How could I catch a freight train from California to Portland Oregon???

Question

How could I make this hobo style adventure trip possible???Thanks for being serious....

Answer 1

yes  it;s possible but dangerous and unlawful it you get get harmed or tresspass and then the po po takes you to jail  don;t do it  but a time on the internet going to the bull sheet

will tell you more about times in order but not exact times every sinse 9/11 this kind of information is regarded as a secret and if you ain;t working in a need to know basis you can become the target of investigations ..

Answer 2

Trespassing on railroad property is a crime and you would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if caught not to mention you can lose a limb or two. This wasn't that big of a deal pre 9/11. I would just catch a passenger train like normal people do.

Answer 3

learn to run real fast and jump high

Answer 4

Railroad police are empowered to arrest and detain any trespassers on their property.  Their prosecutions are fully recognized & accepted by the courts.  If you are merely lucky, they will only detain and hassle you.   Your encounter with a RR cop could be more serious, though.

Keep in mind that they are looking for morons (or terrorists) who want to damage their infrastructure & equipment,  grafitti artists who spray paint train cars, vandals who damage new cars & trucks on their way to dealers,  organized gangs of thieves who steal merchandise carried aboard their trains, and other nefarious troublemakers.  

RR cops don't suffer fools lightly.  They don't have a lot of spare time to sort out the good folks from the bad - their interest is to protect their railroad.

Don't try to play hobo for a day - you could be injured - or much  worse - by defective railroad equipment, or 'worked over' by other train riders who are looking for spare change carried by naiive passengers.

The time to ride the rails was back in the Great Depression. Do not try it in this day and age.

Answer 5

You'd have to find a train going north... with an open box car moving slow or at a standstill...

About 20 years ago, some college friends of mine did this back east.  They didn't even get caught and wound up running across the conductor at 7-11 when the train's route had finished.