Slack Action

[KaBar]

Precautions about jackrollers

 

It is a long-standing bromide among tramps to "Never put two coins in the same pocket--if they jingle, some jackroller will try to kill you to get them." I guess the term jackroller (which dates from before the Great Depression in 1929) is a combination of "hi-jack" and "bankroll." Of course, they aren't talking literally about two coins (at least not today) but are refering to simply not flashing your money or betraying the fact that you've got money by talking about it, displaying wealth (like expensive clothes or "yuppie" camp gear) or ostentatiously eating in restaurants or drinking expensive booze.

It's a good idea to keep your bankroll in small bills. Nobody is going to be able to break a $100 for a tramp. I don't even like carrying $20 bills, but I used to carry a couple of hundred bucks in twenties as "emergency money." I called it my stake money. Back when I was tramping full-time, I would dog it as long as I could on my pocket money, and when I ran out, I would go to work. My stake money was just to get me started--rent a room, buy food until I could make a paycheck, bus fare and so on. I never broke out my stake money unless I was settled in and looking for work. I never told ANYBODY that I had a stake. To look at me, the way I was dressed, my gear, you'd never have figured I had even the price of a beer, much less $200 in twenties. Back in those days, some grown men were working for two dollars an hour, so $200 was about the equivalent of 100 hours of work, more or less. Say, two weeks pay. I also never carried my whole stake in one place. I divided it up, so much in one boot, so much in the other.

I also had a hide-out wallet made of cloth. Dollar bills are 2-1/2 inches wide and 6 inches long. My wallet was 3 inches wide and 6-1/2 inches long in the pocket. It attached to my belt with a long belt loop slot and extended up over the top of my blue jeans and down INSIDE MY PANTS. The money was completely concealed inside my clothing. In order to rob me, they would have to strip me, which was going to be damned difficult unless they had a gun. I also usually wore both blue jeans AND a large pair of overalls (over my blue jeans, obviously.)

People today don't seem to realize that overalls were not mean to be worn by themselves. They call them OVER-ALLS for a reason. They are to keep your "regular" clothes cleaner. The only thing I carried in my over-alls pockets was a Sodbuster knife and matches. I didn't carry a scanner back then (nobody did, I'd never even heard of one until much later.) In my left blue jeans pocket, I carried my "flat cat" (a wallet with nothing in it but a Driver's License and a few dollars.) That way, if I did get jackrolled, I could give them the flat cat and maybe my pocket change. Any attempt to get within arm's reach, and I was prepared to draw my knife and defend myself. Most jackrollers back then just wanted your money, but today there are a few that seem to want to hurt people for no particular good reason.

Traveling in a group of two or three is an excellent idea, but keep in mind that there are many more people carrying guns these days than back in the 1960's, and they don't seem to have any qualms about shooting people. I only knew of a couple of shooting deaths until I was in my thirties. It's more common today than then, I think.

Some yuppie hobos (called yo-bos) carry cell phones, pagers, credit cards, and all manner of expensive gear. All I can say is "No thanks." Flaunting the fact that you have a bunch of money is a really bad idea.

 

Women have a particular problem. It's not possible, really, to hide the fact that they are female. The idea that everybody is equal, and there should be no differences between the sexes, all those feminist ideas are fine for civilized society. But being female and "on the bum" is like being the only 17-year-old, blonde, gay boy in a State penitentiary. Women are often protected and befriended by tramps, but you cannot guarantee that. MINIMUM, you need to be traveling with a man who is willing to fight to protect you. You should be ready to defend yourself, as well, and if that means killing your assailant, then that's what it takes. BE REALISTIC. One protector is minimum. Two is good. Three is even better. Men will usually automatically think in terms of defending women in their group.

Most female tramps wear their hair fairly short, because it is a hassle to deal with long hair on the road. Those that wear it long usually braid their hair or wear it "up." Dress like the guys, wear a hat, and avoid any hint of flirtation with people you meet. Women must understand that a wrong signal to some stranger could set off a war. This is not an exaggeration. The only genuine "gang fight" I ever saw while trainhopping was a fight over whether a girl was going to go with one group or another. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO AND SAY. Men are usually rational, but they will kill each other over a woman. And over money, too.

