Train Hopping

General urban exploration stuff -- location specific stuff in the categories below
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crazydrummerdude
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Re: Train Hopping

Post by crazydrummerdude »

Back to trains; from a train engineer:
Gotta watch where your at now days.
RR is fedral property,and under the care of Homeland security.So if they want to bust balls,they can really bust balls.
Hell if i see a backpack on the side of the tracks,and report it,,,,the world stands up on end.Before 2001 you could get away with alot,not anymore.


Basicly,,,that kid is considered a terorist,,,,much different then a trespassing charge.
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Chris
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by Chris »

He's wrong.

Railroads are private property.

They have their own private security forces, however, that are a lot more than just rent-a-cops.
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by Freak »

Yeah, railroads are private, the Bulls are private security, although in some states they can arrest you. Other places they can only ban you from railroad property (I think MN is like that).

I've talked with some major trainhoppers, like guys who literally spend all summer doing it and all winter researching schedules and routes, almost to the point of pschological obsession. They said security really isn't that big a deal, just avoid the bull and try to look like a bum to blend in (dress in old clothes and carry cardboard, don't walk around the tracks looking like a hipster with your REI camping gear). They said most of the non-bull employees don't give a shit and will sometimes help you or look the other way, as long as you're not on drugs or look like you'll get yourself killed.

I've walked plenty of tracks while exploring, dodged trains, run through tunnels, hung out around yards, etc. I usually wave at the crew and they wave back or blow the horn, never been hassled by the cops or bulls.
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crazydrummerdude
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Re: Train Hopping

Post by crazydrummerdude »

Bulls, is that a nickname or like a national security company?
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by SubLunar »

That's slang for cop, stupid.
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Re: Train Hopping

Post by crazydrummerdude »

:idea:
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by PANIC! on the Titanic »

On my hikes down tracks I have seen lots of signage plates and most if it I can figure out what it means, but some I can't.

For instance, I noticed every time I saw a W sign, quarter mile down the tracks there was a road crossing. So figure that means 'whistle' so the engineer knows when to begin tooting his own horn. Also mile markers are easily identified.

However, I have seen a couple others I can't identify nor use context clues. I came across an all green reflective signpost facing one way on single track, and the sign was easily moved, looked like a temp sign or something. Also there was a smaller yellow square sign with a number, I think it was 32 or something like that. No idea what that meant. Any ideas or facts as to the true meaning of these?
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by wlhyatt »

The W signs are whistle signs, and are used to remind engineers that there is a grade crossing ahead.

Usually a green sign that faces one way is the end of a temporary slow zone. Those are set up for areas that may need track work or have ties that need replaced. The green sign is a clearance to go back to track speed.

If you see a white sign with a single black stripe on it, that is a quarter mile marker. In the old days they would keep track of the distance between mile markers by counting the telegraph/telephone poles that followed the tracks. There would be 10 poles per quarter mile. Now they've replaced that with single stripe signs, 2 stripes for half mile, 3 for 3/4's of a mile, then the mile number sign marks the miles. You will usually see these on older lines. One good example of this is the Arkansas and Missouri railroad that uses them the entire length of their line.
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by PANIC! on the Titanic »

Huh, I didn't know that about the poles and all, never even noticed. They are old though, many of them are toppled over and the cables are no longer connected to anything, so I don't think they are used at all these days.

Does the begin temporary slow zone have like a red or yellow sign to mark it?

Also what's a good resource to look up meanings of railway signage? Most of the sites I have been to just tell me about light signaling but not so much about sign plates.
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by wlhyatt »

Yeah, the beginning of a work zone is usually yellow and I believe most of the time has a set speed limit on that particular line.

I do not know of a website that has signage information, this was all information from an old engineer friend that I used to know.
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RE: Train Hopping

Post by kyro »

I've seriously considered hopping one of the trains to ride through Joplin many times but never went through with it basically fearing the damn thing would speed up and I would get injured jumping off before it left town.

I think it would be a worthwhile experiment to map out the trains stops (if there were any) from Joplin to KC and hop one of the damn things...probably late at night and on a weekend to leave plenty of time to figure out your way back/hop another one back.

I guess it would have to depend also on what kind of cars their pulling at the time....to me it seems some train cars look a hell of a lot harder to hide out on and hang on to than others.
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sneaky1
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Re: Train Hopping

Post by sneaky1 »

as far as trying to find signage online, it may be tough. my dad went through conductor training for UP a couple years ago and they had binders full of signs and markers because the railroads have incorporated smaller railroads for years and every time they do, they just absorb their signage for that part of the tracks instead of replacing all the signs. so, you might be able to find a lot of general ones, but also some specific to a certain line. sorry i couldn't be of any actual help, just what i know.
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Re: RE: Train Hopping

Post by PANIC! on the Titanic »

wlhyatt wrote: all information from an old engineer friend that I used to know.
Good info, thanks man.
kyro wrote: I guess it would have to depend also on what kind of cars their pulling at the time....to me it seems some train cars look a hell of a lot harder to hide out on and hang on to than others.
In my experience, the stacked container cars are good for shorter ( < 1 hour) excursions, as there is a good platform to sit on and you can rest your feet on the ladder. Although, whilst riding you can watch the containers sway and it seems like they are going to topple at any time.

Covered hoppers have this little cubby hole at either end you can squeeze into for longer rides, though I've never done that and I don't imagine it would be too comfortable.

Open freight cars full of coal or steel scrap would be, and this is just my opinion, the greater of the retarded options. Only thing that trumps that is inside a tanker.
sneaky1 wrote:, they just absorb their signage for that part of the tracks instead of replacing all the signs.
So do the conductors just have to keep learning all these new signs when a rail system is taken over with unfamiliar ones? Seems like a lot of signs to have to keep up with.
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Re: Train Hopping

Post by kyro »

Most of my experience involving exploring around trains has been walking miles of tracks and the occasional climbing around/ walking the tops of cars(not moving). I also don't know much about how to open the various doors and whatnot on train cars, but love the handy ladders they stick on them for us to climb and grab onto. The open top cars or flat bed looking ones seem promising provided their not loaded with scrap metal or coal like said....I don't think hanging on to some ladder or sitting in the space under the ladder for miles on end would be that enjoyable.

I'll probably give this a try when it gets a little warmer, most likely do a sort of dry run and ride just to the edge of town to see how it goes. Need to sit and scout some locations and pay attention to how fast they move in certain spots..... :P Not to mention take note of different cars....never really gave them much notice.
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Re: RE: Train Hopping

Post by sneaky1 »

So do the conductors just have to keep learning all these new signs when a rail system is taken over with unfamiliar ones? Seems like a lot of signs to have to keep up with.
Yeah, I believe so. But, I think for the most part they are all similar so it's easy to remember them. Like I said, just what my dad told me, and it's been a while back.
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