Reconstruction (1866-1877) Real life robberies inspired "The Great Train Robbery" released in 1903 RealVideo (streaming) MPEG Format (4.4 MB) Help With Video Credits The First Known Train Robbery in the U.S. October 6, 1866 On October 6, 1866, one of the first train robberies in America took place when the Reno brothers boarded an eastbound train in Indiana wearing masks and toting guns. After emptying one safe and tossing the other out the window, the robbers jumped off the train and made an easy getaway. page 1 of 3 Library Of Congress | Legal Notices | Privacy | Site Map | Contact Us VIDEO CREDIT: Porter, Edwin S., producer. "The great train robbery / Thomas A. Edison, Inc.; producer, Edwin S. Porter." [Part 1 of 3]. Edison Manufacturing Co. 1903. Inventing Entertainment: The Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies, Library of Congress.