Veterans, greenhorns, I just wanted to make this post to gather a group of women interested in this to chat with each other. Whether you’ve already train hopped or have plans to. Would you be interested in a chat specific to this limited to only women? Whether you are a greenhorn with questions or a veteran woman with advice, tips, etc.

Me, it was winter 2015 I was in Cheyenne fucking Wyoming(of all places, like fr fr) Riding UP to Ark via KCMO, I just got out of jail on some BS trespassing ticket(which really fucked shit up, if those cops didn't fucking arrest us for such a petty crime. they didn't have to, it was a $50 ticket, they just wanted to be dicks because we we had packs, we would have been at least in DUPO at that point, as we where trying to beat the super cold as I remember and I knew when the train showed to Ark)my dog was still in doggy jail and I couldn't get here until the next business day(which was monday and it was a Saturday) so, we did what any sane trainkids would do in that situation, we got Schwill, and I mean SCHWILLY, 2 Spacebags, 2 handles of Cracken and 2 four lokos a piece, as it got about like -5°F(-20°C) that night and again, I was drunk out of my mind, my road dog dissappeared with some rando girl, so I was solo, so I figured it would be a GREAT idea to sleep in the engine block of a semi truck...idk how tf I did that tbh. ...lol, it kept me from dying as the engine block was warm and I woke up at 7am to the engine starting and the truck moving, lol, talk about an alarm clock! for the first few seconds I had no idea wtf was going on or where I was..I started screaming, the truck stopped after what felt like forever but was only around 3mins or so, and the driver popped the hood and had the most confused look on his face ever(I was just as confused, like seriously how tf did I even find this comfortable? Not like I didn't remember, I remembered, just took me awhile to remember) I remember I just said "hi" and than grabbed my pack and bolted like no tomorrow, I was about 2 miles from where I was the night before, so I managed to make it back and went into the truck stop...the truck driver found me later on, he was local driver, anyways he asked me wtf was I doing, I explained to him, everything, and I was just waiting on being able to get my dog out of dog jail, than he offered to get my dog out the next day, got me a motel room that night. I got reunited with my dog and than found my road dog at the hopout later that day, passed out in a sage bush. Apparently the girl he hooked up with wanted him to "go to Brazil" with her and he noped TF out and couldn't find me. That evening(well, dawn of the next day) we caught out and road 48 hours all the way to Memphis/Ark, than went to Texas. Moral of the story: "go south in the early winter and don't get caught in the cold while drunk, alcohol makes people do dumb ass shit" and yeah, haven't dted/been sober for 3 years, so there is that. Mind you I was only 4 years into hopping freight and didn't learn it's the company I keep, my road dog was a drunk asshole, but a really good kid, his name was "Strings" I have no idea what happened to him, he kind of just dissappeared.

TL;DR I got drunk and passed out in the engine block of a semi and the driver ended up getting me a motel room and getting my dog out of the pound. Idk how in THE FUCK I managed this! Alcoholism's a bitch!

So I've seen ppl here and on r/vagabond asking for help finding places to hop trains, asking how to hop trains and asking for ppl to take them on their first ride. So I'm making a post to address these ppl. . . . Just stop, don't get on a train. Trains are dangerous. Experienced riders fall off all the time and you don't even have experience. There are so many other ways to get from point A to point B, trains are the least efficient way to travel. You can hitchhike, take a greyhound, use a ride-share app or website, fly economy. So many other options and you're choosing the most dangerous one? . . . Is it worth being charged with federal trespassing for getting caught. And you are going to get caught, especially if you don't know what you're doing. You are going to get stuck on a train for days with no water and no town for hundreds of miles when you're water jug inevitable breaks. You want to be part of a lifestyle where the norm is watching all your friends die from falling off trains, od'ing, medical complications and suicide? Rape happens way more often out here, violence on a daily basis is expected. Ppl are taught to stay with their own, to stay with the group. That's because when ur alone ppl try to kidnap, rob, drug, rape and kill you. I've personally experienced ppl trying to do these things to me and I've only got 6 years on the road, even less hopping. I've had friends kill themselves, I've watched the people I love fall into despair over the death of those around them. Do you want that? . . . Ok let's say you just want a little rush, you want to take a joy ride but you understand that you will either die, be mamed, raped, drugged, shot, stabbed, beaten up or get caught doing it so you think of asking a more experienced person to help you. Do you think a hardened wanderer wants to take a kid out into the fucking jungle, to babysit ur stupid, immature ass? No, fuck no, too many ppl have done it and half of them say they had to watch you make a mistake and fucking die for it. HALF OF THEM. You wanna ask someone to make a 50-50 dice roll on watching you die? . . . Ok, let's say you still want to hop trains. You're not some yuppie that wants a joy ride before you Uber back home. You actually want to live this life full time. You've prepared yourself to face the horrors. You know one day you will die a horrible death, or even worse, live to remember what nobody deserves to live through. How do you start? Why I'll tell you kid. Start hitchhiking. Yep, it's that easy. Not satisfied? Ok, I'll tell you why. Everything you need to know about hopping will be learned eventually on the road. You'll find ppl that will teach you. You will figure out how to survive on and off the train. You will learn how not to die or get taken advantage of on the road. This is ur Mr. Miyagi wax on, wax off. Trust the process, listen to your elders, pray to all the gods of the road.

