I met a young train hopper a few years ago in my tiny hometown in Texas. His name was Adam & he was about 24. He had a dog with him. I spent 2-3 hrs with him just chatting & smoking cigarettes. He had some interesting things to say. Taught me a lot about hopping a train such as how to judge if it's going to fast to hop & which cars are the best & worst to sleep on. How to deal with "bulls" & lots of other interesting things. He had the word lost tattooed understand his left eye with the "s" in train tracks. He kept referring to himself & other young train hoppers as "dirty kids". Very interesting young man
Thats WAS MY GOOD FRIEND!!! His real name is Omar! But everyone calls him Lost and his dogs is name is Drifter btw 😊 he is a sweetheart! Did he have his bango with him when you saw him? He usually always has it, its how he makes money!
Cross Hatch you damn well better have some idea where the trains headed. Especially out west. You’ll end up dead on a side out if you end up sitting somewhere in the desert or bumble fuck Wyoming for a few days. Run out of supplies
Chris agreed been a deadhead and festie kid all my life spent a lot of time transient but ultimate now working for a living beeing stable and still going to shows is much better
Well-done to you both, I'm unfortunately still stuck out here....on a limb, it is increasingly precarious.... For example, food is a problem tonight & it's cold......
+Gus Edgar. if you're healthy and honest...go find a descent rancher to hire u...it can work out well....Have faith & God will steer u right...plus keep sober minded 👍 ...been there myself once or twice.
Nice one. A tip I got (from experience) for anyone who as to do ny dumpster diving. Two words. Mexican Restaurants. You know all those corn chips that they put out for free/ Well they throw them away at the end of the night. I was stuck in Central CA (no trains for three days), and found three bags full of taco chips in the dumpster behind a Mexican Restaurant. Shit kept me going, dude.
Very well done on both your video & assessment mark - they were well deserved.....!!! I trust that doesn't appear too 'patronising', that was not my intention...
I absolutely loved this video. I'm currently homeless in a tent by choice and have always had great interest and respect in trains maybe I will start a new journey and take a try
TBH these guys can be real sweethearts. I used to be a full-time busker on the streets but now have a job and a house and an old lady. I still go busking from time to time and these guys even though their homeless give me ciggies and spike my water with some vodka. That's why when I see them I'm always more than happy to help as much as I can, whether it's a couple beers, some food, or some spare cash.
Jumped my first train when I was 15 in 1972. Now, I'm 61 and watching these videos cause I'm thinking about travelling. I used to jump on in Clarenville, Newfoundland Canada and ride to Terra Nova Park to camp for the weekend. I'm in Texas now and don't care where I go. Just trying to figure it out. Any pointers??
Be careful nowadays. Those were halfway decent kids in that vid. Theres some scary mf on trains nowadays. Unfortunately alot of travelers now take that new crap meth and fentanyl heroin that's destroying scenes from trains to hitching to homebums. Of course theres good people everywhere, always as well. Just be mindful, alot of that vibe from 60s culture is gone, circa early 2000s. Lasted a LONG time. If anything the Traveler communities are where it's still preserved. Best of luck.
Charlie is the man! I met him In hayfork and he bought a carton of spirits and kicked em down to all the kids in town. And we ended up playing at the open mic night together at the local coffee shop. Him on washboard, our friend on banjo and myself on guitar. Good times.
This makes me smile. :) I am so glad that these travelers aren't actors or anything like that. Yu let them talk and you did an excellent job of explaining. So many people judge. I am happy to see you didn't take a side. You showed it as it is. I love the road dogs, too. :) Beautiful babies. :)
Enjoyed the video. Lately I've been very interested in the train hopping lifestyle. I'll probably never get enough courage to do so but it's very interesting to me.
I'd like to come too, if your serious about it email me please! I would love traveling buddies. Kellyripper2@gmail.com or just reply to the comment with other means
95% of these people can’t afford to change the shirt on their back what makes you think they can take care of a fucking dog??? Medical bills food water warmth/ ac come on
There's an interesting film called "Just Another Missing Kid" about a young man who gets caught up in the romance and becomes a railroad tramp. He disappears. Turns out there's plenty of killers running those rails. The RR Tramp society is a dangerous one.
