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KaBar

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Having a dog isn't a bad idea. I have a good partner in crime with my pup. She's kind of become the writers dog because I take her with me anytime I go anywhere outdoors. I've had encounters with people and workers who didn't say shit because of the dog. I want to take to the rails someday and you better believe she's coming with me. Keeping it alive (that sounds harsh, man.) wouldn't be too difficult but you got to remember that it's just like a child or person. It needs as much water if not more than you, which means extra luggage. The dog would get on and off the train with you if you trained it. I'd think it best to "upload" it yourself though. If you're gonna get in a box, put her up in the box and get in yourself. I wouldn't suggest hopping a moving train if you've got your companion with you. If you're a good dog owner then you would know your dogs needs and you'd be in tune with what was going on. Good dogs have good owners. They go hand in hand. I wouldnt get a dog and then hop on the rails. Bad idea. All that would do is cause frustration. I wouldn't get a dog just because you wanted to take it on the rails either. So...the answer to your question is simple: You're going to have to provide for the dog. Meaning, you're gonna lug the water (if you get a breed that can carry things, that's a plus...let her carry some weight. Working dogs are instinctively bred to work whether they get to or not). Food is another story. You can't just give it anything you find. Dog food is cheap but when it comes down to it, carrying it isn't practical. Canned food is cheap, so if you had some spare change, for one meal for the two of you would be around a buck. I realize for real hoboes that's a lot of money but if you're just testing the rails for the fun it then you should have that. Anyway, this is going on and on for no reason. If you own a dog then you know what it'd take to keep it healthy. Watch out for parasites and things. Don't ever let your dog eat anything that smells foul. Parasites and worms lurk in the most strangest places without you knowing it and sooner than you think you'd be smelling the effects. Healthy dog farts already stink...word.

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thanks for the info. i have a dog now, but i just didnt know much about takin care of it like when out in the woods like from tics and shit cuz i live nowhere near any of that stuff, i just gotta keep him from traffic here. and if u had a bigger workin dog wouldnt it have to eat alot more? i just want to know the most i can about the risk my buddy would face before id take him into it. thank you southern kid for all the info. much appreciated.

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Dogs came from wolves, which are wild animals, so despite popular belief, they hold up okay in such conditions. They actually thrive. Dogs weren't meant to be locked away in small apartments off of 83rd and Lincoln...we just domesicated them and that's how it is now. Tics and things will need to be searched for because they can make your dog very sick. You will know if your dog gets them (for the most part, but it's not a bad idea to check) if it's biting and gnawing at it's skin a lot. If it's going for the deep tissue while gnawing then you know something's up and you should scope it out. The best way to break your dog in would be to travel the woods a little bit. Get him used to being around trains. My dog hops in the boxes if there's an open door nearby. It's kind of funny when I call for her and she jumps out of a car a few links down. Of course if you had a bigger working dog it is going to eat more. (there are medium grade dogs that do just as well with such things as protection and working) However, let me ask you this, would you rather have a poodle or a german shepard to protect you and keep you company? Caring for your dog is a simple matter of always being on the lookout and knowing what's best. Your dog trusts you, or should, to the fullest extent of the word. I my dog and I didn't get along we wouldn't go the places we do. Risks involve things too such as getting stabbed, stolen or shot. The same things you have to worry about are problems for your dog too. Never drink stagnant water even if boiled. KaBar taught me some about this. Man I could sit here for days talking about stuff but Kabar has taken pride in educating a lot on these boards. There is lots of good information. Just remember that anything you read about personal safety goes for your dog. He can't read, he can't critically think. Dog's only generalize. Monkey see monkey do is true in this scenario. Let me know if you come with any other questions that I might be able to help on. Kabar also knows a lot about dogs. To my knowledge, if it's right, he had two or three German Shepards in his lifetime. He will probably drop some really good information in here when he spots this.

 

No problem man...just trying to help.

