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]
John and Simeon Reno of the Reno gang robbed an 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]
A gang of five 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 was returned.[6]
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]
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]
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]
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]
Jesse James and his gang boarded a train leaving the town of Winston, Montana and proceeded to rob the express car and kill two men and the conductor.[15]
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.[16][17]
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.[22]
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.[26]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
Donald Woods, Fred Torgensen and Frank Grigward along with two others
At 11pm the five 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 11 all five men were arrested and sent to Leavenworth Prison.[45]
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.[46][47][48]
The three 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 lead to McCurdy being killed by the police in a barn shootout.[49][50][51]
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.[52][53]
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.[55]
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.[60]
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.[63]
In 1924, the gang would commit the biggest rail heist in American history by robbing a mail train near Rondout, Illinois. The gang netted $3 million in cash, jewelry and negotiable securities but one of the members, Doc Newton was wounded by one of the gang which prevented their successful escape.[64][65]
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.[66]
In Whispering Smith, The bad Barton boys—Blake, Leroy and Gabby—rob a train and shoot a guard. Luke Smith, known as "Whispering" to some for his quiet ways, is a detective for the railroad sent to investigate.
In the Call of Juarez: Gunslinger mission "Death Rides A Steel Stallion", the James-Younger Gang attempt to rob a train leaving Winston, Montana. However, the robbery is unsuccessful due to Silas Greaves.
between Widows Patch and Brimstone
1880s
unnamed group of bandits
In Red Dead Revolver during the mission "The Traincar," Red Harlow and Sheriff O'Grady are riding a train when an unknown group of bandits board the train and attack Red.
In Evil West, Jesse and Edgar blow up a train with dynamite and kidnap Irishvampire Chester Morgan in order to help them search for Peter D'Abano.
New Austin
1898
"Red" Ben Clempson Gang
In Red Dead Redemption 2 Online, There is an optional bounty hunter mission in which the player stops a train robbery being committed by Ben and his gang
In the Call of Juarez: Gunslinger mission "not so great robbery", the Wild Bunch blow up a bridge in order to steal a large shipment of gold but are massacred by Silas Greaves.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, during the mission "Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall?" The Van Der Linde Gang rob the train of oil Tycoon Leviticus Cornwall, The gang attempted to derail the train with dynamite but were unsuccessful which forced Arthur Morgan and Lenny Summers to board and stop the train themselves. The gang steal about $1,000 worth of bearer bonds.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, during the mission "Pouring Forth Oil IV." The gang stop and rob a train by placing an oil wagon in front of the railroad forcing the train to stop. The gang then robbed the train but were interrupted by the law, this led to a shootout between the gang and the lawmen and the gang fled.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, during the mission "Our Best Selves" The Van Der Linde board and rob an army payroll train which results in the gang stealing a large amount of money and one of the members, John Marston being shot and presumed dead.
In the film The Great Train Robbery, two unnamed bandits break into a railroad telegraph and force the operator at gunpoint to stop a train and order its engineer to fill the locomotive's tender at the station's water tank. The gang then board the train's express car and kill the fireman and force the passengers out of the train, one man attempts to flee but is shot instantly. The gang then take the money and flee but are gunned down by lawmen in a nearby forest.[70]
In the spoof filmThe Little Train Robbery, a gang of children stop a train, knock out the engineer and steal candy from the train, however the gang are captured by the police and a Confederate saves the gang's leader.
West Elizabeth
1911
unnamed gang
In Red Dead Redemption during the mission "By Sweat and Toil," John Marston and Uncle see a gang attempt to rob a train and swiftly kill every gang member.
In the episode "Dead Freight," Walter White and the others rob a 300 gallons of methylamine from a freight train, the robbery is successful until the men discover that a child named Drew Sharp witnessed the entire robbery which leads to him being killed by Todd in order to keep the robbery a secret.
San Andreas
2013
Trevor Phillips and Micheal De Santa
In the Grand Theft Auto V mission "Derailed," Trevor boards a train and crashes it into another train causing an accident and Micheal joins Trevor to open a container door and the men steal an artifact.