[KaBar]

Catching Out and Crew-change Points

 

A good catch-out is a place where you can easily board a standing train with minimum risk to yourself--including legally and also to life and limb. I don't think catching on the fly (boarding a moving train) is really very necessary. For certain, the slower it is moving, the better, and I do not recommend anybody board a freight train if one must run to catch it. Very young, very athletic tramps may be able to do this, but it is dangerous as hell. You have to throw your gear on board ahead of yourself, and the chances of throwing your gear and then not being able to catch the train yourself is considerable. (If this every actually happens to you, and you miss the car with your gear, just board another car farther back and wait til the train slows down real slow again, or stops briefly, and you get a chance to jump off and run up to the car that has your gear. But don't be stupid--no amount of gear is worth getting hurt or killed trying to board a rolling train.)

A good catch-out permits you to board a STANDING train. An excellent example is a place where trains consistently go "into the hole" to permit other, more higher-priority trains to pass. There are several spots away from the rail yards, in Houston, where trains roll through so slowly, or where they stop completely, that one can just walk up to them and climb on. No reason to catch on the fly.

A good catch-out has a good place for you to wait for the train to roll up. Like a jungle, or some place where nobody is going to think you are out-of-place. One of my favorite catch-outs has a small store across the street with a "ready bench" out front. One can just stash one's gear close by and sit on the ready bench drinking a Coke, waiting for a train. Another spot is in a heavily forested area, with trees and dense brush on both sides of the track, thirty or forty feet from the ballast.

Outside virtually every rail yard in the country, there is some sort of hobo jungle. Sometimes it's just some trash-strewn, bottle-littered area, sometimes it's an actual hobo jungle, with a fire ring, and 5-gallon buckets for seats and so forth. It used to be chill to build a fire in a jungle. The bulls wouldn't bother you. But today, especially after Sept. 11, things are "hotter" than they used to be. EXERCISE COMMON SENSE. I build a fire and brew coffee or cook, if I think the situation will tolerate it. But I don't do it always , although there's nothing I like better than sharing a fire with other tramps.

Sometimes, you are going to actually have to hide to keep from getting run off or busted. Keep a very low profile. Never skyline on a train or in the yard. (The opposite of "skylining" is called "low-lining." ) STAY OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE. If you stand around throwing rocks at rail cars because you are bored, you may get arrested. Be patient, and be CAREFUL.

Crew-change points are places away from the Yards (usually, but not always) where train crews switch out. Union rules prevent them from working more than a certain number of hours (twelve, I think) and the crews must be replaced. There are "underground" crew-change-points books published periodically by "in the know" tramps and trainhoppers. They are difficult to get. If one falls into the hands of the bulls, the railroad changes the crew-change point to a different location to prevent tramps from knowing where trains will switch crews. Sometimes the train crews actually switch on the fly (crazy, I know) to prevent having to get that whole train rolling again. When I say "on the fly", in this case, I mean "walking speed." Often, train crews will just ignore trainhoppers out away from the Yards, but always try to board without being seen or discovered. We want to provide the train crewmen with plausible deniability. If they knew you boarded, they could lose their jobs. Show respect for the crew. HIDE. And if the bulls accuse the crew of allowing you to board, DENY IT. Protecting the train crewmen from criticism is the least we owe them.

[Guest NEW2FR8s]

damn guys, where all you all from? all this talk about defending your self shit. i mean i realized there was crooked people in this world and some of them were frieght hoppers. but ive never thought about them being in the yard. ive met a couple hoppers and they just seemed pretty nice and i never thought to not let my change rattle or keep valuables out of sight or any of that stuff, i hope this thread continues its pretty interesting and educational at the same time, good work kabar. later..

[KaBar]

Hoppers come all kind of ways

 

New2FR8s---Hoppers come in all shapes and sizes, with all kinds of backgrounds, and all kinds of behaviors. Some tramps are great people, decent, friendly and honest. Some people riding trains are sorry-ass criminals, who will attack anybody weaker than themselves and who will try to rip off anybody who is unwary. The more prepared you are, the less likely it is that you will ever have to defend yourself. If you travel in a group of two or three, if you are not a woman or a young, small guy travelling by yourself, if you know how to defend yourself, you'll probably never have to do so.

