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Train Resource Guide

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by BIGel, Jul 7, 2009.

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  1. BIGel

    BIGel Elite Member

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    This is more for traveling but it could apply to anything. I've been trying for a long time to get a hold of anything related to UP or BNSF timetables, route maps, schedules, crew change locations, repair yards, etc etc etc. This info is almost impossible to get a hold of since 9/11 unless it's been stolen or leaked; I've had luck with anarchist bookstores go, but still...I'd like to see if anyone else has anything to throw in. For specific info maybe stick to Pm's so as not to blow a spot up. thanks yall.
     
  2. B.S. POLICE

    B.S. POLICE Banned

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    word its gonaa be interesting to see where this thread goes
     
  3. Canser Kills Kids

    Canser Kills Kids Senior Member

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  4. dior

    dior Senior Member

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    pwrr.com has maps of trains in new england
     
  5. fannypack uprock

    fannypack uprock Elite Member

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    i would move to reiterate the KEEP IT TO PMs comment by sir elzer.. this is much saught after information by many but deserved by few. dont mean to sound melodramatic about the whole thing but there are prices on individuals heads due to the unauthorized publication of this sort of information. a lot of people put a lot of work into amassing this sort of information so please respect it if you are going to post in here. /rant

    on with the thread!
     
  6. TheMurderousMisterMero_

    TheMurderousMisterMero_ Banned

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    yeah i dont know if this thread is a good ideas.this kinda stuff isnt something you want everyone and their gramma to know....
     
  7. EGO31

    EGO31 Elite Member

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    If anyone has Australian info, Please PM me.
    Specifically for tasmania if possible, but anywhere will do.
     
  8. BIGel

    BIGel Elite Member

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    you know i totally agree, the only reason i put this out there was for selfish interests, most of yall know me i've been around a while here, i've done a few ride out's through oregon and california but im planning a six to ten month trip out on the rails through the main yards in nebraska and utah so im just trying to prepare. pm me. don't post sensitive info up. i'll close this in a few weeks.
     
  9. staone

    staone Senior Member

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    i had information on this type of stuff but a lot of things have changed sence i acquired it and i still cant get any new info but ill try and if i do i will let you kno
     
  10. iselldope

    iselldope Senior Member

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    let's blow up some trains
     
  11. vegimite on toast

    vegimite on toast Elite Member

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    i was reading about hopping and found some info you might find useful, barring that, interesting at least


    First off, no one with any sense jumps on a moving car. In the years when I did this I never once saw anyone try this. That's just garbage from the movies. So don't do it.

    You get on the train in the yards when they are stopped. I'm sure things have changed now but I used to go into the freight office and ask the dispatcher which track and what time for a train to my destination. I doubt you could do that anymore, but you might try it.

    You can also ask the workers in the yards. Remember that they are just regular folks -- some are nice and some are jerks. Never approach a worker from behind. They are liable to whack you in the head with their lantern or radio. Let them see you from a long ways as you approach and talk to them in a friendly manner from a distance as you approach. They get a lot of criminals and mental cases in the yards and you need to differentiate yourself from them in a friendly, non-threatening way, especially at night.

    The friendliest railroads are in the northwest. Avoid the east and especially the south. I can tell you from experience that cracker jails are not fun.

    If you need to get to the track on the other side of a train, never crawl under a car. Never step on the coupling between cars if you value your feet. Most cars have a narrow platform on the ends that you can cross. Be aware that a train can start moving at any moment and send you tumbling.

    Look for a boxcar with two open doors so that you get a view from both sides. These may be rare. If one door is open, you may be able to go to the other door and use a pair of dikes to cut the tag on the lock and open the other door. Only do this if the one door is open and the car is obviously empty. Otherwise you could be arrested for breaking and entering. be aware that if caught, having a pair of dikes in your possession could be incriminating.

    Avoid open cars like flatcars, gondolas or car carriers. Even if the temperature is in the 70s, you will be freezing cold after a few hours of wind whipping by at 60 mph.

    Stay away from trains that are carrying new automobiles. If there is one thing the bulls are on the lookout for, it is people boosting radios on the car carriers. Don't even go near them. There are always security personnel around.

    Boxcars get banged about violently so some people are paranoid about the doors sliding shut and locking them in. There are cases of people baking in the sun for days in a locked car. Some people jam the door track with a brake shoe to prevent this. You can find brake shoes lying all over in the yards along the tracks.

    Don't jump into a car without inspecting it carefully. Some cars are very dirty. When you get up to speed all that dirt flies around like a sandblaster. Regardless expect to get filthy. There is a reason for the caricature of the dirty faced bum.

    Make sure you have plenty of water. You could be on that car for a very long time. The traditional choice is a gallon plastic milk jug. Finding water, both to drink and to wash up are major concerns for hoboes. It's something you think about all the time. There is a reason bums are dirty.

    Empty boxcars bounce around very violently. So violently that it can be hard to sit down. Some people end up squatting all day instead of getting their backside bruised. The traditional mattress is thick piles of cardboard, both to keep you cleaner and for cushioning. I always took along one of those mesh hammocks that roll up to the size of a softball. Put about 10 feet of nylon rope on each end. Then you can string it up diagonally from one wall to the other. Don't string it directly from side to side or you will find youself doing loop-de-loops.

