Have you ever hopped(ridden) a freight train?

Question

Have you ever hopped(ridden) a freight train?

Answer 1

no

Answer 2

never hopped ridden many times

Answer 3

Many years ago almost 50 years ago my friends and I would hop the Freight and ride to the Big city but it wasn't safe them and still isn't

Yours: Grumpy

Answer 4

I remember a few years back when it was en vogue for the yuppie set to "ride the rails", trying for some Americana romantic, nostalgic high.

This is not 1930 and there are no more true "hobos."  Many one will come across trying this foolish stunt are on the lam from the law.  

One loosely organized group is the FTRA "Freight Train Riders of America."  These are the rail riding equivalents of the h***s Angels, and they will be more than happy to cut your throat for the few bucks you may have on your person.

Of course these dangers are in addition to the other dangers associated with just being in the proximity of heavy equipment as well as the lading in or on such equipment.  Check out the ENDS of box cars and bulkhead flat cars the next time your waiting for a train to clear the grade crossing.

You'll find box cars with ends pushed out and the bulkheads basically blown apart.  These are the result of shifted loads.  Do you still want to ride in the relative shelter that is between lading and the car end?

It is foolish, dangerous, ill-advised and illegal.  Keep in mind that

the laws governing common carrier properties and equipment are Federal laws, which means you may find yourself dealing with the FBI, U.S. Marshalls and, for something more serious than just a ride, a reservation for you at Leavenworth Federal Prison (the little guys like us don't get to stay at "Club Fed.")

Try white water rafting instead.  It is far more exciting and not nearly as dangerous.

Answer 5

Yes! Everyday when I go to work!

Answer 6

no, its dangerous

Answer 7

No. And that is a VERY dangerous thing to do. If you misjudge the jump when you reach for the handle, you may have as your last vision on this Earth the steel wheel of the car coming direclty at your face. It's also illegal to hop a train. The railroad companies have detectives on those trains to bust people who do it. It's criminal trespassing. Lastly, some very mean and very dangerous people often hop trains to travel without detection. They would think nothing of killing you for the shoes on your feet or the change in your pocket. Don't be stupid. Don't do it.

Answer 8

Oh yeah, it was my only means of transportation to my gal friends house some where off of Broadway and Sweet Avenue

on Buffalo's old east side. Fast and easy... and this time I am referring to the train not my gal friend.. Lol,  Lol..

Answer 9

No and no thank you! I value my limbs more than that!

Answer 10

Never... its unsafe as well as illegal..

Answer 11

i have many years ago, i went right across canada on frieght trains,ended up in fights with hobos, chased by cpr.police its dangerous as h**l, i wouldnt do it any more

Answer 12

Oh yes! I did with a friend of mine as a teenager. We rode a few blocks when the train stopped. I would not encourage you to try it though. They were hopper cars by the way.

Answer 13

never

Answer 14

Hopped, no.

Ridden as per invitation from the crew, yes.

Hopping trains is not advisable, and is very dangerous in addition to being illegal.

Answer 15

I never have, however, my Dad did. When he was a teenager, he hopped freight trains all across the U.S.A...ended up in a logging camp in Oregon.

Answer 16

People have lost lives and limbs doing it. I have but only when I worked there. When I was a kid my parents would tell me stay off the tracks because the engineer had a pepper gun and would shoot your @ss. I was a stupid kid so guess what , I stayed off the tracks.

Answer 17

Hopped aboard and ridden as a hobo? h**l NO! It's illegal, and as I understand it, the consequenses for doing so can be most severe.

Answer 18

yes in my younger days from phiadelphia to arlington va outside washington d.c. where i got my myself arrested by the railroad police and taken to jail