Former hobo recalls boxcar boarding days
Of ttt* Emerald
I began hopping freight trains
by making short practice runs
from Denver up to Glenwooc
Springs in the heart of the
Colorado Rockies.
The first time was on a warm
summer morning and, aftei
finding no empty boxcars,
wound up in the back of a branC
new Ford Ranchero on its way
from Detroit to Salt Lake City
What I remember best was
waving to groups of wide-eyed
tourists rafting on the Colorado
River.
The practice runs turned into
longer excursions down to
Southern Colorado and finally
culminated in a 1500-mile trip to
Oakland, Calif. It was shortly
after the Oakland trip that I quit
school, started a business and
was able to afford more con
ventional means of scratching
my eternally itchy feet.
A reliable Volkswagen and
discounted air fares allowed me
to travel wherever my restless
little heart desired.
Now I'm back in school, I hear
gasoline will cost $1.50 a gallon
by summer vacation and flying
across the country could set me
back a cool $1,000.
Consequently, I’ve been
brushing up on my boxcar
boarding technique and dusting
off my hobo memories. It oc
curred to me there may be
others in a financial state similar
to mine who could benefit from
the wisdom of a hobo who has
only recently come out of re
tirement.
As I recall hopping a freight
train is simple, safe and about
as illegal as smoking a joint.
When you enter a railyard,
look as though you know what
Graphic by Sioux Anderson
you are doing. Don't look as
though you are about to van
dalize something. Your first step
is to engage one of the switch
men in friendly conversation.
The switchmen are the fellows
you see waving lanterns and
operating the track switching
levers. Pick one and ask him
when the train is called for, that
is, when it is supposed to leave.
He should give you all that
information, but don’t be satis
fied. Railyards are highly dis
organized operations and
chances are the first person you
speak to won’t know what is
going on, although he may
sound as if he does They have
pride in their jobs, after all. You
must talk to at least five or six
people.
You have to be patient.
Gradually you iearn how to fall
asleep easily, yet keep one ear
open for acton on the tracks.
Freight trains are frequently two
to three hours late. Sometimes
they are as much as eight hours
behind schedule.
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342-3575
Your train will not be ready to
leave until they have hooked up
the engines, or “power” as they
are called, and the caboose. No
train goes anywhere significant
without a caboose.
Never board a moving train.
This is the only way to make
freight hopping dangerous.
Sure you’ve seen it in the
movies, maybe even heard a few
stories but don’t try it. When a
train is standing still, boarding a
boxcar is as easy as loading a
pick-up. It is hard to judge the
speed of a moving train accura
tely. A hand hold could be
wrenched from your grip or your
foot could slip on some diesel oil
and you could fall under a wheel
and never run Pre s Trail again.
Find a solid looking boxcar
that is empty. Completely emp
ty. Do not get into a boxcar that
still has cargo in it. Trains tend
to lurch and jiggle a lot, which
can send things sliding around
and nastily awaken you from a
peaceful hobo nap.
An unspoken law of the yards
is do not board an occupied
boxcar. Unlike the hobos of the
thirties, young men crossing the
country looking for work, the
poetic bums of the fifties, or
young writers travelling west in
search of things to write about,
most modern bums are old, al
coholic and reclusive. They
crisscross the country with no
motivation other than their per
manent quest for imperman
ence. They subsist on the hand
outs of free kitchens in such
cities as St. Louis, Denver and
Seattle. Most bums enjoy their
solitude, and it is too hard to tell
who can be trusted and who
can’t.
The sound of hissing air will
let you know your train is ready
to roll. Sit back, relax and drink
some orange juice. No one is
going to come patrolling down
the tracks with a flashlight and a
nightstick looking for you.
If you are approached and
asked to leave, reason politely
with the man. Tell him you aren't
looking for trouble and nine
times out of 10 he will either let
you alone or wind up talking
your ear off about the time he
hitchhiked down to Mexico with
his girlfriend.
Here are some last minute tips
for those of you with travelling
urges bigger than your bank
accounts:
• When in the yards stay
away from men in suits and ties
or uniforms. They could be the
yard detective or “bull.” Find
■
out from a switchman if the bull
is on duty and what kind of car
he drives.
• Freight trains are extremely
dirty Expect to get off covered
with diesel grease and dress
accordingly. It washes off.
• Try to find a car near the
back of the train to avoid diesel
smoke.
• Be aware of what is going
on with your train They are
broken up at small railroad sid
ings sometimes, and you want
to be on the part that will be
traveling on.
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April 4,1981
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