Historic locomotives have been rendered "basically wrecks" after thieves stripped valuable copper and irreplaceable parts from trains stored at Glenbrook Vintage Railway over the Christmas period.
Police received a report of a burglary on December 29 that had allegedly occurred on December 27, at an address on Pukeoware Rd.
Inquiries into the circumstances were underway, including a scene examination which was completed on December 29.
The theft was believed to have taken place over several days inside one of the railway's sheds, with significant damage done to long-term storage vehicles.
Glenbrook Vintage Railway Charitable Trust chairperson Glenn Deed said workers came across the robbery "completely by accident"
"Our teams have unfortunately uncovered what was quite an extensive burglary inside one of our sheds, likely over several days," Glenbrook Vintage Railway general manager Tim Kerwin said in a Facebook post.
"We had a heritage locomotive and heritage railcar stored in that shed - both have had copper and other unique parts stripped, rendering them as basically wrecks now - likely repair cost in the $100,000s."
Deed told 1News the thieves completely stripped the radiator from a DE class diesel-electric locomotive, removing all the copper components in what he described as a major undertaking.
Other stolen items include tanks and fittings from carriages, gates and frames from the ends of carriages, and extensive wiring from locomotives.
"Carriages have had parts stolen which cannot be replaced easily. This sets us back hugely," Kerwin said.
A passerby on a train spotted someone wearing overalls and carrying items near Shakespeare Road around 3pm on the day of the burglary. The person, who Kerwin said appeared to be disguising themselves as a railway volunteer, ran off when the train approached.
While the scrap value of the stolen parts was relatively low, the cost of replacement would be enormous because many parts are irreplaceable and will need to be specially manufactured or imported from the UK.
"A lot of the parts are completely irreplaceable; they don't exist out there in the world now," Deed said.
"The only way to replace them is to either recast them and remake them, remould them, or engineer them from scratch."
The trust had already spent between $60,000 and $70,000 on upgraded security in the past 12 months, including security cameras and a secure compound with razor wire, electric fences, and eight-foot-high fencing for some vehicles.
"It's a real kick in the guts as a heritage organisation," Deed said.
"Every dollar that we make gets put back into that place to keep it running, to preserve the rail heritage that we aim to do."
In April last year, a fatal derailment could have occurred if thieves had succeeded in stealing railway sleepers from active track at the heritage railway.
Deed said a member of the public had alerted the team to bolts being removed from a section of track.
In 2025, the site had experienced what Deed called a "multitude" of attacks, including diesel units being gutted by vandals, with copper wiring stolen, fire extinguishers discharged inside, windows smashed, and seats dragged outside and set on fire.
The heritage railway attracts around 65,000 visitors a year and is almost entirely supported by rail activities. The trust had spent upwards of $100,000 on repairs and security in the past year alone.
"It's a really sad day for GVR," Kerwin said.
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