Blue Mountain Edward FTRA are a myth. Those guys were around through the late 80s, the real ones are all long gone. Only ones claiming FTRA these are dumb kids and wannabe oogles who think they’re cool. Would be like kids in the suburbs trying to start a Crip set. Total frauds
The only killers around now is Heroin. Most these kids claim bad homes Yeah mommy an daddy laid down the law on em took away their Xbox so they ran away. I grew up getting paddled at school had to cut my own switch got my ass whooped with a belt I still love an respect my parents I see 21 year olds whose parents work hard an put food on the table an the kid had the nerve to call his mom a bitch a slut an a Whore!!! If I ever called my mom that they'd never find my body. I traveled for a few years then joined the Army 3 tours of duty got shot twice honorable discharge went back to traveling almost 30 years since my first freight train ride but after being outdoors many years its hard being inside long cause the walls close in I'm not homeless my home is the 80+ lb rucksack on my back I can survive anything I camp out in extreme cold cause i travel prepared don't ask for anything but people help me out a lot. There are some who make it bad they go to a spot that's traveler friendly an ruin it by being a drunk doped up Asshole then bitch cause they get ran off by the police an holler corrupt police an blame society an their parents for they're own stupidity.
Hey nice work! I find it fascinating, a little annoyed, and envious of them all at the same time. Dude on the right seem super cool and smart. Guy in the green just seems a little out of it.. drunk and stoned or something. Great little doc.
Just when I was going to make a comment about having a dog...the guy said how well they are taken care of! Props! Dogs are family and these dogs look so healthy and clean! I do want to try train hopping just for the thrill!
better believe they take care of the dogs more than self. dogs are your love, family, friend, only living contact for weeks on end. also have high functioning utility to guard, if trained hunt, search. if a person isn't a dog lover they aren't using them. people who only spend a few hours with dog a day often cite they love dogs more than people, now multiply that. and if shit gets real or misfortune kills your pet you can eat meat I suppose never done or seen it because emotions for dog trump hunger but I'm sure it's happened
Bullshit. The dogs are sacrificed. You wanna know how many fell off the trains and died a cruel painful death? Wanna see a photo? I saw one of an innocent dog chopped up by the train and it is traumatizing just to see. Dogs don't end up well. One was recently raped by one of these animals, and died innpain. The owner did absolutely nothing, did not even report it for the culprit to at least be exposed and hopefully found and locked up . The gangs ride those trains, they rape and kill. (Main gang was called FTRA) Quite a few innocent humans were killed by these losers. Even in the rare case that a dog survives the rails , the poor dog has to inhale the toxic fumes inside tunnels, and won't have water unless the druggy or drunken owner remembers to offer water to the dog. Most of these young hoppers are meth heads and drunks, or/and small rail gangs. They made it dangerous and they screwed it up for all the honest people. Because of them now the security is tripled and they even arrest you . They screwed it up for everybody. They also ride drunk ,on drugs, unsafe, causing more deaths under the trains.
I've seen people get great stuff from dumpsters. Not just food, but stuff they could sell or clothes to wear. I mean, it depends on where you go, I guess, but if you know places to go, you can find stuff to get by.
I dumpster dive and live the Hobo life , and one of the Hobo laws is to keep oneself clean which is what I do , it’s a hard life not for everyone but it’s worth it for the adventure and the freedom, I’ve been busted a few times by bulls and never spent anytime in fed prison. Mainly 3 days in a county lockup then it’s back to the rails again. It’s dangerous and you have to know what your doing , learn first then ride . R.I.P. Stobe you will always be in memory and never far from thought.
My current partner used to dive or scavenge in Atlanta dumpsters, apartments, condos. Made a living off of resale of clothing mostly. Fussy rich women who are bored easily lol. I guess they r kind down there in this respect because people wud leave him stuff also (proper southern Christians). Not so much scavenging in Boston, everyone is frugal minded. It def depends on location.
These kinds of folks show up at the soup kitchen I work at all summer long and don't even bother to clean up the table where they left their garbage. Then they panhandle "for food".
+Adam Sine - Good!!! I wouldn't want any of those college children learning a bad word. Regardless, great documentary! Thanks for making and uploading.
Very interesting video! These are folks that are out there and maybe all around us. Life is made up of all kinds of folks including these guys that live on the fringe and survive in ways that most of us can't imagine.
Cool documentary Adam. I admire the freedom they have. I wish we lived in a world where people could travel so freely without the law in every aspect of life.
+Carib Productions Thank you, it is unique that they nearly avoid society altogether. The freedom sounds great, but the ramifications are another thing.
+Adam Sine Exactly what I was thinking. It has its draw but what you give up is not worth the adventure if you were to make this your life. The danger you face and little protection or advocacy. Imagine all of the dangerous people these youth encounter and never being able to lawfully carry a side arm to protect yourself. the threat of arrest is constant. Regardless i always had a dream of riding the rails and wanted to do a documentary on modern day hobo life. good work thank you for making this.
I appreciate that. It is quite a juxtaposition. The pros and cons are very polarizing. Just such a care-free lifestyle. Sounds great, but what comes with it doesn't sound so great.