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Another thing I just thought of....and you should be using these already. Go to Wal-Mart or any herbal store and pick up some Amino Fatty Acid pills. Might be Omega...I forget, I just know what the bottle looks like. They strengthen your dogs coat and give it those fatty acids it lacks because of our modern day food treatments. It will make your dog's coat kind of oily and sheen but after using it for a few months you'll notice a much healthier and overall cleaner coat. I would DEFINTELY take these on the road with me. I would also have some Parsley spice. This works wonders for your dogs breath and dogs love it. I can give mine just parsley and when she's done she looks at me because she want's more. Not all dogs are that way. Just slip two or three pills a day into it's food and you're set. It has other up-sides too but I forget what they are. The main one is the coat stays healthier and doesn't shed as much. Good deal. They're cheap too...$2.68 I believe for 250 tablets. Good shit.

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Lots of Dogs Riding the Rails

 

A whole lot of people who trainhop take dogs with them. Mostly they are just mutts that the tramps find and adopt. Some very famous tramps travel with dogs. New York Slim (a really huge black guy) travels with a very small dog, small enough to carry in one hand. (Edit 3/02/04: Stretch told me the other day that this dog's name is "Stewpot." LOL. Don't know if it's true or not, but it sounds legit, considering Slim's reputation. He's a really nice guy. Just real big.)

 

Stretch, who has posted on this thread a few times, and has 18 years on the rails, has travelled with a couple of dogs. His present canine companion, Burlington, looks to me to be a mix-breed elk hound/Akita or some cold-weather dog like that. Burl was born on a moving freight train, out of Stretch's previous bitch, Chessie, who is retired from the rails now and is a home guard. . .er, home-dog. Stretch has Burl fitted with both a body harness (NOT a collar) and dual pack bags. Burl hauls his own food and water, and sometimes some of Stretch's stuff when the food in the pack-bags gets low. (The pack bags must be weight-balanced so Burl can carry them--one on each side.)

 

Contrary to what the dog food industry tells you, dogs can eat pretty much whatever people eat, but obviously a steady diet of sugar, chocolate and shit like that is harmful to dogs. Burl does drink beer, but his limit is one every couple of days. Stretch, too. One CASE, in Stretch's diet, LOL. Water is definately a necessity for all animals, including dogs. Burl carries a one-liter Coke bottle full of water in each saddlebag.

Stretch can hoist Burl up into boxcars, up onto grainer porches and even up into empty gondola cars, using his body harness. Burl can jump into a slow-moving boxcar, but Stretch only hits STANDING cars when he's hopping with Burl. It's too dangerous to the dog to hit moving trains. Burl is down for it, but Stretch ain't. Burl is a brave-ass dog, he'll hit any train Stretch tells him to hit, but it's not safe. Stretch is too worried that Burl might slip and get run over, so he won't hop moving trains with Burl. Only "standing" trains, and usually at night, for security reasons. (If Stretch gets arrested, Burl will get sent to the Pound.) Cops have threatened to shoot Burl before, because he was so aggressive in trying to protect Stretch.

 

Boxcars are terribly noisy. People can wear earplugs, but most dogs don't tolerate them well. Burl doesn't like boxcars, because they are too noisy, but he loves grainers and grainer porches.

 

Dogs are the camp guard/ gear guard/ alarm system par exellance. Anybody comes into Stretch's jungle, Burl goes wild, barking, snarling and lunging on his leash. (Stretch keeps Burl leashed up all the time they are in camp--a railroad environment is too dangerous to let your dog run free. Stretch worked on a horse ranch last year and got a big, thick horse lead that he uses for Burl's leash. It has a brass snap hook on one end and a mountaineering carabiner on the other, allowing Stretch to put Burl on a safety line any time and just about any place.)

