newnoise

Kind of an odd question and only kind of bike related so I won't be surprised if I don't get any good answers or it gets moved or whatever.

I've been fascinated with traveling by hopping freight trains lately. I realized though that it would be nice to have a bike once I got to my destination. Has anybody tried hopping trains with your bike or is it just too much to deal with? It seems like it would probably be too difficult, but I know people who hop trains with their dogs and what not. Anyways, I figured there's probably a few 'shady characters' on here who have ridden trains at some point so I thought it would be worth asking.

kjohnnytarr

I've heard of it being done. Do it with a folder, I'd guess.

Freight hopping is a super idea though. Certainly on my life-list. Read Duffy Littlejohn's book if you want to do it right (ie survive the experience)

bward1028

try to find the movie "Who is Bozo Texino" (or something like that). it's a great doc about riding the rails. the director told us afterwards that after 9.11 the gov't put in infrared cameras and now it's super illegal, so be careful. other stuff to check out (if you haven't already) "Evasion" by Crimethinc, and "Hobo" by eddy cotton (?) i think.

monsterkidz

Get your hands on a. I would think the bike would get in the way, especially if you have to hide from a bull or brakeman. But I could also see the bike as a great tool if you get tossed off in the middle of nowhere.

refry

please dont mention the cc onm the nets,,
crimethinc is bull*****

nathbdp

hopping freights is illegal and dangerous. think of the train crews dealing with some dumb schmuck who decided it would be fun to play around thousands of tons of steel at 60mph and ended up in 5 pieces on the track.

stay away. i have many railroad workers in my family, past and present, and this is not something you want to play around with.

ride your bike instead.

Morgie

I have a cousin who use to train hop frequently and he said that since 9-11 it's almost impossible

biffstephens

I was waiting for a train once and did not want to wait any longer....I got my bike and decided to climb over....when I got up there the damn thing started to move.....

Everything ended good but in no time realized it was a stupid stunt....never again...

griffin_

i think there was actually a thread about this last year

humancongereel

^^heh, that happened during one pdx alleycat....

i've heard of trainhopping with bikes, but if you have to get off on the fly, you have to throw your bike. so a certain type of bike is necessary. might be hard to get some 48s...well, no, now that i'm thinking about it, it would be pretty damn easy.

dustinlikewhat

ugh, evasion, the guide book for suburban white kid who wants to be a hobo... I've had plenty of experiences with crimethink, they're a bunch of people out of touch with reality. I've had plenty of friends who've hopped trains, all have had varying degree's of fun while doing it, be careful, and go with someone who's done it before.

I've also heard that the only place doing the infrared camera's are stations on the mexican and canadian borders. this comes from people who've hopped since 9/11.


but to address your question, a bike would probably be way too much luggage, find someone in the town you're currently squatting with an extra bike and become their friend.

rustang

squatter punks and train kids are disgusting. every spring a giant pack of the green, mossy, dirty little scum bags comes rolling into town. you can almost smell them before you can see them. then they sit around and beg for change and spread hepatitis everywhere, while getting drunk and throwing up all over the street. it's a bad time.

im sure there are people who hop who arent miserable pieces of ****, but since they're kind enough to not make a spectacle of themself i'd never know. i'd like to do it someday. i would not be bringing a bike. running to catch a train with a bike on your shoulder would make it much more difficult.

fibergoldfish

hopping with a full sized bike is really a bad idea, It will make you mor conspicous without a doubt. also since 9/11 hopping freights is a federal crime which will without a doubt get you put in jail for no less than 30 days. Hitchiking is faster, Evasion has its flaws but it isnt a guide book its the tale of a really nice kid doing things the way he wants, he has no delusions that people should be living with his book as a guide. and most of the people who are affiliated with crimethinc are super nice people with wonderful ideas that they act upon instead of whining about it on the internet like most privalaged kids, and neither "HOBO" or "EVASION" give practical advice for getting on trains.........


P.S. seconded on the dont mention the crew change guides on the interweb.....

fibergoldfish

travel kids/travel punks are way different than the scum punks in your town......but I hate the scummy kids who invade tompkins square park all summer, all they do is get drunk vomit on the grass, break glass at some of the only open air shows in NYC and give people **** for being sorta clean.....they are jerks,

dustinlikewhat

I dunno, I guess if you consider it a wonderful idea when requiem played my home town, and then took it upon themselves to lead an in general protest against everything at 11 pm one night. well then yeah. I mean just because people have to get up in the morning for work doesn't give them the right to be mad about loud jack asses.

fibergoldfish

whatever I will never be able to hate on brian no matter how much a stupid disrespectufl Idea that is.....brian is great and when he hugs you, you feel like life will never suck again.

bward1028

i think i was at that show

dustinlikewhat

in frederick maryland? if so I was the one asking them not to have the protest.

bottom-bracket

Evasion is crap. CC's are crap. Bikes are ok for rural lines.

andypants

You're probably going to be way more likely to get caught because you will be way more conspicuous carrying a bike in a train yard.

Also, if you do hop trains, don't come through Tallahassee 'cause a lot of kids are sick of stinky crusties with dogs, especially because a lot of them were total jerks.

bward1028

that's the one, like a year ago?

I Like Peeing

...Crimethinc is one guy.

I Like Peeing

You can get away with it. However, when you have to jump off for whatever reason, on the fly or not, chances are good you'll really hate having your bike...climbing fences isn't as fun, either.

kjohnnytarr

When you count in time spent waiting on trains, a good bike on a decent route might be just as fast. Depends on the geography, I guess. Rather than hop trains, riding long distances on a disused railbed might be ideal.

As in this:

https://railbike.com/photoalbum/pages/RRxing1_jpg.htm

schwinn

I'm all for hopping trains, however if you need to ask about it on the internet its not for you.