Has anyone ever hopped a freight train?

[DancingBear]

I was hitching from Connecticut to Colorado (waaaaaaaayy back when) and made the acquaintance of one Jack Wyatt - refrigeration mechanic, wino, and railroad bum (hobo).

It's a long story, but him and I and Lump Nose Willie (part of the way) went from Denver to Chicago to Vegas via boxcar(s).

What an experience!

(I still carry a "hobos poem" that Wyatt gave to me in my wallet).

[m-jean03]

1. My story--

In high school I guess I was something of a wanderer, something of a dreamer, and I'd frequently go down to the water to gaze out to sea and watch the trains go by.

Well, a number of times I came upon a long Burlington Northern or Southern Pacific parked on the tracks, not moving. Some of these times I would climb around on the boxcars and flatcars. It was a lot of fun and I often dreamed of hopping the freight to wherever it would take me down the coast.

One beautiful spring day, I was laying on an empty flat car, gazing up at the clouds and getting some sun, when the train started moving very slowly! Woo hoo!

I stayed on it until it started moving fast enough to scare me, and then I jumped off, rolling into a ditch filled with blackberry brambles! OW!

Well, not much of a story, I admit! But I guess technically I did hop a train!:) :)

Please tell more about your story!

[oneighty]

2. Yes.

Ten or twelve years old I hopped on a steam powered train headed west. It picked up speed awful fast. Had to jump or go to Chicago. Was lucky I was not killed. First and last time too.

180

[Zomby Woof]

3. no

But I love the idea - always loved the stories Woody Guthrie and Jack London wrote about when hopping the rails. I do love a train.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

4. Once, and never again

I got up and in, turned to see my friend, George, go below the wheels. I sat back not knowing what to do. I was in such shock, I nearly froze to death that night. Next morning I could not move. Got on the train in Kansas City, wanted to get off somewhere in Colorado. Finally felt good enough to get off in freight yard near Fresno. Hitch-hiked back to Colorado.

Found out later, George died there on the tracks immediately. He never knew what hit him.

I do not recommend it, except in extreme circumstances, and probably not at all these days, I am sure the RR cops consider everyone riding rails to be terrorists.

[m-jean03]

5. That's terrible and awful

I'm so sorry, WJMS -- that must have been terrifying and heart breaking to lose your friend that way.

I agree that anyone fucking with any kind of transportation --that is, doing anything illegal on it -- is considered to be a terrorist these days. I bet hobos are open hunting these days. And if not that, they are probably looking at a long time in the slammer.


That said, I'm still happy I got my very short -- under 7 minutes --ride in when I did

[Don_G]

6. Yep

I must have been all of 10 years old when my Grandfather had to baby-sit me and go into work that morning. He was a 40+ year employee of L&N Railroad and the train passed by the bottom of his farm and into the yards a few miles later where he worked.

The "Ole Buzzard" copped an attitude when---as a dumb kid---described the experience to my Grandma.

Unfortunately, my Dad didn't quite agree (past experience) and I spent a lot of time shoveling out an occupied barn more often than I cared to the rest of "that" vacation.

[m-jean03]

7. Awesome! That sounds like it may have been

"Back in the day"?

What year did you do this in?