If it were legal I'd leave today.. but I bet a lot of people would. Travel for free on a train... some people pay to travel by trains.. and it's damn expensive
I'm gonna start my travels in a couple days. Dont plan on using the trains either. You got an email? I would love to get some tips from you or anything that would help if you dont mind. Mine is volcrazy51@gmail.com
My grandpa picked coal off the rails as a boy to keep warm and a few years back I met some highly educated young adults who really loved trains and knew trains like someone that work the rail for their life, I'd just like to say to the industry maybe find a way to embrace our future children to have a place in this legacy.
Hes processing it. If he survives this lifestyle, all that hurt will have bled out of him on the road. Alot of Travelers make jokes about fucked up lives etc. Makes it easier.
Gave the couple in the back a ride before.. To a truck stop. They hopped off a train by my house and were headed to Cleveland.. Had a ton of gear and a dog too
Professional wanderer here. United States, best place to be "off the grid". Never went hungry. Never missed a shower or money in my pockets. From florida to boston, boston to Washington state, from Washington to rosarito Mexico. I work and play all the way. Interesting people everyday. You learn how to take your time and listen to people's stories. And you appreciate this wonderful continent. You can sense the cosmic energy shifts when you move away from big shities radiation. Radiation makes you anxious and disoriented. That along with social pressures is a bitter cocktail and a recipe for insanity. When you are in the wilderness you connect back to your original self. I also became a believer in miracles. I have a book to write. I have saved people from death, people have saved me. I have seen miracles with my own two eyes. I have taken notes on our cultural changes. I have come across information that would flipp anybody's world upside down. I had to fight off coyote's in the dark. Came across a snake hole in Texas wile trying to find a place to lay my sleeping bag and heard all the rattling when the wind slowed down. It was really loud. Found out about the corruption in some counties in the USA. Crooks that just want to jail you for existing. Police brutality is common in the USA. All the hustles of the craft. I even had a high on meth-homosexual police officer, offer me a blow, I said a blow, not a ride. holding on to his wiwi at 2:00 am in the morning in Atlanta ga. !I ran for dear sanctity! I will have no MAN POPSICLE MY PIPI! That's an adventure i will leave for the sexually challenged. The end. P.S. I was never into dumpster delicacies.
Wilson Flores you sound way cool. I once drank a vile of liquid acid and walked/hitchhiked across country from Mendocino county all the way to Georgia and back. Amazing country we inhabit...lots of really wonderful beautiful people. I never had too many problems. A lot of nice families took me in and cleaned me up and let me eat at their tables with their kids beside my loopy ass...anyways, I felt I could relate to most of ur comments and just wanted to say thank you for sharing and reading my lol story. Much love, opal
we called them hobos. there was a hobo camp near our switch yard. we gave them water and food and a little money. pointed them to right track to get to their destination. I enjoyed listening to their stories. they were just men listening to a different song
I knew a number of railroad workers over the years (switchmen, mostly) and most of them were very sympathetic to those who hopped the freights, and felt the bulls (RR cops) were usually too mean and hateful in their jobs to be real cops (even PD's would not take them) and one told me it's not unusual to find a RR bull murdered in the yards because he pushed the wrong hobo the wrong way.
Pony Horton Sounds like there's a really good book or series of stories in there that would make a good book or movies... I remember one movie about that which was pretty damn good I only saw it once years ago but it was called emperor of the north with Lee Marvin and Keith Carradine.. I think that's the one where Ernest Borgnine played the really nasty Railroad Cop
Protect all children from abuse by parents, teachers, ministers to allow them to make real choices in life. For the critics, educate yourself about young people who leave toxic families to stay alive. It's survival.
vinceiswatchingyou Living free is illegal in American for the fact that all property is owned their leaving no place to live for free and hence forcing a person to participate in the capitalism system of work to live. It's not right. 100 year ago a person could get free land through the government or just find land that was not owned or proposed for some other use and then from there one could trap, hunt, gather... to live and never have to prostitute their bodies too eat and live.
josh, 100% agree. I've always felt that as good as we might think our economic/legal system to be it's wrong to force it on others if they don't want to participate. I wonder though if it is possible to go be a mountain man and live in the wild. Aren't there areas way out there where land isn't owned or part of a wildlife protection area? Think that there is. But not sure if one still needs to buy a hunting license or not. Just that alone would require having money and therefor be forcing your indoctrination into the capitalist system. But I don't really have the facts about this for sure.
Oakley Sierney Good point! There actually aren't any places that aren't either privately it government owned and yes you do need a license for all those land unless you are an Indian. It's sick.