Is train hopping dying or is it still going strong?

Search for a partner in the comments here. Please give some details about yourself. Low effort or sketchy posts will be removed

Anything new/any recent luck hopping out of the tri state area? Last time I hopped (1.5 years ago) I took a bus to trenton or some shit and waited there early in the AM with beer and a mentor. Now I'm alone and I want to go home (to NM). Has there been any scares or updates to yard patrol, or any luck with a particular area to catch a west/southbound train from NJ or Philly or close by? Trying to head to a place like Chicago to catch a cheaper Amtrak to the southwest.

Im not from US but im visiting in April 2025 for ~2 months im going to land in Los Angeles and im trying to travel the country be it trainhopping or hitchhiking, would love to have somebody help me trainhop for the first time to get over my fear.

Figured a post about some basic train safety might be useful.

The most important rule: DO NOT TRY AND HOP FREIGHT TRAINS ON YOUR OWN FOR THE FIRST TIME. Please! Try and find a mentor. Trains are extremely dangerous. You could end up dead or worse. People die and lose limbs everyday because of dumb choices by the tracks.

Do not ride drunk, do not ride high. I know many of us are guilty of breaking this rule, but having clouded judgement, especially as a greenie, can be the difference between life and death. If you're deciding to partake in substances, doing so after you get on the train is generally safer - as by the time you get to your destination, you'll likely be sober again - however, there is absolutely no completely safe way to be intoxicated on or around a freight train. The safest option is always not to partake.

Once you are on the train, always maintain at least three points of contact. This means two arms and a leg, or two legs and one arm in contact with the train at all times. Trains can suddenly jerk with slack action or abruptly stop or start. If you aren't holding on, these sudden movements could send you flying and have you made into a spicy human marinara sauce under the trains wheels.

There is a common myth that hopping on the fly is "safe" as long as the train is moving slowly enough for you to count the bolts on the the wheels. For some people, under some circumstances, this could be true. For you, however, it could not be. So many factors come into play on whether or not you can hop on the fly: your physical health, the weight of your bag, the type of car you're trying to get on, how steep the ballast is, etc. Don't ever let someone else try and coerce you into hopping on the fly just because they think they're able to. The safest option is always to get on and off when the train is stopped.

Do not ride suicide! There is always going to be another train. It's not worth risking your life because you got too impatient. If you'd rather risk your life than wait a few hours for the next one, you probably shouldn't be hopping trains.

Know your limits. Set boundaries. If you aren't capable of hopping on the fly, don't. If you're injured, take a break, rest in a town until you're well enough to keep going again, don't try and hop out and end up injuring yourself more, or worse. If someone is trying to make you ride suicide because "it's so cool bro... I've been riding suicide since I was 5 years old bro it's safe bro trust me", don't. Don't let others coerce you or make you feel bad for not wanting to do dumb shit. It's better to find new friends then end up dead.

Always bring food and water. A good rule of thumb is at least a gallon of water per person, more if you have pets, and at least a days worth of food for everyone. Electrolyte mixes can help rehydrate you during the scorching summer months.

Prepare for the weather. If it's winter, bring winter gear, layer up. If it's the rainy season, make sure to have a plan on how to keep yourself and your gear dry. If it's hot, bring extra water.

Well that's about all I can think of now. Feel free to add more tips in the comments. As always, stay safe out there.

To all my fellow greenies, as well as experienced trainhoppers— Though this does apply more to greenhorns— YOUR SAFETY SHOULD BE YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

Wanting to get on a train is understandable. I looked for someone to teach me for months, almost falling into several bad situations. Your life, quality of life, possessions, etc.— They are worth more than learning how to get onto a train.

There are so many things to look out for, more than I can even begin to comprehend, but here are some things that are common red flags, that you should not ignore. If anybody makes you uncomfortable, report and block them IMMEDIATELY. Do not give yourself the idea that you could be overreacting, or they are not as bad as you think. It is not worth it.

