 and $15,000. One large HO scale brass steam locomotive, he said, is worth about $2,700. About three-quarters of the stolen pieces were on consignment, Anthony said.
He said his store’s burglar alarm went off at about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday. Thieves broke through the glass front door and made their way to the display cabinet where the consignment items are shown, smashed the glass and
took almost everything off the top two shelves. It appears one person was inside the store, and others remained outside, Anthony said.
A Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputy was already at the shop when Anthony arrived, he said. A sheriff’s spokesman did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday seeking comment on the case.
Steve Beall said it appeared the thieves knew what to look for, and where to find it. He said he, and others he knows, will check eBay and Craigslist periodically to see if any of these items appear.
“If the thieves are part of the ‘circle’ of friends in the hobby, they’ll see we have this (burglary) plastered all over Facebook,” said Beall, a Walnut Creek resident who came to the store once or twice a week before the COVID-19 pandemic, and sometimes operated his own trains on the store’s layout.
If the thieves have notions of selling the stolen trains, Beall said, “I think they’re going to have a really hard time.”
And there are only a handful of brick-and-mortar model train stores in the region — The Train Shop in Santa Clara, plus shops in Napa, Lodi and Roseville — who would want to buy, and Beall said they would all be well aware of the theft.
It’s that rarity of such shops that helps develop loyalty. Beall said that, had he had been 10 years older, he would have bought Just Trains itself when it changed hands five years ago.
Anthony said he’s been heartened by all the support he’s gotten. He said one person sent him $200 — no purchase, just cash — to help ensure the business survived. The trains are insured, Anthony said, so the burglary
won’t kill his business. But he said he cherishes the sentiment.
“He said he hopes it’s enough for me to buy a new cabinet,” he said. “People have been so supportive, and that’s very much appreciated.”
photo credit: Courtesy of Jim Anthony/Just Trains
Very sad and angry about this. It hurts the boy in me. Those homeless dudes down the road?
There is NO evidence that unhoused people did this.
Maybe it wasn’t the homeless, but you’re not likely to lose money betting that way.
This burglary is too targeted to just be some homeless people. Notice how they only targeted the expensive trains and left the rest of the store alone. This was done by people that know the true worth of these trains and are hoping to flip them somehow.
Also, those that are saying they would have scrapped the metal. Where would they scrap it in this lockdown? And I looked up scrap brass prices and it’s $1.74 a pound, so they get less than $20?
The owner and the hobbyists have it right, keep an eye on ebay, craigslist, and facebook market. They will eventually pop up on there.
What, maybe witnessed it?
What, maybe they witnessed it?
Train robbery?
It should still be a capital crime.
Expect to find them in the creek or on the side of a road once the thieves find out they can’t sell them.
That is sad that people have to act this way.
I can’t believe people do this.
Not a day goes by now, that I don’t receive a Ring alert about something happening in the neighborhood.
Apparently people are walking around at night checking to see if cars are unlocked.
So, my first thought was: Sheldon Did It…
But, I’m sad the owner is having to deal with this…………..
Aside from the sadness about the burglary, on the whole this is a good story. I hope at least some of the trains can be recovered and none damaged.
Bummer! I was a rail fan my youth and as an adult, stopped by Just Trains once or twice a year to see what had progressed in the hobby. I hope that publicly discussing the values of the stolen goods doesn’t increase the profile of these special stores. Those brass locomotive castings are exquisitely detailed, and works of art. I hope they aren’t melted down for a few dollars of scrap brass.
This is heartbreaking and my condolences go out to the store owner. As for the thieves they are low life scum sucking maggots. I hope that they are caught, their names announced and put out there for all to see. Makes my blood boil. 🙁
Wow, who knew thieves have hobbies.
Is there any surveillance video available?
Jim and Rosita, Richard, Malcolm, and the rest of their staff are among the nicest people you would ever want to meet and it pains me that this happened. At the same time, I am also heartened by the response of the model railroad community.
This is just awful!
Glad to hear the support. There are still good people in the news. Having said that, expect more of this sh!t, as criminals are released, including non-violent burglars.
Mr. Anthony needs to review his store’s video for the past couple of months. No doubt these thieves were in the store before the burglary.
Yeah.
Mr. Anthony needs to review his store’s video for the past couple of months. No doubt these thieves were in the store before the burglary.
Really nice folks at Just Trains. They have an unbelievable inventory and really know their stuff. Hopefully they recover the stolen merchandise, and can improve security to thwart future thieves.
Since 108RS owns a similar type of business…..this makes it personal for me. Those burglars will be sorry if I find them before Concord PD does, they better hope they get arrested.
108RS
Rut Roh; 108RS goes rough…
Sorry this happened. The bad things people do is a real downer. I hope these items will be found and returned. Sigh
It’s really sad that there are scumbags after anything, and everything not nailed down. As a collector, I can tell you, brass trains are works of art. I feel for the business owners, and the patrons who had their stuff, on consignment, ripped off. Hopefully, most, if not all, of the merchandise is returned undamaged.
You can literally bank that the homeless did this. They are parasites and will do anything they can to get money to buy drugs. Including robbing legitimate businesses to steal goods to be fenced.
These people are literally animals, there’s no good or reasoning in them. They are homeless for a reason.