Has anyone here ever freight hopped? If so would you recommend

>>1168260
Used to see it here all the time, not so much any more.

Never done it, nor wanted to do it, and didn't pay much attention to the threads. So I can't help you,but maybe some of those guys are still around...

Train hopping seems cool enough for the experience, but 90% of the people who do it are absolute scum and that alone fucks me off to the idea.

Honestly if a bunch of sketchy homeless runaway able bodied beggar hipsters to decide you're cool enough (i.e. if you buy them beer), they'll probably bring you along for a ride, and I guess it's cool the first time but you won't want to do it again. You move at like 25mph and it's windy, rain sucks. If the weather's good, it's sort of relaxing but not a practical way to get around.

If you do it alone there's a good chance you'll either die, get the shit beaten out of you, or get thrown in jail for 30 days. People only really do it to impress their little clique of dirtbags

>>1168311
Oh and you have to buy them beer a bunch of times and donate to their gofundmes (yes they actually have those)

>>1168263
I'm in the same boat, all I really picked up is
>The trains themselves can be dangerous, you can easily get your shit fucked up if you don't know what you're doing or are just unlucky.
>The people who do it are generally pretty sketchy, it would be foolish to try it without having some people you trust around.
>Responses from train operators and security staff range from half-assed ambivalence, to arresting you.
>It's generally a slow and uncomfortable (wind/rain, dust, diesel fumes etc.) way of getting around, there are easier and safer ways to travel with little/no money.

I used to do it a lot in my younger years (typical runaway foster kid.) You pretty much can't go through yards or you will be seen and workers will steal your shit, and then call the cops on you and you will get a ticket for trespassing.

There are actually cameras in weird spots along a lot of lines near cities to overlook the top of the cars and when you get close they will be waiting for you. Hardly ever will you come across an open box car. Workers check from the back going forward and sometimes leave one or two open during travel so they know where to check for riders.

I've done it through the midwest mostly. Near Chicago it's impossible.

There aren't a lot of hobos that hop trains anymore. You might find a random homeless person or two, but I hardly ever came across them. Mostly people like the cunt with the crass patch on her shirt in the picture. It's really fun watching them get caught.

I read something, somewhere, how this was big in the 90s (and obviously during the depression), the riders being similar to what has been described - runaways/dirtbags/general "out there" types. I'd love to know more about how they lived, anyone know of a documentary etc about this sort of thing / modern day hobos?

I agree that there is something romantic about hopping freight trains but this isn't the 1930s Depression era America with steam engines. Modern trains are lethal and there is a good chance you'll die if you try to hop onto a moving boxcar. That's if you even gain entrance to the railway yards which is extremely difficult given modern security technology.

There are some good Youtube videos of guys who have tried this. Their experiences varied.

>>1168380
There are hundreds of crusty street kids on the corners in my city (San Francisco).

They vary a bit in terms of their temperament, demeanor, and circumstances, as a few are actually running away from very grave situations like abusive homes, addict parents, or pimps. But I reluctantly agree with the poster above that most are just entitled children with drug and alcohol problems seeking thrills.

Some of them are pretty nice. More than that are quite rude. The women are often very bad ukulele players.

I've never seen a documentary about them, but I know there are several books. An aspiring writer kid in New York City who slummed it with a bunch of them for a couple of years wrote and self-published a book of interviews called "Stranger to the System," which he sold me for a few bucks on Haight St (one of the main arteries of crust-punk drifter panhandling here). It wasn't bad. He was a shithead, but he could actually write fairly well. He's probably bathed, moved back in with Mom and Dad, and gone to an MFA program by now.

>>1168260
>>1168263
>>1168316
>>1168380
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWHh9W5IeBo
tl:dr it's dead, you missed the train

>>1168614
did you even watch the video you are posting? the guys in the vid managed to hop the train. The video is about the death of the cultural phenomenon that was the american hobo.

>>1168603

Sounds interesting. I'm fascinated by tales of people living in a completely parallel but alternate existance to those of us in the mainstream, even if it's just temporary - reminds me of a /b/ thread a few years back when some dude who had been homeless in Alaska for 5 years did an AMA session.

See the movie "Emperor of the North" about depression hobos.

>>1168260
No, but I drive those fuckers for a living. Not in the U.S. though. Ask me about trains, anon.

>>1170176

Ever run anything over ie a hobo / deer etc?

Seen any strange phenomena at night when driving the train through remote areas?

Other random stories or facts us non-train people would enjoy.

>>1170176
how hard is it to drive a train? is it a good job? how much education do you have?

A lot of talk already in here about the topic, but I'll throw my hat into about safety.

If I remember correctly, t's a federal crime if you're caught and prosecuted.

Easy to screw the jump on and lose your legs.

If you're in a pour container, easy to be crushed with coal while you're asleep.

Trains change all the time, so it's very possible to be left in the middle of nowhere.

That said, all totally worth it if you want to experience some Americana history. But it's not fucking practical. Just hitchhike, rideshare, or save up for a cheap megabus.

>>1168619
I think that's what he was saying too.

>>1168603
>"Stranger to the System

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-System-Portraits-Homeless-Community/dp/097415590X

he actually got his book out on print. Nice.

>>1170324
no he was trying to say that train hopping in itself is dead, which is wrong. It's actually a very common means of transportation in many asian countries such as India, Thailand, Vietnam etc.

does trains stops at borders?

>>1171226
In North America, not at state/provincial borders, but like everybody else they'd have to clear customs between nations.