Twetch ·
I rode freight trains 🚂 around most of the country (US)
AMA
Replies
Twetch ·
How hard are they to board? I hear they're a lot faster than when the OG hobos cruised the rails.
Were you ever caught in a rail yard? If so, what happened?
What was it like rolling past ghost towns killed off by the highway system?
Twetch ·
So there are a few types of trains you can board. Junk trains are ones with a bunch of mismatched cars and they don’t go past 35mph and don’t have many ‘real’ destinations. IM (Intermodal) are big freight liners that go to major cities and can hit 70
Twetch ·
Catching a train is rather easy if you know where to go. You usually don’t need to hop on the fly (while it’s moving). Most trains have side outs that they stop at and frequent stops turn into hop-out stops where you can wait to catch a train.
Twetch ·
Last time I was pulled off a train in Kentucky. Someone saw me on the back and called it in. The whole train was stopped and was searched by local police. Spent a week in the slammer.
Twetch ·
Rolling past little towns was bitter sweet. Many were full of nice people but the town was impoverished. I really enjoyed riding on the trains, going past old forests that haven’t been touched in 100+ years some times.
Twetch ·
Don’t trip, chocolate chip. I like the questions, char limit is a bitch though.
I met a lot of people who grew up around trains, they would just ride it for fun. I think most Americans have an ideal about riding ever since the depression.
Twetch ·
Yes, I’ve been ‘caught’ about three times. First in San Diego I was hanging out not trying to do anything but talked to a conductor. Second in Nashville I had hopped off and the conductor stopped me and gave me water and a good conversation.
Twetch ·
Born out of necessity but I was curtailing my friend who had the idea. Was needing a new place to live, couldn’t find one, but my friend had the idea to travel. Haven’t seen that vice vid, but I can tell you I walked more miles than got rides hitching
Twetch ·
Thanks for sharing, dude, liked and followed to subsidize your posts :D
What motivated you to ride the rails? Curiosity? Adventure? Necessity?
Have you ever seen David Choe's old "Thumbs Up" series on Vice? If so was it (mostly) accurate?
Twetch ·
Apologies for all the questions, this has always fascinated me.
When I was younger I dreamed of rail-hopping with a metal detector and hunting old towns for coin spills.