I guess it's time to drag out the horror stories.

I knew some people in L.A. back in the '70s who hitched and hpped trains to get around the country. They were political activists (it was still "the Sixties" don't forget.) These guys had a young friend from South Carolina who was an underage runaway. They lived in Venice, CA. The runaway kid wouldn't listen to anything we said about being careful. He went down to the Venice boardwalk every day while we were off working, and hung out with all the hippies and dopers and drum freaks. Some black guy asked him if he'd like to go smoke a jay, and he said "Sure, why not?" He went to the guy's apartment, and they got stoned. After they got high, the black guy locks the door, pulls out a knife and asks the kid, "Which do you want to be, mama or papa?" The kid freaks out and says "Neither!" The black guy grabbed him, held the knife to his throat and then stripped him and raped him repeatedly. When he staggered back to the crashpad, we had to take him to the Emergency Room. My friends wanted to go kill the rapist, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't against it, but I KNEW the kid couldn't keep his mouth shut about it, so I refused, and left, and my girlfriend and I caught a train north.

In 1972, I knew a guy that had been robbed and apparently thrown from a train, but survived by some miracle. He was in a boxcar and some guys boarded it, even though he told them "Hey, this car is full." When they got on anyway, he should have gotten off, but it was raining and cold, and he didn't. He thought they would stay on their end of the car. Instead, they waited until he was asleep, then kicked him senseless, ripped off his stuff and apparently threw him out the door. He woke up all skinned up on the ballast next to the tracks. He found some of his stuff thrown all down the tracks as he walked trying to get help.

I've talked to several women who claimed to have basically been raped by several guys on trains. They weren't beaten up, but they were forced to have sex when they didn't want to, and were afraid to refuse. If that's not rape, what do you call it?

My friend Rufe was robbed of his gear several times by streamliners. He even pointed one out to me once, but he said evening the score wasn't worth it--the entire dollar amount of his gear and food was less than fifty dollars. He couldn't see risking going to prison for such a paltry amount of money. It was easier to just replace the gear--which was mostly scrounged to start with.

The bottom line is this: there are two types of people, those who treat others with decency and respect, and those who do not. People who live their lives like a decent person deserve regard, respect and to be treated with dignity. People who live their life as though they are a predator deserve the same treatment that all predators deserve. If you look like a "mark", you are at risk for being robbed, maybe raped (male or female), and maybe killed. If you look like someone capable of killing a predator, he will pass you by, looking for easier prey.

Believe it, or don't. Your choice.

[Fox Mulder]

Kabar, how common is it that people are robbed with guns? What do you think the best weapon for self defense would be? I was thinking maybe a bat or a club. that way people would know you had a way of defending yourself.

[Guest NEW2FR8s]

hey kabar, i havent painted many trains as you may tell by my name, i havent painted many in fear of heating out the yard for the other writers, im waiting to kill the trains to my full extint once i am alittle more skilled in the trains and can paint wit out fear of the bulls catchin wind of me and wit out heating up the yard. but i have been going to the yards for about a year now benchin and getting flicks and i admit i have busted some throwies before and like two pieces, but i think im about to start painting more at the yards (maybe). ive been hittin the layups. but any way how much of a chance do i have of having to defend myself at the yard when im just painting and not hopping the trains. i mean i can fight but im only one 16 year old theres not much i can do if they come from behind or something. well thats all i wanted to ask later......

[metaljockey]

Kabar: you got alot of good info that can be very useful to alot of the new kids out there. Send me an e-mail if you can, I would like to ask you for a favor. dont worry, I aint a cop.

