Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a railroad freight car. In the United States of America, this became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as 'hobos'. It continued to be widely used by those unable to afford other transportation, especially during times of widespread economic dislocation such as the Great Depression. Today, the practice is forbidden by statute in nearly all states. In modern colloquial usage, though not very common, hopping a freight train is also known as "catching out" or "hopping out." Many railroads take a strict view of people hopping freight trains, and employ railroad police, also known as "bulls", in an attempt to prevent the practice. Among other duties, railroad police are charged with preventing trespassing on railroad property, which includes freighthopping. Railroad police officers typically patrol in utility trucks, SUVs ("bullmobiles"), or even standard police cruisers. Railroad police are sometimes certified police officers and may enforce the appropriate laws in any jurisdiction the railroad owns property, when allowed by the state they are working in.
Decline of freighthopping
In recent decades, the traditional role of hobos as itinerant workers has fallen off, largely because of increasing prosperity. Most itinerant workers in modern times have automobiles and drive between jobs, alternatively they may use public transportation, and live in many types of temporary housing. Increasingly, as seasonal agricultural work became the province of illegal immigrants, and other seasonal work became increasingly lucrative, freighthopping became mainly used by the homeless population, by thrill seekers, youths who have adopted the lifestyle as an expression of rebellion against society, and people who enjoy traveling across the countryside under the open air. In recent years there has been an increase in crime targeted at the rail-riding homeless population and other freighthoppers by other itinerants. Retired Spokane police officer Bob Grandinetti attributes this largely to the rise of an itinerant group calling themselves the 'FTRA' or Freight Train Riders of America. Whether the FTRA is as violent as claimed by Grandinetti is in some dispute. Other increases in crime targeted at freighthoppers can be attributed to the general increase in violence and urban gang activity around train yards in such locations as Los Angeles. Another reason the practice is declining is because the nature of the way goods are being transported, with the traditional boxcar giving way to more secure plug door cars, and eventually shipping containers, which are not friendly to people riding. Even flatcars are becoming increasingly open, making life harder for Freighthoppers.
See also
- Hitchhiking
- Hobo
- Itinerant
- Boxcar Betty
- Emperor of the North Pole, a movie about freighthopping starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, and Keith Carradine.
- "King of the Road"
