Nostalgia & History > Any Hobos care to share some stories?

Any ex Hobos care to share any of their stories about riding the rails?

In the late 70's and early 80's I got into a bit of "tramping". I always had my big Black Lab named Buzzard with me because things were getting pretty dangerous on the rails, by hobo gangs, at that time. One hobo in Oroville asked me why I called him Buzzard and I replied that all I had to do was say one certain word and he would attack you and after he killed you he would eat you! I never told anyone what the "magic" word was! I got to ride the BN from Oroville to The Dalles, Ore. over the Keddie Wye at midnight on a full moon! Just hangin' my feet out the boxcar door and takin' it all in! Wow! What a great trip that was! I always carried a 2 gallon jug of water with me because you never know where you'll end up on a freight train! I also always carried my 3 main switch keys (UP,SP,BN) and my Adlake coach key. I met my future wife a year or so later and she "civilized" me (and the dog). Oh, the sweet fruits of my youth.

I believe "FTRA" was the group to look out for. They might kill you, but at least they did not spray paint the cars!

I remember reading a story about how Hobos would often die while passing through the Cascade tunnel. When I used to live in Washington I saw countless trains almost approaching stall speed while entering the Cascade tunnel. At almost 8 miles long a train moving at 10MPH could take nearly a hour to make it though. Quite a long time to be sucking up diesel fumes. Anyone ever go through the Cascade tunnel as a rider?

I nearly killed a Hobo by accident one day. I was just a teenager and found a baseball near the tracks. A train was moving by in the distance and I threw the ball at the train. It just so happened that the baseball went right between two cars where a hobo was standing. It stuck the car about a foot above his head. He was shaking his hand and saying "you little son of a bit**". It was purely a one in a million chance of happening and I couldn't have been more shocked if the sun feel from the sky. It was the first and last time I ever threw anything at a train.

I heard the same stories about the Bulls and railroad police. This one Hobo said there was a railroad cop in Dallas called "Winchester Pete". He said he would shoot first and ask questions later. He said "by and large you didn't meet them too often, but when you did you better be moving".

Back in the 60s I was riding in the first caboose (of two) in this short Union Pacific freight train. We were stopped at the MP and BN crossings in Concordia, KS getting ready to leave the Santa Fe rails and back on the UP yard tracks.

The transient walking along the tracks had just climbed down from the gondola car in this short consist......he apparently had boarded the train in Junction City, KS and rode all the way to Concordia occasionally looking out over the side of the gondola......the crew did not bother him and they let me ride free so that I could take a series of photographs along this branch UP line (soon to be abandoned in the early 60s).

......Vince in Valley Center

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I saw a lot in the 80s-early 90s and all I can say most of them were friendly people, waving and everything!

That is a interesting photo. It looks like one of the riders is about to climb aboard that second locomotive.

I only tried it once...In November,1976, a room mate and I hopped an SP eastbound at Davis, California. The train was all empty flats and boxes headed toward Oregon via the West Valley line. The first car we were in was an older double-door box with a wooden floor. We progressed up the line (in darkness and dropping temperatures) and went into a siding near Redding for a meet. Fearing we would be discovered, we bailed out to a gully nearby. The meet occurred, but before we could regain our position in the original car, the train began moving. We took the first boxcar we could reach, which happened to be just a few cars ahead of the caboose. This car was newer than the first, having a steel floor. It also had a flat wheel. By the time we reached Dunsmuir, we were nearly frozen and deaf from the incessant banging of the flat wheel all the way up the Sacramento River canyon. We managed to find a cheap (really cheap) motel and cranked up the heater. We awoke the next morning nearly aflame, as the heater had really done its job well. We hiked down to the west end of the Dunsmuir Yard and noticed westbounds tied down in the yard. All was very quiet, so we began walking west, waiting for a westbound (any westbound!)to come along and give us a way to get back to Davis. Somewhere around Gibson, we stumbled upon the reason for the dearth of traffic: A lumber flat from a previous westbound had derailed, scattering lumber all over the scene. Now what? Well, we hiked up to Interstate 5 and stuck our thumbs out. After only 4 or 5 vehicles passed, a VW bus pulls over. A dude straight out of a Cheech and Chong script rolls down his window and asks where we were headed. We told him and he said "Me, Too!" After a very interesting (!)few hours, we were back in Davis, each convinced we'd never try hitchhiking or train-hopping again. So far, so good...

John

The first one I ever saw was a chap standing in an EL boxcar on an SBD freight. The strange thing was, he didn't have on anything but a pair of argyle socks! Southern had a problem with them riding its hot 230 pig train up from Florida; the special agents would wait at Jefferson Street in Atlanta on both sides of the tracks, 230 would get down to walking speed, and they'd pluck them off. They rode leaned up against the trailer tires as I recall.

workin in Oakland switch yard in the seventies we saw a lot of hobos including one who name escapes me who the bulk of the local hobos said was called the king of the hobos, we also had the local chapter of the hobos of north america out in berkly who had a bust of about four or more people who were wanted for violent crimes around the country. the local guys that lived by the railroad tracks had a number of grifitiea sysbols and marks that they left in place were other hobos could read thier code that told them were to look or were they could get free things or food.

