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{{Short description|Act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a railroad freight car}} |
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{{Unreferenced|date=April 2007}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=January 2013}} |
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{{tocright}} |
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[[File:Bakersfield, California. On the Freights. Helping a newcomer hop a freight - NARA - 532069.tif|thumb|upright|Freight-hopping youth near [[Bakersfield, California]] ([[National Youth Administration]], 1940)]] |
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'''Freighthopping''' or '''trainhopping''' is the act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a [[freightcar]], which is usually illegal. |
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Many railroads take a strict view of people hopping freight trains, and employ [[railroad police]], also known as "bulls", in an attempt to prevent the practice. Among other duties, railroad police are charged with preventing [[trespassing]] on railroad property, which includes freighthopping. Railroad police officers typically patrol in utility trucks, [[SUV]]s ("bullmobiles"), or even standard [[police cruiser]]s. Railroad police are certified police officers. |
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==History== |
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==Decline of freighthopping== |
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| ⚫ | Illegally hopping a ride on a private freight car began with the invention of the train. In the [[United States]], freighthopping became a common means of [[transportation]] following the [[American Civil War]] as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among [[migrant worker]]s who became known as "[[hobo]]s". It continued to be widely used by those unable to afford other transportation, especially during times of widespread economic dislocation such as the [[Great Depression]]. The practice was heralded in popular culture of 20th century America with songs such as "[[King of the Road (song)|King of the Road]]", and films like ''[[Emperor of the North Pole]]''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} For a variety of reasons the practice is less common in the 21st century, although a community of freight-train riders still exists.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbcrc.org/bib.html | title= Hobo Bibliography |publisher= [[Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture]] |access-date=2024-06-20}}</ref> |
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In recent decades, the traditional role of hobos as itinerant workers has fallen off. Most itinerant workers in modern times have automobiles and drive between jobs, alternatively they may use [[public transportation]], and live in many types of temporary housing. |
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As seasonal agricultural work became the province of [[undocumented immigrant]] workers, and other seasonal work became increasingly lucrative, freighthopping became mainly used by the homeless population, by thrill seekers, [[anarchists]] who have adopted the practice as an expression of a [[Revolution|revolutionary]] lifestyle, and people who enjoy traveling across the countryside under the open air. Most freighthopping is done by thrill-seekers who ride very short distances. |
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[[File:MKZD south and west part views from freight train before reconstruction.webm|thumb|thumbtime=60|Riding on the rooftop of a [[hopper car]]]] |
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Hopping a freight train can be a life-threatening experience. Freight trains are much faster and more secure than in the heyday of hoboing. A freighthopper stands a good chance of freezing to death even in relatively warm weather, being jostled off the train, arrested, or attacked by another hobo. According to [[Ted Conover]], a large percentage of modern-day hoboes are ex-cons, and violence is not uncommon among the transient population. |
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Typically, hoppers will go to a [[rail yard]] where trains stop to pick up and unload freight and switch out crew. They will either board a freight car in some fashion unseen or “catch one on the fly” once it has begun to move.<ref>{{cite book | last=Iverson| first=Wayne| title=Hobo Sapien| year=2010| publisher=Robert Reed Publishers| isbn=978-1-934759-43-1}}</ref> [[Train surfing]] is a similar activity that involves the act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram or another rail transport. |
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On many freight trains the traditional boxcar has given way to more secure plug door cars or [[intermodal]]s. [[Containerization]] makes freight trains far less accesssible than in the past. Even flatcars are becoming increasingly open, making life harder for freighthoppers. |
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== |
===Riding the rods=== |
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[[File:Riding on the rods.jpg|thumb|upright|Two hobos riding the rods]] |
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<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2"> |
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*[[Hitchhiking]] |
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Most train hoppers simply rode in or above freight cars. Another historic method was “riding the rods“. In the early 1900s days of wood frame freight car construction, steel truss rods were used to support the underside of the car in order to provide it with the strength to carry heavy loads. There could be four or more of these truss rods under the car floor running the length of the car, and [[hobo]]s would “ride the rods”. Some would carry a board to place across the rods to lie on. Others would lie on just one rod and hold on tightly. Riding the rods was very dangerous. When a train moved at high speed, the cars could bounce and rock violently if the track was rough, and rock ballast might be tossed up which could strike a rider. |
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*[[Hobo]] |
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*[[Itinerant]] |
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==Dangers== |
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*[[Boxcar Betty]] |
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{{main|List of train-surfing injuries and deaths}} |