 

stayrail@hotmail.com

[KaBar]

Survival is mainly a matter of good imagination

 

Fox Mulder---I'm not advocating that everybody go around armed to the teeth, but I am advocating that people be alert and aware and cautious. The hazard presented by a stranger or strangers is reduced considerably by distance. The greater distance between you and some group of people you don't know, the safer you are. You don't have to be packing a knife or a gun to be safe, but you do have to be packing a brain that is functioning and some awareness of the hazards presented by an environment devoid of the usual restraints on behavior. Lots of people approach rail yards and hopping with a completely laid-back, "no boundaries" kind of attitude. Some of these folks just think that anything is okay. They do not have any set of principles or belief system that sets any restraint on their behavior. Trainhopping attracts some people who are already in trouble with the law. It attracts mentally ill people, it attracts people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs. It attracts cargo thieves and rip-off artists and drug smugglers. It attracts people who consider themselves to be "outcasts from society." It also attracts just regular people who happen to enjoy the thrill of riding trains, and people who are counter-culture drop outs, and people who just don't want to be a wage slave.

I don't have any advice for under-age teenagers about weapons, except getting caught with one is going to have some serious consequences. I don't carry any clubs or bats, but I do carry a 26 inch long 2x4 deadman, that works great for whacking dogs senseless. I guess a piece of axe handle or shovel handle would work pretty good on dogs too. I do carry a LEGAL pocketknife. You need to KNOW THE LAW IN YOUR STATE, and that means buying the Criminal Code book that the cops carry in their squad car. I bought mine for $12 at a police supply store in downtown Houston. I know ALL the laws.

A great majority of the crime and violence is perpetuated by a VERY small percentage of trainhoppers. The other 99% are just people. Some cool, some jerks, some just taking up space.

The rules are pretty simple. Don't hop by yourself. Always take plenty of water. Always deadman the door. Wear boots, gloves and take warm, comfortable clothes. Wear ear plugs--trains are very noisy. Mind the slack action, don't stand up unless absolutely necessary. Never bring anything illegal with you--you don't want to turn a bullshit trespassing arrest into a felony drug bust. Don't hop with people you don't know WELL. Don't get into a car with people you don't know. Don't let people get into YOUR car. If they board anyway, GET OFF. Cook, chat or hang out with people if they seem cool, but GO FIND A PLACE BY YOURSELF TO SLEEP AWAY FROM STRANGERS. If there are two of you, one sleeps while the other stands guard. Never show your bankroll. Never carry all your money in one place. Never allow yourself to be outnumbered (if there are two of you, as soon as the number of strangers numbers three, it's time to leave.) If you carry a weapon, NEVER, EVER pull it as an empty threat. Don't pull a weapon unless your life is in danger. And if you pull it, you'd better be fully prepared to use it. (If you use it, you are probably going to jail, and maybe to prison.) Run if you can. Fight if you must. Never give a bull or a cop (or ANYBODY in authority) any shit whatsoever. Remember the attitude test. Don't build a fire unless you absolutely must, and even then, only in the jungle, NEVER IN THE YARD. Don't break anything, don't steal anything, and never fuck around with railroad property.

These rules are not only good for hopping freights, they are pretty solid for just living your life. At least, I have found them to be good guidelines.

[KaBar]

I hate to see these posts lost off the site too. Again, I guess I need to make a hard copy.

[suburbian bum]

bump for knowledge sake.

[dai]

Originally posted by Fox Mulder

Kabar, how common is it that people are robbed with guns? What do you think the best weapon for self defense would be? I was thinking maybe a bat or a club. that way people would know you had a way of defending yourself.

 

i usually keep a hammer in my pack. it's somewhat light and you can use it for alot of things... popping locks, self-defense, etc.

[KaBar]

Carrying tools when hopping

 

As it happens, I also carry a hammer and a cheap, cloth nail apron filled with nails in my pack. The hammer is an old 16 oz. framing hammer that I wouldn't miss much if I lost it or broke it. But I don't carry it for use as a weapon.