When I was working for the Union Pacific we took a train from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. When we got to Seattle we called for a crew van and I started setting hand brakes on the trailing locomotives. I opened the door to the last unit (which was a C44-9), and there was a drifter sleeping on the floor with his back pack as his pillow. I said in a conductors voice "Final stop, Seattle, Washington". He jumped up like he had seen a ghost and said "is this St Louis"? I said "nope your in Seattle". He said "damn how do I get to St. Louis". I said I honestly didn't know. I pointed him to a homeless shelter a few miles away and said there wouldn't be any trains until 8am going back to Portland. I told him to stay out of the jungles by the yards and there was some very bad elements to them.

When I wasn't on the road I was working the dreaded midnight shift in the pouring Seattle rain, in a small rail yard with no lights. We often had reefer cars with frozen chicken in them. The bums would hide out in the woods next to the tracks and wait for us to leave. Then they would open the doors and take out boxes of frozen chicken. We called the rail road police many times. They either never showed up or they showed up 7 hours later. One Conductor who formerly worked that yard told me that the problem of stealing frozen chickens had been going on for years. He said he once went into the jungle to see who was in there and was chased out by a naked man holding a machinate. He said he was nearly killed, and only escaped death by picking up a 2 X 4 and hitting him in the head with it. The man chasing him apparently was under some very good drugs at the time. He also said another Conductor was robbed while walking in between cars in the middle of the night. He told me to never go in the jungle and I took that advice to heart.

When I was training for a government job in El Paso, Texas, I stayed at the Sheraton Hotel that overlooked the SP yards. A classmate found out I liked trains so we traded rooms so I could see the train action from my balcony. He also loaned me his binoculars. Anyway, I remember seeing Hispanic men hitching rides on outbound freights. They would climb into the cabs of unoccupied units in a consist. You could see them running for the train.

Another time I saw a hobo riding a freight through Huntington, Indiana on the Erie Lackawanna. He was riding the platform of a covered hopper. When he went by, he pointed at his wrist to ask what time it was.

And then in Montana near Glacier National Park I remember seeing three guys wearing heavy overcoats sitting on lawn chairs on a piggy back trailer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/13 18:07 by wabash2800.

Not sure if the hobos in this story are still around--this happened on a 1968 Orange Empire excursion to Bakersfield, with our Canadian Pacific Mountain Observation Car 599 on the rear of #52, the San Joaquin Daylight. Old 599 was what might be called the world's largest "California Car"--like the California St. cable cars and the Huntington Standard electric streetcars, there were glass windows in the middle section and open window frames on the ends. It made a great photo platform, but it could get quite windy on the faster sections of the SP. Anyway, we were making our way through the Tehachapi mountains, and passed a freight in the hole for us. We spotted some "free riders" in the end of a hopper car, and some of us called out, "Hi there!" "Have a nice day!" and similar friendly comments. I'll bet those 'bos nearly fell off their perch.

I used to ride all the time in the late 70's and early 80s because I had no money and certainly no car. Most of it was confined to the west, but I did ride some in the east (B&O, P&LE). I had rules -- never ride with strangers, camp in jungles, etc. I have a ton of stories, but I don't think TO is the place to tell them due to the pontificating attitude that sometimes prevails. Yes, I understood the risks and knew it was dangerous, but I always felt safer on the train than hitch hiking (which I was forced to do at times).

Riding freights is a hard way to travel, and it can be extremely lonely. I'm fortunate that I didn't have to make a life of it. That said, I had some incredible moments that I'll never forget or trade away.

BCHellman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I used to ride all the time in the late 70's and
> early 80s because I had no money and certainly no
> car. Most of it was confined to the west, but I
> did ride some in the east (B&O, P&LE). I had rules
> -- never ride with strangers, camp in jungles,
> etc. I have a ton of stories, but I don't think TO
> is the place to tell them due to the pontificating
> attitude that sometimes prevails. Yes, I
> understood the risks and knew it was dangerous,
> but I always felt safer on the train than hitch
> hiking (which I was forced to do at times).
>
> Riding freights is a hard way to travel, and it
> can be extremely lonely. I'm fortunate that I
> didn't have to make a life of it. That said, I had
> some incredible moments that I'll never forget or
> trade away.


I had a similar discussion in another website about that very topic. We had a new member who was a frequent train rider who went all over the system. Some people were saying what he was doing was stupid and dangerous. That train hopping was just prolonged suicide, etc. I thought what they were saying was total nonsense.

As a former conductor for the Union Pacific who knows how many hundreds of times a week I climbed up and down moving equipment. I was climbing it in the middle of the night, in all weather conditions including rain and snow, and climbing difficult cars such as flat cars and tank cars. I saw many derailments including one where I was standing on the front lower ladder when a locomotive derailed. Yet somehow this guy who hops a train once every other day is the one who is the risk taker? Give me a break. My job was 1000 times more dangerous than any hobo.

