Anybody here ever hopped trains before?

[Gry]

Read a really mean article not long ago by a reporter who hopped the train that comes up through South America . It was brutal real brutal, and I do believe it was a woman who did it. Not sure, but think it was on the truthout site.

 

[saluki]

Triple H, Hobo Hero Henry, at your service!

Hobo tags and code, This will come in handy:

Personally, I like the easy mark and the kind lady lives here displayed with a kitty cat.

 

[who dat is]

Where did you find this stuff? Pretty interesting.

 

[D. B. Doober]

Way cool, nice find

 

[Bud Green]

You all are trying too hard to make hopping a freight train sound like some sort of a romantic endeavour.

There's nothing romantic about it.
Just do it, use common sense, keep your wits about you and be careful if you choose to trust a stranger you meet on a freight train....

 

[stoned-trout]

from maine to florida and florida to cali ,from cali to Montana. and a few other random trips...yeehaw fun times ...watch out for goon squad........they have new security measures it aint like it used to be....west coast in cali and Oregon is the easiest... florida ,Arizona and Chicago can be a bitch... got to get on and off on the fly so pack light...bend orgeon used to have hobo festival and then even well to do folks play hobo...fun times.....theres still a lot of train riders but a lot are gangs who bust seals on the containers and steal shit...don't get on a train if ya see lots of broken seals.... I once did it tho and got lots of booze...removed as many as I could while train was side tracked to let another pass....partied in the woods for like a week...aaah to be young ....ooh ya a hammock can be hung in some boxcars for a sweet ride..... the shipping container trains are faster than anything but flying but the ride aint so fun and your easier to spot...grain rides you can hide in the hidden spot in front...consider a coverall setup to cover your clothes cause you get dirty ....then when you stop you can pull it off and not look so hobo like.....peace.....the key to riding trains nowadays is catching train on the run as it leaves yard and jumping off before it reaches yard...but the train operators know this and try and make it hard ... I learned from Mexicans so I got it down .....some yards now have infra red night cameras and thermal cameras.. I know Chicago and some in florida do...Arizona has planes looking for illegals at boarder and your ass will get sidetracked and kicked off in the middle of no where......in oregon the bulls would take your picture and even tell you what track and time trains go...just stay off tracks till then...way cool...having a gps unit would rock as then you don't have to guess your location....Bakersfield ca, Roseville ca and pasco Washington were my fav spots...easy peasy to get on and go where ever... I wish I had had a camera as I saw a lot of beautifull scenery, some bad clearcut stuff too.....

 

[paladin420]

Just as a kid. Mom wouldn't let me ride my bike to town, too dangerous.

 

[armedoldhippy]

rode one hunting & back once. jumped down getting off, lady about backed over folks in car behind her. guess it aint every day some camo-clad long-haired nut carrying a rifle & a pistol in a holster leaped off of a train in front of her...

 

[who dat is]

You all are trying too hard to make hopping a freight train sound like some sort of a romantic endeavour.

There's nothing romantic about it.
Just do it, use common sense, keep your wits about you and be careful if you choose to trust a stranger you meet on a freight train....

Yeah, I just want to get as many noob mistakes out of the way as possible. Tips and tricks about safety, which trains to pick and ride on. Also, how do you know where to look out for "the bulls" and the best way to stay out of sight? How do you figure out which trains go where? These are some of the biggest concerns I have.

from maine to florida and florida to cali ,from cali to Montana. and a few other random trips...yeehaw fun times ...watch out for goon squad........they have new security measures it aint like it used to be....west coast in cali and Oregon is the easiest... florida ,Arizona and Chicago can be a bitch... got to get on and off on the fly so pack light...bend orgeon used to have hobo festival and then even well to do folks play hobo...fun times.....theres still a lot of train riders but a lot are gangs who bust seals on the containers and steal shit...don't get on a train if ya see lots of broken seals.... I once did it tho and got lots of booze...removed as many as I could while train was side tracked to let another pass....partied in the woods for like a week...aaah to be young ....ooh ya a hammock can be hung in some boxcars for a sweet ride..... the shipping container trains are faster than anything but flying but the ride aint so fun and your easier to spot...grain rides you can hide in the hidden spot in front...consider a coverall setup to cover your clothes cause you get dirty ....then when you stop you can pull it off and not look so hobo like.....peace.....the key to riding trains nowadays is catching train on the run as it leaves yard and jumping off before it reaches yard...but the train operators know this and try and make it hard ... I learned from Mexicans so I got it down .....some yards now have infra red night cameras and thermal cameras.. I know Chicago and some in florida do...Arizona has planes looking for illegals at boarder and your ass will get sidetracked and kicked off in the middle of no where......in oregon the bulls would take your picture and even tell you what track and time trains go...just stay off tracks till then...way cool...having a gps unit would rock as then you don't have to guess your location....Bakersfield ca, Roseville ca and pasco Washington were my fav spots...easy peasy to get on and go where ever... I wish I had had a camera as I saw a lot of beautifull scenery, some bad clearcut stuff too.....

Good stuff to hear. Any more details on what to look out for, what not to do, etc? Let's get this thread shaped up into a "how to" for train hopping!

 

[noyd666]

take a cut lunch an tooth brush.

