From time to time, sadly heritage railways become targets for thieves due to some of the unique and valuable items that railways possess, but HOPS (Heritage Operations Processing System) which is used by all of the Heritage Railways and most working museums and other organisations across the UK have set up an online register where heritage railways can record items that have been stolen.

The Stolen Items Register is free to use by HOPS members to log any items that have been stolen.

The list is available to view by all including those who aren’t members on HOPS.

HOPS members will be emailed when new items are added to the list.

The stolen items register is designed to provide an invaluable catalogue of items that have been stolen from heritage railways or museums so that potential buyers will be able to recognise the stolen items should they turn up for sale online or at railway auctions.

This will hopefully lead to more items being recovered and could help identify some of the culprits who stole the items.

With over 50,000 members now registered on HOPS covering 170 heritage railways and museums in the UK and across the world, HOPS is very equipped to deal with and tackle the problem of stolen items. This is the latest way in which HOPS is helping heritage railways.

The Stolen Items register can be viewed at https://www.hops.org.uk/stolen-items

We are delighted to deliver this often-requested service to the heritage railway community. We understand how cherished railwayana items are in individual collections and at our heritage railways and how much work goes into obtaining and restoring them. We also know how upsetting it is when they are stolen, so we hope the Stolen Items Register will increase awareness of stolen items, including those stolen a long time ago, making them harder for thieves to sell on or display, and hopefully, therefore, less attractive to steal in the first place.”

Danny Scroggins, Program Manager at HOPS Heritage Railways