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*[[Emperor of the North Pole]], a movie about freighthopping starring [[Lee Marvin]], [[Ernest Borgnine]], and [[Keith Carradine]]. |
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[[File:Hemingway train surf restoration.png|thumb|upright|[[Ernest Hemingway]] hopping a freight train to get to [[Walloon Lake]] (1916)]] |
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*"[[King of the Road (song)|King of the Road]]" |
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*[[William T. Vollmann]] |
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Riding outside a freight car, whether atop or underneath, is dangerous.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/105765-boy-critically-injured-trying-to-jump-train-in-northeast-philly| title=Boy Critically Injured Trying to Jump Train in Northeast Philly| agency=Associated Press| website=Newsworks.org| language=en-gb| access-date=2017-07-22| archive-date=2017-08-26| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826033609/http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/105765-boy-critically-injured-trying-to-jump-train-in-northeast-philly| url-status=dead}}</ref> Being in a loaded car with shifting, heavy cargo can also be dangerous. |
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</div> |
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The 1944 [[Balvano train disaster]] in Italy involved hundreds of freighthoppers. |
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==Today== |
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Hopping trains happens all over the world and varies from place to place. Some places are more critical and consider freight hopping a crime, and other places are more [[lenient]]. |
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;Europe |
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Despite increased deterrent measures, would-be migrants use the [[Eurostar]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/stowaways-make-240mile-journey-beneath-eurostar-1255463.html | title=Stowaways make 240-mile journey beneath Eurostar | website=[[Independent.co.uk]] | date=11 June 1997 }}</ref> and [[Eurotunnel Shuttle]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/10/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices | title=Stowaways foil tunnel security | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=10 April 2002 }}</ref> to cross the English Channel from France to England. |
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;United States |
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[[Union Pacific Railroad]] in the United States encourages people who witness transients on freight trains to report them to its dispatch center. According to a sheriff's deputy from [[Lincoln County, Nebraska]] train hoppers no longer write symbols on trees and buildings, but there is still a network of train hoppers that occurs mostly online.<ref>{{Cite news | last=Johnson| first=Heather| url=https://www.nptelegraph.com/news/local_news/ridin-the-rails/article_93d2ca8b-f322-50a1-8439-a6bc42028bdf.html| title=Ridin' the rails| date=August 28, 2018| work=The North Platte Telegraph| quote= }}</ref> |
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;Mexico |
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[[File:FERROSUR 4400 NORTE.jpg|thumb|upright|A freight train with freight hoppers in Mexico]] |
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It is estimated that yearly between 400,000 and 500,000 migrants—the majority of whom are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—hop freight trains in the effort to reach the United States.<ref name="commonwealmagazine">{{cite web | last=Sorrentino| first=Joseph| title=Train of the Unknowns| url=http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/train-unknowns| publisher=Commonweal| access-date=25 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico| url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr41/014/2010/en/| publisher=Amnesty International Publishers| access-date=25 May 2013}}</ref> The freight trains are known as [[La Bestia]]. |
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;Mauritania |
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In the [[Mauritania Railway]], freighthoppers can ride with their cargo freely due to the lack of road between [[Zouérat]] and [[Nouadhibou]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.boredpanda.com/freight-train-hopping-in-mauritania-or-how-i-rode-4000-kilometers-in-a-cargo-carriage-with-iron-ore-local-shepherds-and-their-sheep/ |title=Freight Train Hopping In Mauritania: 4000 Kilometers In A Cargo Carriage With Local Shepherds And Their Sheep |last=Mykolas |first=Juodele |publisher=[[Bored Panda]] |access-date=2020-12-21 }}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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*[[Mike Brodie]], freighthopping photographer |
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*[[W. H. Davies]], the "tramp-poet" |
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*[[Ben Reitman]], the "hobo doctor" |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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== Further reading == |
== Further reading == |
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| ⚫ | * Uys, Errol Lincoln (2003). ''Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression'': Routledge. {{ISBN|0415945755}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20130505084138/http://www.erroluys.com/RidingtheRails.htm The Great Depression - The Story of 250,000 Teenagers Who Left Home and Ride the Rails] |
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* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/rails/ "Riding the Rails"], ''[[American Experience]]'' PBS series. |
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* Conover, Ted (2001). ''Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America’s Hoboes.'' Vintage. {{ISBN|0375727868}} [http://tedconover.com/book-rolling-nowhere/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218122829/http://tedconover.com/book-rolling-nowhere/ |date=2021-02-18 }} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{Wikiquote|Freight-hopping}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]] |
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[[Category:Passenger rail transport]] |
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Latest revision as of 10:25, 11 August 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
Freighthopping or trainhopping is the act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a freightcar, which is usually illegal.
