Freighthopping
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Freighthopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a railroad freight car.
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Introduction
In the United States, this became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as hobos. It continued to be widely used by the destitute and those unable to afford other transportation, especially during times of widespread economic dislocation such as the Great Depression in the United States. Many railroads took a dim view of people hopping freights, and employed security guards known as "bulls" in an attempt to prevent the practice, but some other railroads quietly tolerated the practice. In part this is because many hobos had worked building the railroads, and others were itinerant farm workers who helped provide the cargo which the railroads would then haul back east.
In modern colloquial usage, hopping a freight train is also known as as "catching out".
Riding methods
Freighthopping is a unique way to travel and can often introduce you to a part of your country that you haven't seen before. The free ride and open air can be exhilarating, but be mindful of the risks.
Olden-day methods of hitching a ride on a freight train included "riding the rods" (riding underneath a freight car on the car's structural rods), "riding the deck" (riding on top of a railroad car), and riding inside an open boxcar, an empty gondola car, or an unoccupied caboose. Riding the rods or riding the deck was very dangerous, while riding inside a railroad car was preferred. Eventually, railroads began using freight cars without structural rods underneath, to end the practice of riding the rods.
Today as always, riders hitch on the best spot they can find aboard the train; an ideal spot is comfortable and inconspicuous. Depending on weather conditions it may be preferable to have an open or sheltered location.
"Grainers" (grain cars) typically have a small platform on each end that is railed in. Intermodal container cars may have usable space at the bottom or platforms on the ends. "Piggybacks," which are flatbed cars with semi-trailers aboard, have space between the flatbed and the bottom of the trailers. Freighthoppers also ride in empty gondolas and in rear helper engines. This last method greatly increases the chance of being caught, but it is more luxurious than a freight car.
Open boxcars are very hard to come by these days and are dangerous to the inexperienced. The cars are designed to be locked by default and opened only from the outside. Those that are lucky enough to find an open empty boxcar will jam something, usually a railroad spike, in the door groove so it won't close and trap them inside. Riders avoid cars that aren't empty, as the cargo can shift in transit, potentially crushing and killing an occupant.
It is a bad idea to try to get on or off while a train is still in motion. Wait until it has stopped. If you must get off while the train is in motion, only do so when it is going fairly slowly. Throw your pack off first, rearwards to minimize impact. If possible, climb down a ladder on the car you are on, and step off back foot first! (The back foot is the one closer to the rear of the train.) This way, your front foot will be pulled off and then you will be facing forward in the perfect position to take a step to catch yourself. Hold on to the ladder until you have your footing and then let go and slow yourself down. Watch yard workers and see how they do it.
Practicalities
Riders generally take along equipment to help them in their journey. This may include:
- a pair of thick gloves, to protect the hands from the rough, dirty surfaces of the trains;
- a pair of strong boots, to protect the feet and support the ankles in climbing and dismounting;
- a set of warm, dark clothes, to stay warm and avoid being seen;
- a dark backpack or duffel bag, to carry equipment - dark to avoid being seen;
- a blanket or sleeping bag, to stay warm - particularly for overnight trips;
- plenty of water, as suitable sources may not be found along the way;
- plenty of food, likewise;
- a set of earplugs, to protect the ears from the loud creaks, horns, bells, and wind associated with trains;
- a roll of toilet paper, for waste disposal in transit.
First-time riders should plan on traveling with someone experienced or do extensive research before attempting to freighthop. It is important to be aware of the potential dangers and consequences of freighthopping beforehand, and to be knowledgeable in the particulars and nuances involved, as carelessness can lead to criminal prosecution, injury, and/or death.
Methods in rail yards
Rail yards are a critical place for freighthoppers, where they find their greatest chances of "catching out" and being caught. This hinges on successful interaction and non-interaction with the people and equipment within them.
Railroad police, or "bulls", are tasked with preventing trespassing on railroad property, which includes freighthopping. They will typically be found on patrol in utility trucks and SUVs ("bullmobiles") looking for anything out of the ordinary, thus freighthoppers take care to be inconspicuous and aware of who is around them.
Yard workers, the working people walking around in the yards, putting trains together, riding on the ladders, can be different. Many freighthoppers find that they aren't terribly hostile provided that they have a moment to spare, but avoid being bothersome or obstructive to work being done, as there is always the risk that the "bulls" will be summoned.
Riders primarily make contact with yard workers for inside information on the goings-on, usually to find a train headed in their direction. As such, it is necessary to build some degree of trust, so riders will not sneak up on a yard worker and not be demanding with their inquiries, in general giving the utmost respect, as both the rider and the worker in question face some risks if the rider is caught.
Neither bulls nor yard workers appreciate people being injured or killed in their rail yard. Riders must keep out of the way of moving equipment in the rail yard, particularly around "humps," the most dangerous part of the yard.
Decline of freighthopping
In recent decades, the traditional role of hobos as itinerant workers has fallen off, largely because of increasing prosperity; even most itinerant workers nowadays have cars and drive between jobs, or use bus or airline transportation, and live in motels or temporary housing.
Increasingly, as seasonal agricultural work became the province of illegal immigrants, and other seasonal work became increasingly lucrative, freighthopping became mainly used by the homeless population, by thrill seekers, kids who have adopted the lifestyle as an expression of rebellion against society (or just a way to travel for free), and people who enjoy traveling across the countryside under the open air.
Consolidation in railroad ownership has eliminated many of those railroads that used to tolerate the practice, and today most railroads follow a strict policy against freighthopping. In the most practical manner, there aren't as many good places to ride a freight train anymore; the elimination of the caboose and the shift away from boxcars toward intermodal shipping containers has made the practice more of a challenge.
In recent years there has been an increase in crime targeted at the rail-riding homeless population and other freighthoppers by other itenerants. Retired Spokane police officer Bob Grandinetti attributes this largely to the rise of an itenerant gang calling themselves the FTRA or Freight Train Riders of America. Whether the FTRA is as violent as claimed by Grandinetti is in some dispute. Other increases in crime targeted at freighthoppers can be attributed to the general increase in violence and urban gang activity around train yards in such locations as Los Angeles.
Books about freighthopping
- Duffy Littlejohn: Hopping Freight Trains In America
- Daniel Leen: The Freighthopper's Manual for North America
- Ted Conover: Rolling Nowhere
Movies about freighthopping
- Bound for Glory: 1976 biographical drama about the life of Woody Guthrie
- Catching Out: 2003 documentary about modern hobos IMDB (http://imdb.com/title/tt0337595/)
- Danger Lights: 1930 movie about a hobo who becomes a railroad engineer
- Emperor of the North (also known as Emperor of the North Pole): 1973 film starring Lee Marvin, Keith Carradine and Ernest Borgnine
- Long Gone: a 2003 documentary
- Riding the Rails: 1997 documentary about Great Depression hobos
- Wild Boys of the Road: 1933 drama about runaway youth, intended to scare kids away from hopping freights but had quite the opposite effect
External links
- North Bank Fred.com (http://www.northbankfred.com/)
- Train Hoppers Space (http://www.catalog.com/hop/)
- Adventuring (http://www.thespoon.com/trainhop/)