    Take earplugs. The noise is deafening.

    Try to stay out of sight when going through towns. People in cars stopped at the crossings will see you and may call the cops. Be aware that you are legally trespassing any time you are on railroad property -- in a car, standing in the yards, on the tracks. On the whim of some railroad worker having a bad day, you can end up in jail.

    If you are in a hurry going someplace, don't take the train. I've hitchhiked from coast to coast in three days. On freights it can take more than a week. You take the freights for the journey, not the destination.


    * Bring one of those hand-cranked flashlights with you. A friend of mine passed out in what he thought was a car full of recycling and woke up with maggots all over him because -surprise- it was a garbage car.

    * Avoid military trains at all costs. They have armed guards and you don't want that kind of trouble.

    * You'll come across some really fucked up people in the jungles. Avoid those and keep to yourself unless you really like trouble.

    Given all this, it can be quite fun -- or at least is was back in the day. There's nothing like standing in the 15 foot wide door of a boxcar, humping along at 70 mph, taking a leak across a mile of Nebraska prairie. Crossing the Rocky Mountains on a freight with wide open doors will give views you won't see from an automobile or even a passenger train.

    If you really, really want to experience the thrill of hopping on the fly, you need to look for a sharp bend in the tracks. The traditional place in Portland, Oregon for trains going south is underneath the steel bridge, right after the freight trains have slowly crawled past an Amtrak station. It's dangerous, but you can even hop drunk once you're experienced enough if the train is going slowly enough. People do die doing that, though. DO NOT HOP ON THE FLY THE FIRST TIME YOU RIDE. DO NOT HOP ON THE FLY ALONE.

    The best way to start is to get yourself a copy of a 2007 or 2008 crew change guide (ask your local hobo kids - they're usually acquired from helpful UP workers and photocopied and passed around. I might have a 2007 one at my house if you really can't find one). The crew change, much like the name suggests, lists the different places trains stop in order to change crews every 8 hours. This'll tell you where you can get on safely without hopping on the fly, and where you might reasonably be able to get off.

    As for where a train is going, ask a yard worker. They usually don't give a shit about the hobos as long as you're not threatening, and quite a few of them rode trains when they were younger. After you ask, hide well in the yard until the train starts getting coupled. It'll sound like the apocalypse in the form of several dozen iron railcars banging into each other, you can't miss it. If the yardworker is a jerk and calls the the railroad police (commonly called "the bull"), you can be arrested for trespassing. The bull will almost certainly beat the crap out of you because you are just a filthy hobo and what are you going to do about it? Avoid Klamath Falls, Oregon for this reason, the cop down there is sadistic. Lemme repeat this again: trainhopping is illegal, I know very few people who haven't been arrested for trespassing, and warrents will be issued if you do not go back to the county you are caught in and either pay the ticket or, in some cases, deal with the court case and whatever jail time you get.

    * If you happen to be in a boxcar, wedge a rock into the rail where the doors slide. The doors do not open from the inside.
    * If you sleep in a boxcar (good luck! I never could. It's cold, uncomfortable, and noisy in there), sleep with your feet pointed towards the front of the train. If it stops quickly and you slide, a broken leg is better than a broken neck.
    * You can easily fit into the hole at the end of a grainer.

    Some of the larger yards are very bad places to get off in. Chicago, for instance, is covered in infrared cameras and heat sensors. Don't get off in Chicago. You're better off in most towns getting off in smaller yards and walking or hitchhiking to the city.

    Don't even think about riding in the northern part of the country in fall or winter without a subzero sleeping bag and an ability to accept the risk of freezing to death.

    Yeah, the best advice I can really give you is: don't do this alone your first time out. Find someone you trust to show you the ropes first. Read Evasion and make friends with some kids who already know how to do it.
     
  12. TheMurderousMisterMero_

    TheMurderousMisterMero_ Banned

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  13. eMJayBee

    eMJayBee Senior Member

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    Hello all. if you have any info on the westcoast/southwest crewchanges, other interesting info, please share with pm, im planning on an adventure of this sort too, thanks :)
     
  14. BIGel

    BIGel Elite Member

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    www.northbankfred.com

    talk about inspirational! nothing like hearing about hobo travels to get the itch back.
     
  15. EGO31

    EGO31 Elite Member

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    crimethinc is teh gays.
    All ive garnered from this thread is that rail companies have private cops, who have limited powers, freights are cold and dirty.
     
  16. Azul

    Azul Senior Member

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    Can you even travel by freights in Australia? PM me some info if anyone's got any.
     
  17. BIGel

    BIGel Elite Member

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    well, it's good that your post is 100% false and should not be taken seriously by anybody then..
     
  18. TheMurderousMisterMero_

    TheMurderousMisterMero_ Banned

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    i thought this thread was gonna be more for painting freights not hoppin them..but whatevs.



    anyone got anything on the midwest,particularly NE kansas(salina area) or central/eastern texas? i stay in both.
     
  19. kickapig

    kickapig Senior Member

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    fuck you,crimethincs where its at prick
     
  20. KASE2

    KASE2 Senior Member

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    well the ultimate resource 2 bomb a train... is a train... and then a bomb i mean paint