Heavy metal took on a literal sense for three men who are accused of trying to haul away some 600 pounds of iron rail.

According to a release from Mount Pleasant Police, officers were dispatched shortly after 3 pm Monday to Sheridan Road, just north of Durand Avenue. When police arrived, they spotted a white van with Illinois plates and three people inside.

Also inside the van was a 10-foot long section of iron rail weighing 600 pounds and valued at about $200. The area from where it was taken was under repair, but the missing rail did not endanger any operating trains.

The suspects, Darnell Hood, 51, and Nuyin Johnson, 33, of Waukegan and Antione Abston, 38, of North Chicago, reportedly told officers they were taking the iron to scrap for cash. They were transported to the Mount Pleasant Police station and cited for Trespass to Land and Theft and then released.