History
[edit]Illegally hopping a ride on a private freight car began with the invention of the train. In the United States, freighthopping became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as "hobos". It continued to be widely used by those unable to afford other transportation, especially during times of widespread economic dislocation such as the Great Depression. The practice was heralded in popular culture of 20th century America with songs such as "King of the Road", and films like Emperor of the North Pole.[citation needed] For a variety of reasons the practice is less common in the 21st century, although a community of freight-train riders still exists.[1]
Typically, hoppers will go to a rail yard where trains stop to pick up and unload freight and switch out crew. They will either board a freight car in some fashion unseen or “catch one on the fly” once it has begun to move.[2] Train surfing is a similar activity that involves the act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram or another rail transport.
Riding the rods
[edit]
Most train hoppers simply rode in or above freight cars. Another historic method was “riding the rods“. In the early 1900s days of wood frame freight car construction, steel truss rods were used to support the underside of the car in order to provide it with the strength to carry heavy loads. There could be four or more of these truss rods under the car floor running the length of the car, and hobos would “ride the rods”. Some would carry a board to place across the rods to lie on. Others would lie on just one rod and hold on tightly. Riding the rods was very dangerous. When a train moved at high speed, the cars could bounce and rock violently if the track was rough, and rock ballast might be tossed up which could strike a rider.
Dangers
[edit]
Riding outside a freight car, whether atop or underneath, is dangerous.[3] Being in a loaded car with shifting, heavy cargo can also be dangerous.
The 1944 Balvano train disaster in Italy involved hundreds of freighthoppers.
Today
[edit]Hopping trains happens all over the world and varies from place to place. Some places are more critical and consider freight hopping a crime, and other places are more lenient.
- Europe
Despite increased deterrent measures, would-be migrants use the Eurostar[4] and Eurotunnel Shuttle[5] to cross the English Channel from France to England.
- United States
Union Pacific Railroad in the United States encourages people who witness transients on freight trains to report them to its dispatch center. According to a sheriff's deputy from Lincoln County, Nebraska train hoppers no longer write symbols on trees and buildings, but there is still a network of train hoppers that occurs mostly online.[6]
- Mexico
It is estimated that yearly between 400,000 and 500,000 migrants—the majority of whom are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—hop freight trains in the effort to reach the United States.[7][8] The freight trains are known as La Bestia.
- Mauritania
In the Mauritania Railway, freighthoppers can ride with their cargo freely due to the lack of road between Zouérat and Nouadhibou.[9]
See also
[edit]- Mike Brodie, freighthopping photographer
- W. H. Davies, the "tramp-poet"
- Ben Reitman, the "hobo doctor"
References
[edit]- ^ "Hobo Bibliography". Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ Iverson, Wayne (2010). Hobo Sapien. Robert Reed Publishers. ISBN 978-1-934759-43-1.
- ^ "Boy Critically Injured Trying to Jump Train in Northeast Philly". Newsworks.org. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
- ^ "Stowaways make 240-mile journey beneath Eurostar". Independent.co.uk. 11 June 1997.
- ^ "Stowaways foil tunnel security". TheGuardian.com. 10 April 2002.
- ^ Johnson, Heather (August 28, 2018). "Ridin' the rails". The North Platte Telegraph.
- ^ Sorrentino, Joseph. "Train of the Unknowns". Commonweal. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ^ "Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico". Amnesty International Publishers. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ^ Mykolas, Juodele. "Freight Train Hopping In Mauritania: 4000 Kilometers In A Cargo Carriage With Local Shepherds And Their Sheep". Bored Panda. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
Further reading
[edit]- Uys, Errol Lincoln (2003). Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression: Routledge. ISBN 0415945755 The Great Depression - The Story of 250,000 Teenagers Who Left Home and Ride the Rails
- "Riding the Rails", American Experience PBS series.
- Conover, Ted (2001). Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America’s Hoboes. Vintage. ISBN 0375727868 [1] Archived 2021-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Freight-hopping.
- Hobo Letters Letters from boxcar kids who rode the rails during the Great Depression