 

Dogs naturally defend their owners. This is great, unless the bad guys are railroad bulls or city cops. Stretch wanted to hop down to Corpus Christi when he came down to visit me, but he heard that the cops in San Antonio would shoot any hobo dogs that got aggressive, so he said "Fuck it--I ain't going anywhere where the bulls would shoot a dog. What kind of person would shoot an innocent dog? Man. That's crazy."

 

Be aware. Hopping freights is not without dangers, and it's hazardous to dogs too. But if you are REALLY CAREFUL, you could do it without you or the dog getting hurt. IF YOU GET BUSTED AND GET JAIL TIME, your dog may go to the Pound and get put to sleep. Stretch told me "If I get busted, no problem, just leave me in jail to do my time. But, please, come get Burl out and take care of him, and I will pay you back every last cent, I swear."

 

And if you run out of money and food, just go dumpster-diving. The dog can eat pretty much anything, even if it's a little bit "ripe," but people can't, so be careful about eating stuff from nasty dumpsters or you'll get the runs. We all ate stuff up at Britt that Collinwood Kid dumpster-dived in Cleveland and brought with him to Britt (vegetables, meat, bread--including about fifty pounds of COOKIES, still in the package) and nobody got sick. Just cook it real well--hot fire, cook it long. Stretch and Texas Mad Man had more dumpster-dived chow than we could eat, down here in Houston before Amory. They were eating good. Burl never missed a meal.

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Thanks. Dogs weren't meant to be locked up in apartments but they can be. They can adapt to almost anything and rather more quickly than we can in some cases. I was also going to point out that those "coat pills" keep away rashes and dry skin, would be a nasty and real problem on the rails. That was my whole point of posting that and I totally left it out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Southern

 

It kind of depends on what city you're in. Bigger, more urban cities, like Chicago or Detroit have lots of places good for a jungle, but most of the areas close to rail lines inside of Chicago where trains slow down or stop are pretty industrialized, which usually means bulls or city cops will eventually be around.

 

Houston, even though it is a big, industrial city (petrochemicals) has a lot of woods and undeveloped areas where someone bought a chunk of commercial property and isn't maintaining it. It's next to a rail line, or near a junction or a small yard, and it's all overgrown with trees and bushes. My jungle is actually close to railroad property, and there is a prime location nearby that is actually in the railroad wye, but it's hidden in a grove of trash trees. The area will eventually develop, and be ruined as a jungle location, but I guess that's just life. There is a nearby taco stand (about 250 yards away) that has a water faucet in the back, right near the tracks. We get water there, at night. We are very careful to not make any disturbance, leave any trace or do any damage at or near the water faucet. We do not dive the dumpster there at all. The idea is to PROTECT THE WATER SOURCE. The next nearest easily available water source is across a four-lane highway.

 

I think that for a jungle to be really valuable it has to be located in an area where nobody cares that you are there. Either a crappy, demolished area, like a torn-down factory or abandoned building; or a remote area, pretty far from any residences, schools, businesses, etc. If there are buildings too close by, it will annoy people if you build fires, camp out, etc. If it's too easy to see your camp, it will attract curious kids (which will piss off their parents), and maybe attract homeguards and druggies. The idea is to site it somewhere where nobody cares about you being there. Then you will be free to relax at your liesure, drink a beer, bench trains and just gewnerally chill out. If you intend to use it as a base of operations to hop, it should be within walking distance of a good catch out. My jungle is not really sited at a good catch out. Trains do stop there, but a genuinely good catch out is one where they stop on a regular, predictable basis--near a yard, or near a signal that halts trains waiting to go up on the high iron.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Winter trip

 

Hi kabar, still checking into the idea of comming south this fall and due to my winter gear/tent ect took a ride in my van without me knowing about it, i might half to be after thanksgiving before burl and i come south. I'll keep in touch.:eek:

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After reading alot of these posts, from educated homeless/houseless folk, I jus wanna slap every local bum around hear, filthy drunk garbage everyware in all there camps, Mad agressive, always fucked up on something wheather its Beer/huffing/ Smoking Raid/Cheese/

These cats make people scared of them. Im an Ex-gang banger, so the pump no fear here, but DAMN, I wish they would jus clean up after themselvs, and have more self respect, because that will reflect......Dont look at me with them fucked up hazzy stares, thinking I owe you something Ya know.......Does that make any sense?

