Why is train hopping bad If not, we stop and I walk the train. Who cares. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since When I first moved to America and took the train from DC to NYC I was genuinely concerned how much hopping around and movement up and down there was. Not only is train hopping illegal, but it also poses significant risks to personal safety and carries legal consequences. Ernest Hemingway hopping a freight train to get to Walloon Lake (1916) Riding outside a freight car, whether atop or underneath, is dangerous. Content creators hop trains with their GoPros. Yes there have been a few killer hobos but there isn’t a community out there that doesn’t have a few bad seeds and as for the gang thing that would be the last thing I worry about. Jan 21, 2024 · Train hopping may seem like an adventurous and thrilling way to travel for some individuals, but it comes with serious consequences. Although it’s probably nearly as old as rail travel itself, the act first gained widespread notice during the Great Depression, when thousands of so-called hobos hopped the rails to look for work — Feb 17, 2025 · The history of train hopping in the American imagination starts with hobos. The "hobo code" was a secret, symbol-based system used by Depression-era itinerant workers to share Check out stobe the hobo on YouTube. The mark served to tell others that they had treated him well (from "The Life Of A Tramp," Picture Post magazine, 1939). A popular train-hopping YouTuber, James "Stobe the Hobo" Stobie, died in 2017 in an apparent rail accident. Oct 1, 2008 · At least when train hopping if you use your head and know how to be safe on the rails things like broken limbs and dying do not really happen. Hitchwiki. Nine times out of ten, most deaths are because the person hopping the train was drunk, high, or just completely stupid. The 1944 Balvano train disaster in Italy involved hundreds of freighthoppers. I wasn't even comparing to Germany or even the UK (which in the 90s was a death trap) but to Sweden, which was really on par with the NEC, sometimes worse. Felix Man/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. A popular train-hopping YouTuber, James “Stobe the Hobo” Stobie, died in 2017 in an apparent rail accident. Myself, and many others, have been trainhopping for many years, and nothing terrible has ever happened to us. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. It has to be perfect: a train headed in the right direction Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. May 23, 2024 · Train hopping is a practice in which people board trains, typically freight trains, by stealth in order to hitch a free ride to the train's destination. We crouched in the bushes for thirty-eight hours before we finally caught a train. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since . Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. 3. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since Feb 17, 2025 · Civil War-era hobos hopped trains to find work. Smart guy, talented musician, and probably one of the most experienced train hoppers of our age… he drank almost always while doing it, and sadly he was killed when his backpack got snagged by the train. Hitching rides on the railroad is an American tradition. But why would people risk their lives Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. Was is it the booze? Or is train hopping just so deadly? Personally I think it really is just that deadly. The specific culture of the hobo, such as the Britt convention and hobo poetry, distinctly emerged from America, but it is important to note that train-hopping is a common practice anywhere in the world with a railroad system. Why do people engage in train hopping? People may engage in train hopping out of curiosity, thrill-seeking, or as a means of transportation for those without other options. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since If it only takes 2 days to train, ya, it’s a minimum wage job, and agree. If their is special agent (police) officer nearby we can slowly pull through a crossing while he inspects cars. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since Feb 17, 2025 · The history of train hopping in the American imagination starts with hobos. Key Takeaways. org has a guide to Jul 22, 2024 · Hobo John Walpole draws a chalk cross on the wall of a farmhouse where they gave him food April 1, 1939. Hobo culture was born out of economic necessity in post-Civil War America, says Rod Sykora, who goes by the hobo name Feb 17, 2025 · The history of train hopping in the American imagination starts with hobos. The Federal Railroad Administration Mar 26, 2009 · Why Hopping Freight Trains Is (Totally) Worth It. Let's go over a few of the key dangers associated with hopping freight trains: 1) Determining the Speed of a Train: The biggest mistake that most greenhorns (rookies/newbies) make is trying to catch a train that's going too fast, or worse, trying to jump off a train that's going too fast. Like anything else in life, if you act like a fool, bad things will happen. Dec 19, 2012 · Train hopping is a long-established tradition in the US, particularly popular in the Great Depression when the jobless took to the rails to find work. Feb 12, 2015 · Another friend of mine rode trains back and forth between two local towns, meeting people, exploring, then returning before dark, and nothing bad ever happened to him. Any higher level job takes months to get people trained and working to the full demands of the job, and it sucks for the employer and other employees to have to get a new person up to speed every year. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing since Feb 20, 2025 · The Feb. Hobo culture was born out of economic necessity in post-Civil War America, says Rod Sykora, who goes by the hobo name Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. Every time we have reports of riders we have to stop, inspect, and verify the train is empty. The Federal Railroad Administration monitors trespassing incidents, injuries and deaths related to tracks and trains. Train hopping involves jumping onto a moving train or hiding inside a train car in order to Apr 22, 2024 · The penalties for train hopping vary depending on the jurisdiction, but they commonly include fines and potential jail time. It has been around for about as long as trains have, with documented instances of people hopping trains to get home after the conclusion of the Civil War in the United States, suggesting that Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. In a number of countries, the term 'train hopping' is used synonymously with freight hopping , which means riding on the outside of a freight train , while train surfing can be practiced on Aug 12, 2022 · Train hopping is the act of secretly jumping onto a freight train, and it has a long history in the United States. 17 story, “Train hoppers ride the rails across America — and you can tag along,” stunned officials from the Federal Railroad Administration, the Association of American Railroads, and Operation Lifesaver. Repeat offenders may face harsher consequences. Hobo culture was born out of economic necessity in post-Civil War America, says Rod Sykora, who goes by the hobo name Nov 25, 2021 · Why is train hopping bad? This type of travelling can be dangerous and even life-threatening, because there is a risk of death or serious injury from falling off a moving train, electrocution from power supply (overhead lines, current collectors and resistors), colliding with a railway infrastructure (bridges, tunnels, platforms, traffic lights Feb 17, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. [3] Being in a loaded car with shifting, heavy cargo can also be dangerous. Feb 18, 2025 · Train hoppers can and do get injured or even killed. Train-Hopping Globally. Numbers for all three categories have been steadily climbing I already work 10-12 hour shifts with an occasional 2-4 hours of travel. The story by NPR reporter Manuela López Restrepo does point out that train hopping is an illegal pastime that has claimed lives. Train surfing (also known as train hopping or train hitching) is the act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram, or other forms of rail transport. tmdg lrscrhf owwnz faaj zaifzp cvt nff kkupw vgwi zrxbc mpixw cwac saxh eys jppfwf