Hold up of the "Yonkers Sugar Special" Letterbox Hybrid
MSTzilla: This has had a good run and won’t be able to maintain it longer, so I picked it up today. Thanks to all who searched for it.
Hold up of the "Yonkers Sugar Special"
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Cache is located in the Town of Wappingers, Carnwath Farms. Open one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. If you are there on the weekend, check out the Dutchess County Sports Museum located on the grounds.
This is part of a series that I intend to hide to commemorate the railroads that helped the Hudson Valley grow and prosper. Each one will focus on individual companies or events that are an important part of our local history. This will be a series of letterbox hybrids that will all have a handmade stamp to match the cache. Stamp your own log book and return the stamp and ink pad so that others may use it.
In the pitch dark of pre-dawn on April 2nd, 1922, a New York Central freight train was stopped on the nearby tracks by as many as ten bandits. The lonely stretch of track was perfect for their plans to rob the “Silk and Money Special,” a train laden with money and goods worth millions (even in that day) and slated for Chicago. This was an incredibly rare event so close to New York City as it was described as a true “Western” style train robbery. They left autos in Roseton on the western banks of the Hudson River and came across in boats. It is believed that this is also how they made their getaway.
An unknown number of men stowed away on the train in Harmon and pulled the emergency brakes to slow the train to a stop away from any possible help from authorities. Others in the gang then appeared from some of the brick shanties that sometimes housed workers from nearby brickyards. After rounding up the crew from the train, the engineer was ordered to uncouple the locomotive and continue on towards Poughkeepsie. Two men accompanied them for a while before jumping off when the engine neared New Hamburgh station.
When the robbers broke into the remaining train cars, they realized their blunder. This was NOT the “Silk and Money Special” but the “Yonkers Sugar Special.” This was a train filled with sugar and other merchandise that was worth far less than the goods they were hoping for. Seven boxcars in total had their seals broken, but it was apparent by the remaining goods that the mistake had been a costly one for the bandits. It seemed that nothing of value was taken for the extreme planning and effort that went into this robbery. It seems that the whole scheme was doomed when the men picked the wrong train. Their true target had passed by on the very same tracks just 15 minutes earlier. This small oversight cost the gang millions.
Upon alerting the authorities, the engineer went back and re-coupled to the train. It was then taken to Albany for inventory and investigation. The Dutchess County Sheriff, deputies, State Troopers, Orange County Sheriff and local constables were all set out on a search of the surrounding counties, but none of the criminals were apprehended.
To view the original New York Times article, go to: (visit link)
The cache itself is a .30cal ammo can hidden along the Wappingers Greenway Trail in Carnwath Farms, a Town of Wappingers Park.. This hide can provide some cover, but it is still a good idea to be careful so it doesn’t go missing. The cache is actually hidden just off of the trail that is also part of the Carnwath Farm trail system. You will have to leave the trail to make the find, but it’s a very short and easy bushwack. There are some steep banks/cliffs in the area, so please keep track of small children when leaving the trail. I’ve hidden it away from the cliffs, but just be aware of them. It is a typical cache hide, so don't over think this one. After stamping your book, feel free to take one of the handmade tokens that will be in each of the caches for this series and will be specific to that cache. I’ll try to keep them stocked, so please take only one.
Other caches in this series:
Valley Railroads: Central New England Railway (GC1TRKB)
Valley Railroads: New Haven (GC1TRMN)
Valley Railroads: Penn Central (GC1TX8M)
Valley Railroads: New York O&W (GC2191D)
Valley Railroads: New York & Harlem (GC2TN43)
Valley Railroads: New York, New Haven & Hartford (GC2VDTV)
Valley Railroads: Derailment! (GC2X3BH)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
YBT obbxf ner rffragvny gb genva fpurqhyrf.