Train Hopping

[z3wb]

I have been wanting to try to hop a freight train and see how far I can get. I did a little reading about it and I also got curious and looked on Youtube to see if anyone has actually done it, and I found quite a few videos, particularly this one, where some Arabian guy jumps on a grain hopper and films himself riding all over the Canadian countryside:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/BSE6mY8cZhU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/BSE6mY8cZhU&rel=1</a>

So has anyone on this forum ever done it?

[Tachyon]

I'll likely be doing that this summer.

[Mace]

I hopped one in 8th grade with some friends, but didn't go more than a couple towns over.

[rbcp]

I used to, but it was always just to get from one town to the other.  Traveling across a state would be fun.

[Tachyon]

Speaking of illegal travel, does anyone know of a list of unguarded US/Canadian border crossings?

[Nod]

Speaking of illegal travel, does anyone know of a list of unguarded US/Canadian border crossings?

You could find some secluded place along the boarder with out a road for miles in any directions and cross I suppose. That's how they sneak weed across.

[z3wb]

I'm currently in Houston and I would like to try and see if I can make it to Austin on a freight. Is there any way to find out where a freight is headed without having to ask a railroad worker and look like a moron?

[murd0c]

I'm currently in Houston and I would like to try and see if I can make it to Austin on a freight. Anyone have any good advice on finding out where trains are going?

Compass.

[z3wb]

Well, the thing is, trains don't just go in a straight line. The tracks have a system of switches that changes their direction. Once you get on that train, you don't know where the fuck you'll end up, even if you do look at a compass.

[murd0c]

Well, the thing is, trains don't just go in a straight line. The tracks have a system of switches that changes their direction. Once you get on that train, you don't know where the fuck you'll end up, even if you do look at a compass.

If you're meaning to go west from Houston and your compass says you're going south, I'd probably find another train. Otherwise use a GPS system with some kind of railroad map. Good luck with your illegal journey and hope the railroad cops don't catch you.

[Tachyon]

The big atlases at book stores usually have maps of the rails on them and as far as more current schedules go I'm told by people who have done this that you can A) listen in with a scanner or B) pretend to be one of those weirdass railfan people and get schedules from workers. Actually I'd probably ask one of those weirdass railfans, they must be getting their info from somwhere...

[z3wb]

When some dumb 18 year old kid with a duffel bag on his back asks where a freight train is headed, it can only mean one thing, and they will probably check the train to make sure I'm not on it. I guess a better way would be to find out and then follow the tracks out of the station and jump on the train while it's pulling out, but that brings with it the risk of getting my legs severed off. That scanner idea seems pretty cool. What frequency range do train stations generally operate on?

[Robert_]

Their's plenty of resources out their on the net for railroad maps if you just Google it.

[z3wb]

According to this map, there's no railroad that goes straight from H-town to Austin, so I'd have to go to San Antonio first, then hop another train to the capital.

[gangals]

I was looking at the site where you got the image from and, at lease for my state, it is missing tons of information from every type of map I checked out.