S.P. (T&NO) 985 Bell on eBay

On July 6, 2012, I noticed this eBay listing:
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eBay Item number: 120942491451
title: Steam Locomotive Large Bronze Train Bell Southern Pacific Railroad 17" 1910-13
"By It Now" price $3,750.00

"THIS BELL RESIDED IN RIO VISTA CALIFORNIA IN THE SACRAMENTO DELTA
HUNG OUT SIDE A RESIDENCE FOR 50+ YEARS
RECENTLY DISCOVERED

REASEARCH AND COLLECTOR INPUT SHOWS THE BELL IS FROM THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD NUMBER 895

going to try and loosen the nut on top of the bell to see actual Engine number"

A LOCOMOTIVE NUMBER 895 RESIDES IN BAYTOWN,TEXAS AT THIS TIME
AND APPEARS TO BE WITHOUT A BELL...."
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2-8-0 S.P. 895 was donated to Baytown, TX on 4-15-1957. I contacted the Baytown TX Police Department on 7/06/2012. They replied the same day by email:

"...I would like to thank you for sharing this important information with the City of Baytown Police Department. I have confirmed that we did experience a theft of a bell from a locomotive that is located at Roseland Park in Baytown . The theft occurred in 1957, the first night the locomotive spent at our park.

The statute of limitations in Texas to take criminal legal action in this matter has expired. However, I have personally contacted eBay requesting their cooperation in facilitating correspondence with the seller. My goal is to have the seller give the bell back to the City of Baytown so that it can be affixed to Old 895. If I can prove that the bell was intact on the train when we received it, our city may be in a position to pursue a civil remedy if the seller chooses not to cooperate

Is Southern Pacific a branch of Union Pacific?

We are currently investigating and awaiting eBay’s response.

Lt. Eric Freed
Investigations Division
City of Baytown , Tx. Police Department
FBINA 245th"

I then found an article in the 4/10/1993 Houston Chronicle about S.P. 895. It listed the names of the 3 teenagers who "saved the engine from the scrap pile" in 1957: Larry Brennan III, Freddie Babin, and Danny Bauer. (They obtained the engine for the city as a project for Robert E. Lee High School's key club.) I contacted Mr. Brennan, who confirmed that the bell was on the engine when it arrived, and was stolen the first night.

By the time the police investigated, the bell had already been sold. Neither the seller nor eBay would release info on the buyer. So the case stopped there. I was privately told that eBay will not take action unless they are seriously concerned they will be sued. Baytown TX is not a rich community, and therefore not much of a threat to eBay.

- Doug Debs