-Pushing for pictures. Aside from the obvious begging for nudes, asking for pictures of your face early on, and excessively pushing for them is a bad sign. Sharing an image of yourselves is a good safety measure for both parties, though.

-Excessive compliments. A casual compliment is normal, but if they compliment you excessively, keep your eyes open. Especially if the compliment is something implying attraction. Compliments themselves are not always red flags, but the context can be. Especially if you factor in age… A 40 year old man should not be calling an 18/19 year old sexy.

-Trying to meetup in a private location. Always make it public. That should be obvious, but it can always be twisted to sound safe even when it is definitely not.

-Get to know them. You don’t have to become best friends, but make sure there is some compatibility. Voice/video call especially. It is much harder for people to feed you specific information when they are not specially curating it, which is much easier over text. Don’t meet up on the fly, unless you are already in a similar area.

-Find other people who know them if you can. If you are active on similar subreddits, there will almost certainly be some overlap with your circles. This isn’t always possible, but it is a good measure.

-Travel within a city together first. Spend a couple days camping with them or just generally hanging out. Red flags that exist can and will come out quickly.

-Go with your gut. If something feels wrong, trust your intuition. Many people are skilled liars, manipulators, and many people prey on people for a living. These people are often good at covering their tracks… But for the most part, anyone weird will not even try to mask it.

-Do not resort to prostitution. Respect yourself. No matter how desperate you may be, you could end up with a disease, dead, etc. Even if you feel like none of that matters, it certainly does. You are worth more than that. Doesn’t matter if you’re old or young, male or female, an addict, or anything else, you are worth more than to be someone’s walking fleshlight/dildo.

-Have a safety plan. Make sure you have an escape if things get bad. Make sure you have self defense. Make sure someone knows where you are.

-Cross reference. If someone says theyre taking you via CSX from Flagstaff to LA, run. Familiarize yourself with the lines moderately beforehand.

There are plenty of things I missed, feel free to comment them.

Hey everybody, planning a long haul trip across Canada + USA, just looking to see the sights. For such a long trip, what are the essentials? Obviously you can only carry so much so I’m looking for the things that give you the best bang for your buck! Thanks in advance

Please delete if not allowed, my dear friend posted a goodbye/SI message and disconnected her phone. Her last known location was a train from Santa Clara, California to Indianapolis, Indiana. Please contact us if she is seen. She may be in mental distress or crisis. Thank you

I'm the new mod of r/trainhopping. Sub was dead for a long time so I requested it.

So far I've requested to change the community to public (everyone should be able to post and comment now) and then given the sub an icon

If any of you folks reading this are interested in helping mod, let me know. I'm already the head mod of r/dirtykids so ideally I'd like to pass the reigns here down to someone else at some point.

Anyway that's all. Also PS come join the hobo discord group chat we have goin on if you like https://discord.com/invite/QVZjHGamZX

Looking for a mentor to help show me the way for my first time. 27 year old dude based in SoCal.. specifically LA

That was the first time I've seen people riding on a train. 3 kids about 18-25 on a UP stack. Stay safe out there guys!

It was 2017. August, I believe. A friend and I were in Minneapolis waiting on the midnight piggieback to roll up. It did, as the info we were given had promised. We boarded, splayed out, and went to sleep. The next day, around 5 pm, we arrived in Havre, MT. We did some calculating and discovered we had rode 960 miles in 17 hrs. My friend had a speedometer which told him we went 75 mph the whole way, with a single stop in Minot, ND. How about u guys?

Iv long thought about giving this a try Is there any good spots in NC to do this Also any locals willing to show me the ropes?

Have been wondering this for a while now, hammock seems more for stealth camping and all which I am looking for, but tent camping seems a little more versatile for other options, there’s pros and cons to both, wondering what other hoppers would go with

So hey me and my road dog are over by the Argentine yard in KCK we're looking through the guide try to make way over to Memphis. Ccg is pretty sparse on information for how to do that there is some mild reference to BNSF loaded coal or unit grain but we all know that their units are locked I'm not trying to ride coal and they usually don't have a lot of grain porches either. also see some stuff for the armourdale yard but like I said not a whole lot of info there on what that train might look like or when it might come or how often. anyone who has been riding this who may have some good advice for an experienced rider who just doesn't want to waste a few days outside of the yard hit me up

Is openrailmap.org a good source for planning a trip? It’s community edited, so I’m wondering if anyone else uses it and if it is accurate.

I know that there are many types of wagons , but please tell me what you know.Maybe you even have experiance in Lithuania, if you are from LT pls dm me :D.