Horn heist: B.C. train museum gets railroaded by targeted thefts

Brian Wich, a self-described “train nut,” is the park manager of the Central Railway and Forestry Museum in Prince George, a city in north-central B.C. Recently, Wich and his team faced a harrowing situation when they were warned that one of their priceless artifacts, a vintage Nathan M5 Airchime Train Horn, was at risk of being stolen.

The museum staff discovered pictures of the horn circulating on a Discord server in the United States. A concerned individual who saw the images immediately contacted a local collector, who then alerted the museum. Despite their efforts to remove the horn for safekeeping, they were unable to do so due to rusty bolts. Tragically, when they returned the next day with the proper tools, they found that the horn had been stolen in the middle of the night.

This was not the first time the museum had experienced train horn thefts, with two other incidents occurring the previous year. Wich expressed his frustration, stating, “There’s a sort of an element out there that likes unscrupulous collecting. It’s the collector that’s after it, not the scrap value.”

The stolen M5 Airchime holds significant historical value, as it was manufactured in Vancouver in 1951 and was originally attached to the train it was taken from. Wich emphasized the rarity of the horn, noting that it was locally made in B.C. and is irreplaceable.

Baptiste Marcere, the museum’s executive director, described the theft as a significant loss for local history, lamenting, “Our mission is to preserve history. The impact is like breaking your past.” The museum has enlisted the help of train enthusiasts across the country to search for the missing horn, with individuals in Vancouver and even Texas keeping an eye out.

The Prince George RCMP are actively investigating the theft and are urging the public to be on the lookout for the stolen horn on online marketplaces and websites frequented by train collectors. Cpl. Jennifer Cooper described the theft as a unique case that required planning, as the horn was not easily removed from the train.

Despite the challenges they face in recovering the stolen horn, Wich remains optimistic. He expressed his desire to see the horn returned to the museum where it can be enjoyed by all, rather than gathering dust on a shelf somewhere. The community is rallying behind the museum in the hopes of bringing back this piece of local history.