Earlier this past summer, I saw a dude with a camo military cap, huge white beard and a digital camo back pack, riding atop a fully loaded sheet lumber car on the rail. Ply wood bundles wrapped for protection from weather. I watch the rail often here in northern Kentucky and enjoy learning about the business.Sometimes I feel I missed my calling as I would enjoy driving one of those huge engines. Any how, I dialed up 911 and explained to the dispatcher what I saw.I guess they were going to try and locate the hobo. Now I see the guy does this regularly and posts it up on youtube. Calls himself hobo shoestring. Same guy. A vid popped up tonight and he found a unlocked pusher engine and boarded it. A pusher is usually about mid train and helps the train with hill climbs and pulling extra long trains. What rubs me wrong about this is, the engine is running and this dude is in full control of all its electronic functions. I gotta say, when you see tankers of LNG, hydrocloric acid, clorene and a huge mix of dangerous chemicals, sometimes 30 cars of giant steel coils, freight cars, loaded auto racks, dry bulk tanks of grains and often, military equipments, who in their right mind would allow a hobo aboard a running pusher engine ? CSX, thats who. And Norfolk Southern, thats who. This whole thing just dont sit right with me. What do you think ?

It is most definitely an illegal activity, at the minimum trespassing, but railroads have some odd powers (e.g., railroad police).

Shoestring has been doing this 30 years. He knows what he does is illegal, but he is quite good at being unobtrusive.

It’s trespassing. When I was policing, we would get calls from CSX about something the engineer saw when he was riding thru our town. We’d go check it out and if we found someone we’d charge them with trespassing. Most big yards are posted. Even the little siding they had just south in the county was posted.

Pretty much all the railroads have their own police departments.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
It is most definitely an illegal activity, at the minimum trespassing, but railroads have some odd powers (e.g., railroad police).

Shoestring has been doing this 30 years. He knows what he does is illegal, but he is quite good at being unobtrusive.

So I'm not the only one who knows about him. I do wonder if he can do anything with the engine controls ? Like I said, it dont seem right.

When my Grandfather and Father used to run trains through WV (N&W, later NS), they said that the locals used to heat their houses with the lump coal they threw from the trains on long uphill climbs when the trains were slow. The locals would defend themselves with bats and axe handles, very violent hill people. The RR figured the amount of coal they lost wasn’t worth the cost of the battle, so they let them be. Hobos on the trains is probably a similar calculation.

The comments on one shoestring video had a engineer saying he would give someone a ride but didnt like being scared shitless finding a stranger aboard his train. He warned that some of the engineers carried. I can see that as being true with how remote a engineer finds himself often.

I didn’t know that railroads have their own police. Interesting.

Few years back was listening to an interview with the S.C. state historian Walter Edgar on public radio and he was talking to a fellow professor at the university of S.C. and this guy got his doctorate by writing his thesis on hopping trains... seems there is still a whole subculture that does this.... in the interview he turned me onto a classic book... he stated it was better than "On The Road". it is "You Can't Win". by Jack Black... I recommend it.

In addition to their own police I believe they don’t pay social security either. They have their own retirement and are exempt from social security.

It's a pretty good job. They are better equipped than most Police Departments. The only downside IMHO is that they have huge areas that the individuals are responsible or patrol and are often all by themselves. They depend on local Police for backup because of that. Their "beats" can often cross State lines. I once met one of them while working days. It was around 1700 on a Friday afternoon. He was assigned to some kind of job in the Rockford Illinois area and had to drive all the way out there to handle it. From Chicago. On a Friday in rush hour traffic.

Regarding hobos, Britt, Iowa still has a Hobo convention on a yearly basis. Don't know if the hobo ranks have been diluted by "wannabes" but I know the real deal folks still exist. The convention is well attended by the public in order to meet this true breed of characters.
Britt Hobo Days are held the second week in August. The sponsoring group is a 501c3 and the conventions have been going on since 1900. Search Britt Hobo Days for more info.

If you have watched the movie Into the Wild, there is a scene where the protagonist encounters a Railroad Police Officer, who doesn’t hesitate to kick McCandless’ ass, coupled with a threat to arrange an fatal accident the next time he encountered McCandless.

You get the impression that McCandless gave up hopping trains afterward.

Emperor of the North!!!

Great film with two Hollywood legends...

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
If you have watched the movie Into the Wild, there is a scene where the protagonist encounters a Railroad Police Officer, who doesn’t hesitate to kick McCandless’ ass, coupled with a threat to arrange an fatal accident the next time he encountered McCandless.

You get the impression that McCandless gave up hopping trains afterward.

That movie pisses me off. It's a suicide story. Who goes "Into the Wild" without a map and proper gear even after being warned several times?

My Great Grandmother had a brother named June . He was a WWI veteran and had some PTSD issues apparently . Uncle June would walk out of the house without telling anybody and disappear for months . My Dad said he would hop a train in New Orleans and ride across the country . When he felt like it he would just appear back home like nothing had happened . I'll bet he had some stories to tell .

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
The RR figured the amount of coal they lost wasn’t worth the cost of the battle, so they let them be. Hobos on the trains is probably a similar calculation.

Well, right up until a hobo maims himself and a woke jury awards him multiply billions of $$$, followed up by everybody who ever got a splinter on a train climbing aboard the class-action suit.

With all Youtube's rules, strikes, demonetizing, banning, you'd think a channel who's content centered around illegal activity might be an issue. Guess not huh.

quote:

Originally posted by xd45man:
Who goes "Into the Wild" without a map and proper gear even after being warned several times?

A know it all narcissist.

Seems more like a hobo-poser if he has a phone and can post YouTube videos.

Lame.