First of all, if you need a weapon to fight with, you need it instantaneously. You aren't going to have more than a few seconds to draw it, at best, so if it's inside your ruck, it's useless. Even a folding knife might be too slow. In addition to a legal pocket knife, I also now carry my "tramp knife" that I ground down to legal length (in Texas--check your LOCAL LAWS). It only cost me about $4.95. It was a standard kitchen butcher knife 8" long, and I ground it down and re-shaped it to a legal length and configuration (5-3/8" long, sharp ONLY ON THE BOTTOM EDGE. A knife with a "false edge" i.e. sharp on both the bottom and top is A PROHIBITED WEAPON IN TEXAS--it constitutes a poniard, Bowie knife or dagger. The law doesn't say you can't carry a knife. It says that you can't carry a knife that is a prohibited weapon.)

My tramp knife also does a great job of cutting up vegetables, disjointing a chicken and so on. All my knives are kept razor sharp, and I mean RAZOR sharp.

A knife is a defensive weapon. It has very limited range (the length of your arm) and requires that your assailant be very close to you in order for you to defend yourself. This isn't good. Anybody who carries a knife for defense needs to STUDY knife fighting.

I also carry a folding camp saw, and it is one of the most useful and valuable tools I own. I trim branches with it, I cut firewood and poles for a shelter. It's a great tool.

I also carry a little pair of gardening snippers. They work GREAT for shaping up the inside of a hollow "canopy" tree or bush. And last, I carry a pair of needle-nose pliers to bend and cut wire coat hangers for gunboat bails. You punch holes in the side straight across from each other with a nail and your hammer, and then attach a bail bent into a square-side "U" that fits around the bottom of the gunboat so you can snap it upright and hang it on an "S" hook on your dog chain. I also bent a "dimple" in the center of the bail at the top, so it won't slide around when handing on the "S" hook. Some people also attach a permenantly attached hook, bent around the bail, so you don't absolutely have to have an "S" hook. I don't like this idea as much, the hook hangs up and is awkward inside your ruck.

I guess that pretty much covers the tools that I carry. Obviously, all these heavy-ass tools are not necessary. I carry them because I like to build jungles, and to do that easily, you need tools.

[Guest rolldafukout]

i bench and roam around in a yard that holds 50+ lines and i see all types of movement/connecting, it's crazy when you get chased out and you have to hop like 15 lines, all you can do is pray while your hoping "please dont connect please dont connect" my friend was standing on the couplers(where they connect, im not to train smart) and we where getting chased out, so right after i jumped down he was getting ready to jump also and "BAM" luckily he jumped right at impact and we made it out, later he said that he felt the impact in his teeth, trains are fun but you can die in the blink of an eye

[stand up]

yes

 

They should make a new movie about the train hoppers and there lifes and the survival.

[KaBar]

Movie

 

Actually, there is a 16mm documentary shot by a woman named Sarah George coming out sometime this winter called "Hobo Jungles" or something like that. Their web site is on the net. Most tramps and hoppers are against anything that publicizes trainhopping or tramping, because every time there is a movie or a book, MORE young kids take to the rails and it causes more heat. More cops, more rousts, more jail time, and more crusading Mothers-Against-Train-Hopping sort of bullshit that makes life hard for the real tramps. In fact, a lot of people who hop would be very pissed off to find out that I was on this web site telling people how to do it. The real problem is the do-gooders who want to save you from your own poor judgement, and report every hopper they see to the bulls.

So. If you want to hop trains, then read all about it, check out these posts and all, and do whatever you please. But I'm against movies about hopping. It is more-or-less like skylining. Dumb move--only rookies do that. HIDE. Do not skyline on a train, in a yard, or when painting.

[stand up]

ah

 

Seems very logical and similar to writing going mainstreme.

[IVO AKM KILLERZ]

bump

[ASER1NE]

Bump so i can read this one too ...

[KaBar2]

Bump---let's move this back onto Trainspotting. I'd forgotten what a good discussion we had.

[KaBar2]

Huh. Kind of neat, going back and reading stuff I posted on here a couple of years ago. Trying to be objective, it's pretty good advice, and I still stand by it.

[Entro123]

Originally posted by KaBar2@May 19 2005, 07:34 PM

Huh. Kind of neat, going back and reading stuff I posted on here a couple of years ago. Trying to be objective, it's pretty good advice, and I still stand by it.

Quoted post

 

Always enjoy reading your post KaBar keep up the good work!