Little train hoppin' girl

Hey guys. Its about to be time for me to head out of Tn. I've been stuck here for far too long. I know some train hoppers and recently I've sorta fallen in love with the idea of it. I do need pointers. I've got the basics and it seems like common sense...ya know, don't get caught by the bull, be quiet, pack light, wear warm clothes. I don't plan on hopping any moving trains because I don't want to have an accident. I'm only 18.. and kinda small...5'2" to be exact and I just want to know what I might need to know. I don't have a road dog.,

 

I know a girl that did this,but she had a pit bull. She said if it wasn't for her having the dog--things would have gotten very bad a few times. Hope those you intend to travel with someone that can protect you. Be extra carefull.

 

I'm traveling alone but I really can't lift my dog enough to get him on a train.. Poor little Gypsy is dog house surfing with some friends while I'm gone. I'm hoping to just lie low and watch my back. I've got a few knives I'm going to be carrying. Maybe a hand tazer for bad situations.. I'm trying not to be stupid about it but I know a young, girl train hopper who is alone is probably an easy target to some people. I'm hoping for the best.

 

Oooooooo no u didn’t

 

lol what?

 

haha what?

 

You gunna' get raped.

Lots.

This is a really bad idea for a small female, at the very least do some reading on defending yourself ("kill or get killed" is good, can be found online free) but keep in mind that strategy is not real world experience, and even real world experience isn't good enough to get you through many situations.

Sounds like you've been reading crimethINC's shit. If you haven't you should, but if you have, you should remember that it's what they WANT that lifestyle to be, not what it really is, that they write about. The world's brutal, and lots of people just turn up dead, like 4 write books about how easy it was to not turn up dead.

You need company, if you plan to.... survive.... You need someone you know and trust, be they male or female, and ideally both of you need to work to become good enough actors that you can play a self absorbed couple to walk out of tight situations. Playing strait or gay couples, obviously, would have different results and have to be manipulated in different ways.

Seriously, you won't make it without someone else, you're a fucking toothpick, I'm an average sized male and do trust my instincts, body, strength, etc, and I wouldn't do that solo (though I've considered grabbibng a friend and taking a free vacation)

You shouldn't be afraid of the world or anything, but you need to be reasonable: what's out there is out there, and if preparing for it means bringing friends, do that, cause once you're out there it's too late to prepare.

 

Thanks for all the optimism.

I know its dangerous and I know you're trying to help and thank you for that. I don't really wanna think about getting raped a lot though. I think I've found someone to go with me. And I just want you to know that even though I'm a "toothpick" and a young woman, I trust my body and my instincts. I feel like I'm a lot smarter than I look and could easily manipulate things to my advantage or at least protect myself. I know it will be hard and I know I can be thrown around like a rag doll but I'm a fighter... Trust me...

 

http://squattheplanet.com/around-ca...riendly-neighborhood-locomotive-engineer.html

I am not sure why you'd want to take a chance at killing or permanently handicapping yourself or having someone else kill or permanently handicap you.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/118713469.html

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/mar/03/train-jumper-pleads-guilty-acca-yard-death-ar-880833/

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-long-beach-train-ped,0,5036210.story

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/canada/2010/06/28/14541816.html

Theres nothing romantic or cool about riding trains. It's for people who can't get rides hitchhiking, or using public transit, etc. It's for the people YOU don't want to mess with. Please reconsider.

 

Also:
http://www.travelershq.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=53&sid=6339b99e756a90ebc0fedfa897a9ba5d

http://www.travelershq.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26&sid=6339b99e756a90ebc0fedfa897a9ba5d

 

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RooRshack's right on this , he's giving you good advice . The rails aren't like they used to be . It's a VERY dangerous place for a big man , let alone a 5'2" lady . I rode them long ago and NEVER alone even then . There are even gangs on the rails . Not to mention convicts , criminals , drug addicts and a host of society misfits . Sure there are some good people too , however being a woman alone it's critical you meet only the good ones with good intentions . There are even active serial killers out there riding the rails from town to town .

While I think your sense of adventure is wonderful , and you should never let fear stand in your way of anything . However you must think realistically about this situation . I like your confidence in the fact that you can handle your own in psychical combat . The truth is however you can't . Your no match for an aggressive man intent on doing you harm . The world today is no longer safe for small women alone .

Please , rethink your assessment of this situation . If you can't find at least one good sized male or more whom you trust enough to travel with then DON'T GO ! Everyone says and thinks it will never happen to me . Wrong it can and does EVERYDAY ! Bad shit happens to good people . Don't become another statistic , use your head . The time to think about these things is NOW ! Not once you're in a bad situation , it's too late then . Chance favors a prepared mind .

In any event Don't go alone ! Hell I don't think you should even go with others , to each their own though . Whatever you decide good luck . THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD HOP ANOTHER TRAIN TODAY ! Please rethink this and find other SAFER modes of transportation out of TN. . There is nothing romantic about it at all today . And NOTHING but trouble to be found on them .

 

What makes you think I have another way around? I just lost my job and in just a few days ill be out of a place again...for the 3rd time in 6 months..idk what else to do. Where am I supposed to go? My friends are all train hoppers and travelers...not any better off than me. Tn isn't exactly the best place for me right now. I don't know where I'm going but I can't stay here. I know its dangerous. I'm not looking for danger but I'm not scared. I knwo everything will be ok. I can feel it.

