The Dangers of Hopping Freight Trains

Question:  What do the workers and crew think of [people who hitch rides on freight trains]?  I’ve run into a lot who like us, a lot who are indifferent as long as we aren't messing around on their trains and a lot who really don't like us.

Answer:  While I suspect there are many people in the rail industry who admire—perhaps even envy—your free-spirited sense of adventure, the only thing that truly matters is how the railroad views the situation and how they expect their employees to respond.

All freight train equipment, infrastructure such as signals and bridges, and railroad tracks, including the property within at least 30 feet of tracks, is private railroad property.  Anyone who is not a railroad employee on that property is trespassing and subject to detention, arrest, and prosecution for criminal trespass.  If your trespassing results in financial losses to the railroad, you could also be subject to a civil claim for loss and damages.  You could pay hefty fines, do jail time, and end up with a criminal record. 

I’m not naïve enough to believe the aforementioned consequences will necessarily dissuade you from your adventures.  Just make sure you understand and acknowledge the possible ramifications of your actions and make your decisions accordingly.

If you do still plan to pursue riding the rails, I offer a few additional thoughts to keep in mind.

You’re not the only one out there.  You found that open boxcar door.  So may someone else.  Sure, you may run across your share of friendly “Boxcar Willies” who will entertain you with their guitars and regale you with tales of their journeys.  But you may also cross paths with someone who wouldn’t think twice about assaulting you, robbing you, raping you, beating you, stabbing or shooting you, and throwing your dead body off the train.  Not everyone who looks scary is.  Not everyone who doesn’t isn’t.  Some of the worst people humanity has to offer are lurking along the nation’s railroads and in the nation’s railcars.  If you choose to play the game, you must accept that you may eventually draw a “game over” card from the deck.

Your body is to a train what a ripe cherry tomato is to a bulldozer.  Every year, a dozen well-trained railroaders who know what they are doing get killed by trains.  You need to be eyes wide open about the myriad ways rail equipment can maim or kill you in an instant.  The railroad is extremely unforgiving of stupidity, ignorance, inattention, or complacence. 

If you are walking on the ground near railroad tracks, never ever walk between the rails or on the cross ties.  Don’t walk between two sets of parallel tracks.  Don’t ever walk across a train bridge.  Don’t ever walk through a train tunnel.  Stay a good 10-15 feet away from the tracks.  Never wear headphones and make sure you can hear what is going on around you.  Never make assumptions about which directions trains may be travelling on tracks.  A train can come from any direction, on any track, at any time.  Trains go both ways on both tracks on twin-track mainlines.  Stay off the tracks.

Never, ever, get on or off a moving train—no matter how slowly it may be moving.  If you stumble and fall under a wheel, you’re done.  Never, ever, cross over a stationary train by going under it.  That’s just stupidly dangerous.  You should never cross over a train, period, because you don’t know when it is going to move.  If it moves when you are at a precarious point, you can fall onto the rails and die.  If you insist on crossing over (or through) a standing train, do so at a railcar that offers good hand holds and footholds.  Hopper cars are probably best, and most boxcars offer good grab irons and foot surfaces.  Never cross through between autorack cars.  If you insist on crossing through, and you’ve found a good car, maintain three points of contact at all times, moving only one arm or one leg at a time.  Never ever touch or step on the coupler or draft gear.  Don’t grab the hand brake wheel.  Again, I encourage you to never cross through a standing train.  Walk around it (leaving 25 feet of clearance between you and standing equipment on the rails).

If you are going to ride a railcar, be smart about which car you select and where it is located with respect to objective hazards.  Don’t pick a boxcar next to a tank car hauling hazardous chemicals (you should acquaint yourself with the diamond-shaped HAZMAT placards posted on railcars).  Don’t get in a railcar anywhere near lading that may shift in transit.  If you’ve ridden, you know how violently the train can jerk when the slack runs in or pulls out.

Don’t ever hang on or ride on the exterior of a railcar.  And for God’s sake, don’t ever be between cars on a moving train.

In summary, I truly hope you will reconsider the risks and rewards of riding on freight trains.  You need to expect that rail employees will not welcome your presence.  If they are doing their jobs, they will report you to railroad police or other law enforcement officers.  You are breaking the law and you may face serious legal repercussions.  You need to expect that you will eventually find yourself in very grave danger from another individual or group of individuals you encounter along the rails.   You can be beaten, raped, robbed, and murdered.  You need to understand that thousands of tons of moving steel have no conscience and no mercy.  You can die a horrible death in an instant because you took a stupid risk, took a shortcut, let your mind wander for a few seconds.

I appreciate your question.  Please stay safe out there.