While I will admit the Hobo lifestyle has some dangers, I don't think it is anymore dangerous than any other recreational activity such as rock climbing, motorcycle and dirt bike riding, bungee jumping, or any other high risk lifestyle. I think with any decision the pro's and cons must be researched properly. I remember reading about a hobo who was riding in a gondola full of pipe. The load shifted and he squashed him like a grape. Fortunately these type of stories are a rarity.

I deeply admire anyone who has had the guts to set out and ride the rails. It is the ultimate expression of freedom. Half the time you don't even know where you are going or who you will met. Hobos and carved a important part in history. They developed their own language, symbols, and even way of life. One day I will park my car, throw away my watch, unplug my computer, and jump on a freight train. I might stay gone a week or a year. But it will give me great satisfaction to know I was part of the club.

Tomas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BCHellman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I used to ride all the time in the late 70's
> and
> > early 80s because I had no money and certainly
> no
> > car. Most of it was confined to the west, but I
> > did ride some in the east (B&O, P&LE). I had
> rules
> > -- never ride with strangers, camp in jungles,
> > etc. I have a ton of stories, but I don't think
> TO
> > is the place to tell them due to the
> pontificating
> > attitude that sometimes prevails. Yes, I
> > understood the risks and knew it was dangerous,
> > but I always felt safer on the train than hitch
> > hiking (which I was forced to do at times).
> >
> > Riding freights is a hard way to travel, and it
> > can be extremely lonely. I'm fortunate that I
> > didn't have to make a life of it. That said, I
> had
> > some incredible moments that I'll never forget
> or
> > trade away.
>
>
> I had a similar discussion in another website
> about that very topic. We had a new member who was
> a frequent train rider who went all over the
> system. Some people were saying what he was doing
> was stupid and dangerous. That train hopping was
> just prolonged suicide, etc. I thought what they
> were saying was total nonsense.
>
> As a former conductor for the Union Pacific who
> knows how many hundreds of times a week I climbed
> up and down moving equipment. I was climbing it in
> the middle of the night, in all weather conditions
> including rain and snow, and climbing difficult
> cars such as flat cars and tank cars. I saw many
> derailments including one where I was standing on
> the front lower ladder when a locomotive derailed.
> Yet somehow this guy who hops a train once every
> other day is the one who is the risk taker? Give
> me a break. My job was 1000 times more dangerous
> than any hobo.
>
> While I will admit the Hobo lifestyle has some
> dangers, I don't think it is anymore dangerous
> than any other recreational activity such as rock
> climbing, motorcycle and dirt bike riding, bungee
> jumping, or any other high risk lifestyle. I think
> with any decision the pro's and cons must be
> researched properly. I remember reading about a
> hobo who was riding in a gondola full of pipe. The
> load shifted and he squashed him like a grape.
> Fortunately these type of stories are a rarity.
>
> I deeply admire anyone who has had the guts to set
> out and ride the rails. It is the ultimate
> expression of freedom. Half the time you don't
> even know where you are going or who you will met.
> Hobos and carved a important part in history. They
> developed their own language, symbols, and even
> way of life. One day I will park my car, throw
> away my watch, unplug my computer, and jump on a
> freight train. I might stay gone a week or a year.
> But it will give me great satisfaction to know I
> was part of the club.

I love both of these posts...with a little common sense hopping a freight to get from point A to Point B can be relatively safe. I'll always cherish my rides over Sherman Hill (Cheyenne to Laramie once and Cheyenne to Rawlins once) as well as riding in an empty gondola from Fort Collins to Cheyenne over C&S once...all in the early 1970's. Only regrets are that they were all at night so no photos were taken.

I had the itch in the mid 90s, rode around the intermountain west.

Very dangerous, no matter what anyone says. I quit riding because no matter how careful I was, I would still come uncomfortably close to getting injured or killed. Just wasn't worth the risk. I have plenty of other exciting things I'd like to do in this life that don't come with such a risk of fatality.

Lots of fun, though. Rode over Tennessee Pass in a bed of taconite on a Geneva ore train. Rode through the Feather River Canyon in the bed of a Ford Ranger on the upper deck of an uncovered auto rack, in January, under a full moon. Rode the Modoc Line on a train that rarely topped 10 mph.

Train crews were pretty friendly, if you approached them openly when they were alone and no managers could see them. I consistently got better service riding the SP than Greyhound.

I never rode alone, rarely felt concerned about getting mugged by the FTRA or hauled off by the bull. Just very concerned about losing an important appendage or two by making a bad decision getting on or off a train, or getting jolted off by slack.

Send me a PM if you'd like to know more.

Ted in OR

Couple pics I've posted --
* Ford Ranger http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,730117,730959#730959
* Taconite train http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,685871,688316#688316



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/13 02:28 by gobbl3gook.