 

[stoned-trout]

look for the older folks hanging out by the tracks..having booze will get you all the info you need , also a lot of times shelters and feeding places are located not far from the tracks...good place to get a feeling for whats going on...don't trust anyone 100 percent... I lost my gear once by a alleged friend who hopped next train with my gear while I was getting beer..i spent 6 months trying to find him as I almost froze to death in Oregon...if I ever see him I will kill him on the spot he looked like castro. don't ever leave your stuff ever. watch out for rail gangs as they have been know to toss folks from train and or rob kill you...once yall are in boxcar and moving your screwed..get good at jumping off moving train and also catching moving train as if you master that you can avoid a lot of bullshit with the yards...santa fe is the worst rail company the bulls are mean and will fuck you up.. Burlington northern running west coast is lax once your out of major cities . the flares found in the engine area and sometimes last car can heat a can of beans or coffee real quick and are free if your brave.always have extra water in case you end up on wrong train for a long haul.I will think of more its been a while...last trip a gang asshole and his friend tried me...he got his head opened up and his friend got chased down the street....fuck you catfish stay in texas bitch..goon squad are pussies and only tough in groups

 

[Bud Green]

take a cut lunch an tooth brush.

Yep, bring that toothbrush to keep those "pearly whites" sparkling!

You never know what gorgeous "babes" you might run into when you're riding the rails.... LMFAO....

(good advice Noyd, ya don't know how long till it slows down for you to hop off...)

 

[who dat is]

look for the older folks hanging out by the tracks..having booze will get you all the info you need , also a lot of times shelters and feeding places are located not far from the tracks...good place to get a feeling for whats going on...don't trust anyone 100 percent... I lost my gear once by a alleged friend who hopped next train with my gear while I was getting beer..i spent 6 months trying to find him as I almost froze to death in Oregon...if I ever see him I will kill him on the spot he looked like castro. don't ever leave your stuff ever. watch out for rail gangs as they have been know to toss folks from train and or rob kill you...once yall are in boxcar and moving your screwed..get good at jumping off moving train and also catching moving train as if you master that you can avoid a lot of bullshit with the yards...santa fe is the worst rail company the bulls are mean and will fuck you up.. Burlington northern running west coast is lax once your out of major cities . the flares found in the engine area and sometimes last car can heat a can of beans or coffee real quick and are free if your brave.always have extra water in case you end up on wrong train for a long haul.I will think of more its been a while...last trip a gang asshole and his friend tried me...he got his head opened up and his friend got chased down the street....fuck you catfish stay in texas bitch..goon squad are pussies and only tough in groups

Preach!

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to stoned-trout again.

 

[stoned-trout]

I met maybe 3 women ever, riding the rail that I would even consider fucking..but there was already a waiting list.... lol... I imagine the riders have gotten worse as the old scam standbye of foodstamps is gone....some guys got foodstamps in like 5 states or more and just rode back and forth...with new linked computers and having cards I bet that's about done. so you got crooks,wanted folks and bums and Mexicans of them all I prefer the mexicans...I bet theres a lot more cameras now at rail yards ir and thermal...having a gps would help a lot as before you had to stay alert for the yard and guess where you were till you learned the route.... the shipping container trains go the fastest longest distances usually...jump in wrong train and your on the high line and your in Chicago in no time lol... I only had 3 bad experiences the rest was actually fun to me.. I had weed tho usually...some of the rail gangs make real $$$$$$$ stealing from trains and get mean quick...they learn the pullover spots and unload as much as possible and have a vehicle come and get the offloaded stuff...seen it a few times once with booze and once with bicycles don't remember the other stuff as I tried an stay out of it...remember messing with the seal and containers is federal offense...just riding the train usually wont get ya much. I got my picture taken a few times and warned no jail or fines...but times may have changed on that part

 

[stoned-trout]

riding trains from near the boarder theres a big chance the train will sidetrack in the middle of nowhere and the train will get searched and a plane will be overhead......happened to me in Arizona... took 2 days in hot ass climate before I hopped another train...glad I had that extra water I talked about

 

[who dat is]

http://modes.io/how-to-hop-a-freight-train/

I went down to the yards and watched the trains, met workers and riders and hobos and vagabonds. I asked lots of questions and listened. I learned the lingo and started to understand the dangers and mystery and magic of freight trains. I caught my first train solo out of Sac, and rode mostly solo for a long time, not knowing anyone else who did it, thinking I was the very first and last rider since maybe Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. Eventually, I met other riders and we occasionally rode together. I met Hobo Lee in Santa Cruz and we worked together on the Something About a Train ‘zine that he published for more than a decade.

 

[Bulldog420]

I buy train tickets, no need to steal. Stealing is wrong.

 

[D. B. Doober]

I was thinking about taking a train trip from Boston to the Pacific, it's only $500 for your own room. Bring 2 boxes of fabric softener and 3 empty toilet paper rolls. Cooler full of food

 

[stoned-trout]

those shipping container trains go crosscountry faster than bus or regular trains ......I would imagine its a lot more risky then it was... with improved technology and security both the bulls and crooks are ready...I would do it if need be....no need I got a car with low milage lol....its easy pack light and don't have anything flashy...then just fucking do it....I could go to Bakersfield and then go wherever I wanted as I remember the routes for the most part....

 

[dddaver]

Bring 2 boxes of fabric softener and 3 empty toilet paper rolls. Cooler full of food

DB just be sploofin' ya.

But then again you might want to have a sweet smelling asshole by using the dryer sheets for TP, or do you suggest the kind of fabric softener you drink? Yech.

The chemicals might burn a little on the butt hole if using those sheets for wipe, so maybe not such a good idea. "Why you walking funny dude?"

Not serious. I'm bored so that's my attempt at humor.