 

I think I may have found someone who is already going West by train. I will probably stick with him for a while. Thank you all for your concern. I'm wondering what my chances are of meeting someone else on the rails as long as I stay hidden. Like hopping on with someone...I'm more worried about peole than getting hurt on the train

 

You need to read what people are saying. Please.

Don't ignore the advice given or the information given, take the time to learn what you're doing and realize that just because you "don't want to think about" rape or dying or horrible people doesn't mean they aren't there and won't happen to you.

If you're worried about not having a place then you really need to think about it. Where do you think you're going to sleep on a train? You'll just magically roll into some cool town and meet some good people who will give you a place top stay? Get REAL, lady.

 

I'm not asking for your help or anyone's for that matter. And I'm certainly not asking for you to talk down at me. In the end you have to remember that it isnt your decision and people will do what they want. Not saying I wont heed your advice but do you really think being hateful towards me and basically calling me stupid is the way to make me listen? Thats the fastest way to make me turn the other way.

 

Ok. So when you recieve said "pointers" and "need to know" info, you disregard it. You're off to a great start...

Not sure what you want. Perhaps you just wanted to argue. If you come asking for something and get mad when people tell you what you don't want to hear then maybe you should do your research silently and make your own mistakes.

 

I wasn't getting angry in any way. Please don't misread what I'm saying. I meant pointers as in safety(like what you guys told me), packing, mostly train info, and where are good places to be and what to look for. I just don't want to be nagged which seems to be what this post turned into.... I'm sorry for whatever I said wrong I guess. Thanks anyways

 

Might I suggest getting a small light tactical folding knife, and learning some basics on it's use? not like you should be paranoid or anything, but it's good to have something sharp up your sleeve. (just my opinion though. Knives only come out if you're about to use them, otherwise they get you shot )

Like papa wolf said, be realistic. You want to do it, that's awesome, but before you do it, make sure you're prepared for what's really out there, not what you WISH was out there.

Just packing is a matter of some considerable thought, what are you going to eat, how are you going to get it? If you take any money, how are you going to hide it (and you damn well better hide it. carry a wallet with a few expired cards off the ground and five bucks in it, so if you get stuck up you hand them 5 bucks while the 500's in a hidden pocket in a jacket or shoe or something) Are you going to eat cold, or take a beer can stove so you can heat cans? What will you carry for sleeping gear? Where do you want to go, other than "away"? What are your cover stories for whatever you may be caught doing, and depending on who catches you and what their attitude towards you is? What are you and your travel companions plans for dealing with a possibly violent encounter or mugging?

Figure all this out well in advance and practice it, make sure you can actually succesfully get food how you plan to, sleep how you plan to, carry what you plan to, be comfortable in what you plan to wear.

Might also consider hitting up crash pad/couch surfing sites and lining up some warm showers along your rough path of travel, as well as reading about good cities, friendy cities, mean cities, dangerous cities, friendly train yards, etc.

Also, if you're so comfortable with your physical abilities, I wouldn't expect hopping a slow freight to be a problem, if you can pick out a car you want on the way out of a yard, you can often run fast enough and lots of cars have low steps or handles. Just don't do anything that doesn't seem safe, if it's going too fast and you know it, don't try. But seriously, if you can beat up a 6'6" rapist, I would expect you to be able to hop a slow train

 

Again my advice DON'T do it ! If you're in such dire straights in Tn. , try your nearest social services office , church , hostile or even homeless shelters will be far less dangerous to you, then hopping trains. And may have work leads or opportunities .

If you do go .

I hope you at least have a real backpack rig with tent , and sleeping bag .

You should move only at night , under the cover of blackness . It's too easily to be seen from long distances in the daylight by potential predators or railroad cops . And remember they use night scopes .

When scouting out trains and cars at night .Stay in the tree lines were the woods get heavy always hidden behind trees ,foliage or behind some obstacle or barrier . Wearing camo or dark earthy colors . Stay low to the ground while scouting at night in the woods. your tent should be camo or dark as well . Camp and sleep in the woods in the day time , with your tent WELL hidden and camouflaged with natural sticks leaves tall grass or tress , hedgerows or thickets . Remember the camp hardest to to get to will be less likely to be discovered by others . The harder it is for YOU to get to your camp the better . Be careful of cooking fires and open flames as smoke will draw attention . Best to take canned food that can be eaten cold .

Carry as MUCH food and drink as you can , and ration them carefully . Get a map and study where you are and where you're going . And how far the next town is and the one after that in case you need to go there for food or water . Know where you are , and how far you are going . Figure out average trains per hour speeds on the internet . That will give you and indication of how many miles per hour you traveled , and you can see on a map about where your near . Map out train routes on you map .

Stay away from rail yards and hubs , railroad cops will be there ,as well as other train hoppers . and they are not like normal cops , they will NOT be happy at all to find you on railroad property . And they can be real assholes .

Dress warm in dark clothes and hoodies . Don't wear to lose clothing or things that can get caught or tangled in moving parts . Be careful of shoe laces , and wear work boots/ hiking boots if possible.With non slip rugged soles.Carry several knives on several areas on you and one in your gear. and a back up can opener . That's about the best advice I can give you .

AGAIN, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS ! WORK TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE TO DOING THIS !

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY ?
Good luck , i'll say a prayer for you and your situation.

 

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