Intro to Freight Trains - Getting Around (Part 3)

   Just to start with, I have to point out that this post -- along with any others on the topic later -- will be a bit sparse. It won't be enough to really get started; it's mostly just to give you a basic idea of what things are, and how they work. Always take anything that anyone says about this topic with a grain of salt, myself included. I have less experience here than many others, and am far from being an expert; so this will really just be a primer. There are some things I need to discuss up front.
   First, hopping freight trains is illegal. From the moment you set foot on railroad property, through getting on and off trains, until you leave railroad property, you are breaking laws. I do not condone or advocate that you do anything illegal*. Expect to deal with the bulls (railroad police). They aren't rent-a-cops or company security; they are actual cops owned by the railroad companies.. If you run into them, expect to get a ticket at best, or jail time if things get shitty.
   Secondly, in case this didn't seem like common sense already: freight trains are thousands of tons of unyielding steel, with hundreds of moving parts, going very fast. In other words, if you treat them like toys, they will not hesitate to smash, rip, and smear you into a mile long splatter mark. I definitely DO NOT suggest that you go anywhere near trains if you can't be relatively safe around them**. You don't have to be afraid of them, but for fucks-sake, show them some respect! Don't even think of hopping on one until you've got some idea of what you're looking for, what parts to avoid, what not to do, etc.. I'll try to cover this more later.
   Thirdly, there are some things that I won't post out of respect, common sense, or because I don't feel like dealing with the legal problems that would pop up. I won't be posting anything out of the CCG unless it's information that's readily available elsewhere. I won't be posting hopout spots, details about specific trains, etc; because I'd rather not see things get blown up anymore than they already are.
   Usually, if you look for advice on this topic, the most you'll get is the standard statement that the only way to start is to find someone who already hops freight and is willing to take you with them/show you the ropes. This is probably your best bet, and you should probably do this if you can. If you can't find anyone, it's not necessarily the end of the world; I started hopping alone, so it can be done, it's just not a good idea.
   Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, let's get started. We'll start with some of the basic railways. This will be pretty boring, but it will help you understand where you are, where you're headed, and what other people are talking about.
   Railroads fall into different categories based on how much freight they move. At the higher end are the big four, officially referred to as Class I railroads; they are: CSX, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific (UP), and BNSF. After that there are the shortlines -- Class II and III. They don't tend to go very far (in case you hadn't gathered from the name), and you'll probably only have to deal with them on rare occasions. For the most part, you'll probably find yourself sticking to the four main railways pretty often (unless you actively choose to do otherwise, shortlines can be fun too).
   For the most part, UP and BNSF are mostly found from the West Coast to about the Mississippi River, while Norfolk Southern and CSX run from around the East Coast to about the Mississippi. If you want to go from one coast to another, you'll have to change from one railway to another. The lines themselves (much like the highways and interstates) are a bit more of a dense, complicated network in the East, and more of an open, grid-like network in the West. You can see the basic layout of their routes below:
 

   There are a few specific routes you'll probably hear mentioned occasionally. The Hi Line is the BNSF line from Seattle to Minneapolis. The Overland is the UP line from Roseville CA to Chicago. The Sunset Route is the UP line from Los Angeles to New Orleans (some people will mistakenly call this the "Low Line", but that's actually a part of the Hi Line that runs through Montana). BNSF has a line the runs from LA to Houston, called The Southern Transcon officially, but I've heard people confuse it with the low line and sunset route.
  Once you know which company you're dealing with, which way the train is headed, and where that company's tracks go; you can usually tell where it's headed. Crews have to change every shift (about 8 hours); so look for the next city down the line, within 8 hours travel, that has a freight yard for that company; and it's likely to go that way.
   If you run with just that information you can do fine pretty often. Other details can change that (types of cars, local/seasonal traffic patterns, nearby industries, and such); so if that's all you have to go on, only catch out if you're okay with ending up in a town you didn't expect, or the middle of nowhere.
   You can get a better idea of where the train will go if you have access to timetables (they can frequently be purchased online), or a Crew Change Guide (a hand copied zine carried by many travelers). You can occasionally get good advice from other train hoppers, but don't go around thinking anyone owes you anything, and don't assume that they actually know what they're talking about.
   Be ready to end up in places you won't like, to wait for long stretches of time, to hike for miles with all of your gear, to get hassled by cops, and to get very dirty. Once you accept this things, freight trains are one of the greatest ways to travel, and to see parts of the country that nobody else will see.

 




  

 


* - As long as you imagine me saying this in a sarcastic tone while making "air-quotes" with my fingers, then this disclaimer is completely true.
** - Seriously this time. Don't do it. I'm not fucking kidding.

Getting Around (Part 2)

   Back to hitchhiking again. We've really only looked at the basic outline so far; there's still plenty to discuss before we move past hitchhiking. This post is mostly going to be disorganized rambling, just to cover some basic tips and alternatives.
   Working from where we left off, once your ride pulls over, what now? Grab your stuff, and walk up to the passenger side door. Ask them how far they're headed, and see if they'd be willing to drop you off on the far side of the last large town on their way.
   Another concern is where to get dropped off. Unless you can get a ride the whole way to your destination, you'll want dropped at another location that would be good to hitch from. Obviously, you want to find a spot on the other side of town (south side if you're headed south). Look for a ramp that's a likely stop for long range traffic; preferably an exit with gas stations/truck stops, fast food restaurants, and/or motels.
   In some areas, short rides might not be worth it. In states that don't allow you to walk the interstate/highways, a ride to a smaller town a couple miles down the road will just get you stranded. If that's the case, your best bet is to politely decline. In states where you can walk along the interstates/highways, it's probably worth accepting.
   If you happen to be in a state where you can walk along the interstates, then that's going to be an even better place to hitch from than the ramps, since all of the traffic headed your way will be passing you. In that case, find a long, straight stretch and stand on the shoulder/berm where you'll be visible from a relatively long distance (they'll be driving a lot faster than the traffic on the ramps.) You might as well stay within a half-hours hike of a convenience store or gas station for food and drink, unless you know there's more ahead of you or you've packed enough for a while (running out of water sucks).
   Truck stops are another option. Along with being able to refill your water bottle/jug, eat, and even shower or do laundry, you can also catch a ride out of truck stops. Truck stops and gas stations are pretty much the only option after it gets dark. Try to find one by an on-ramp, with plenty of vehicles coming and going. There are a few ways to get a ride out. You can ask drivers directly (asking truckers at the pumps tends to work). You can also just grab something to eat/drink, and sit outside with your pack and sign visible nearby. Either way, if you get in the way too much, or customers complain, you will probably be told to leave the property. Some truck stops are more likely to kick you out than others (TA is notoriously intolerant of hitchhikers, even if you're not trying to hitch from their property), while some places are very friendly towards hitchhikers. Sometimes it's company policy; other times it comes down to how the employees/managers react.
   If you do get told to leave a truck stop, you can still go back to the on-ramp, or try to get a ride from the lot exit that the trucks use to leave the truck stop (basically the same way you would hitch from a ramp).
   While interstates are usually the easiest way to go, especially long distances, state and U.S. routes are another option. In fact, interstates and US routes often run similar paths (US-1/I-95 on the East Coast, US-101/I-5 on the West Coast). US and state routes are generally slower, due to lower speed limits and more short range traffic, but they also tend to have better scenery and go through smaller towns. Until the interstates were built, the old US routes were the hitchhiking path of choice for hippies, beatniks, and hobos for most of the 20th century (fun fact: the first coast-to-coast Interstate highway, I-80, was finished in 1986, but the whole network wasn't completed until 1992).