So is the train company cause the rail system didn't buy the land the tracks are on, so stop crying about trespassing, this goes as far back as the native Indians
What an interesting video! It opened up a world for me too. I can see their point of view on having the freedom to go wherever you want at any moment, the excitement of having your future be unknown and clearly in your own hands. Thanks so much for the vid! Even though the McDonalds food was good and hot, they still would not eat it because it is looked down upon, is that correct?
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the documentary. The "regular" people would not eat it because it was wasted and thrown in a dumpster. The train hoppers ate it because it was hot.
howunoriginal2 i've been eating out of the dumpsters near where I live, for almost 2 years now. never gotten sick once. it's really not as gross as a lot of people think
Plot twist: he sees his mom everywhere since he murdered her at age 11, now the psychosis from the childhood sexual abuse and syphilis contracted from one of his moms boyfriends is so severe he murderes women that look like his mom because he thinks she is still alive and is working with federal agents to try and kill him now... And that's why he rides trains every day, to escape justice for all those murders based on mistaken identity cause by the hallucinations... Poor ol'crazy green shirt
Lol I took George Hoffer's statistics classes at VCU in the late 90s, so weird seeing him in this. Lived in Richmond 20+ years, seen so many traveling folks here they are basically part of the town.
PS it looks like the train footage is of CSX Acca Yard and the viaduct is the CSX Rivanna Sub that brings all the coal from WV and KY, goes through Fulton Yard and east to Newport News where it's transferred onto ships.
The statement @ 1:53 is true. I don't hop...but I do ride passenger trains all over the place around Philly and metropolitan NJ. The beauty of trains is they take you places that no other mode of travel can take you. You see areas that may be only 100 yards away from roadways.....but trains travel behind industrial buildings (like on SEPTA R# lines) and through areas of dense forest where the nearest road is more than 500 yards away (like the NJ Transit Atlantic City Line). That's the thrill
my fav way of traveling places r on trains. I have never hopped trains. only paid and rode in the cheapest seats possible. but still it is so wonderful riding the trains, no matter how u ride them. paid seats or hopping them. trains r wonderful and a true experience. everybody should ride across the country on a train, however u choose to ride on one, at least once in their life. a true experience
Exactly. When I ride a bus the cheap perfume is unbearable. Unless they r well off in a nice house rich neighborhood most people's inside environment is unhealthy, unclean and unhygienic. They get colds lasts 2 weeks. We get colds lasts 2 days. Ha! Especially in the desert, outside is self cleaning. The archaic, outdated construction of domiciles is unhealthy but that industry will NOT allow any foreign or new methods because they profit from planned obsolescence (shitty products will need to be replaced thus more purchases). It seems only rich adventurous people build eco homes or something based on traditional foreign design where Nature is part of what makes the house run. Most people DO NOT clean their living spaces properly and overuse\misuse cleaning agents. I'd rather sleep outside. Period.
robert larson what kinda trees we talkin there fella?????? If as in Trees you mean BUD then yea...... ah huh Charlie prolly a hell of a tree cutter.....a real lumber jack
i'm scared to ride a train but i do travel a lot. thank God for rideshare! seriously. awesome ppl man great vibe. ne ways. im jealous of these train kids
They're literally sitting on their packs, which is what a lot of dirty folks like us do. They already get beat up to hell, might as well sit on something that isn't the hard ground. It isn't hard to be high energy when you're around good people though, even roughing it out there like they are. I can say that from experience.
The guy with the hat is great ar expressing himself and tells his story extremely well. The Dude in the green shirt, heavy beard, with the weird hair is off the wall mental. He's one scary character. It's a bit sad that he has no chance for assistance and medication having dropped out of society
I have known John for some time we had a bad run in many years ago in Austin but still have mad respect for the kid he was In a ban called blacked out naked i enjoyed it
2018! Great video Adam. It looks like a rough life, but at least these folks are living it the way they choose to. Long as they aren't bothering anyone else or robbing and stealing, let'm live as they please. Don't like the way they look? No problem, they'll be gone tomorrow. It definitely took some guts to make this film, not everyone would be willing to approach this rough looking bunch of guys let alone interview them.
Oh they bother people. Don't let this video fool you. These aren't the working hobo type of yesteryear. These are druggy, drunk run aways. These aren't aren't people you want to meet in a dark alley.
You lift them up into it. It depends on what your riding. Traveling dogs (with good owners) are some of the most dependable, well trained pups you'll ever meet!
Michael Legere ben g I was wondering the same thing because My fiance and I are planning on travelling in a month or so and we want to get a pup to take with us so we can train it and for all you jerks out there we will LOVE it. I was thinking of hitching but have lately been thinking about train hopping... my fiance doesn't know how to hop and neither do I so we might not hop...