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Carl Uno

 

Yeah, unfortunately it does make sense. I've seen a lot of "homeless" people who are addicted to something, I've seen a lot who were mentally ill with schizophrenia or bipolar illness or profound depression who refuse treatment and choose instead to be sick and wander the streets acting angrily and aggressively.

 

I'm not making excuses for them--they are the victims of disease, mostly, but although the illness isn't their fault, controlling their behavior is DEFINATELY their responsibility. The world doesn't owe them a damned thing. I got no problem with dumpster-diving, I got no problem with "canning" or re-cycling found items--these are legitimate survival activities and should not be against any laws. I do think that people who dive dumpsters have an obligation to put the stuff they remove that they don't want BACK INTO THE DUMPSTER.

 

But there is a certain "Fuck the World" attitude that goes along with being mentally ill, especially with bipolar or profound depression. It leads people to think they can go through life drunk, stoned, fucked up on all kinds of substances, pissing in public, leaving garbage everywhere, accosting strangers and demanding money, never bathing, never taking responsibility for oneself---it's totally inappropriate.

 

I have no patience for people who shit where they eat. I believe (as you know, if you read this thread ^^^) in keeping a Clean Camp. I believe in living life with dignity, with respect for oneself and respect for the rest of the world. I DO NOT believe in taking a bunch of shit from irresponsible, aggressive, low-self-esteem losers. Many of them belong in psychiatric hospitals, but unfortunately, the most medical or psychiatric care they are going to recieve is in jail, unless they do something profoundly crazy and aggressive.

 

BEING POOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BEING AN ASSHOLE. I've been poor plenty. I did not rip people off to make my life easier. I NEVER demanded money from people, or robbed anybody or stole anything out of cars--stuff like that. Never.

 

I am opposed to panhandling. Although I have friends that fly a sign once in a while to raise money, they also work when they can. If they borrow money, they feel obligated to repay it. I think flying a sign lacks dignity, but that's a personal decision. I prefer not to do that, I'd rather work. I recognize that not everybody feels the way I do. I can't say I've never panhandled--I have, a few times, years ago. It made me feel bad about myself. I didn't like it. But if I was hungry, broke and had no prospects, I might do it again. I prefer to work, or to have some sort of business though.

 

Tramping is a lifestyle choice. A lot of guys I know who ride trains actually have a regular job, a home, girlfriend or a wife, etc. I also know a few guys who don't have any permenant address, they basically just stay with different people--a month here, a couple of weeks there. It's almost impossible to ride much if you have a regular 40-hours-a-week job. The guys that do have a regular job who ride usually do it during lay-offs or during their vacation, or something like that. Maybe like a construction worker who rides trains during the winter wet-weather season. But they are good guys, they are decent guys who just choose an unusual lifestyle. They don't shit where they eat. And they don't go around fucking with everybody.

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i may sound really stupid

 

Originally posted by KaBar2

I think flying a sign lacks dignity

 

flying a sign lacks dignity but searching in the dumpsters for food is ok?

 

i'm also wondering what the penalty is for train riding, i know its treated as an offence, has anyone you know been caught

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Hard to Explain---I guess it's a matter of degrees

 

When I lived in San Francisco, I used to see these homeless schizophrenics all the time, digging in trash cans looking for food. Office workers would take their lunches out to these little parks down on Market Street, and sit out in the sun on nice days, and eat lunch. Of course, being good citizens and all, they would put the remains of their lunch, and it's paper bag, Coke can, etc. in the nearest trash can. A little while later, here comes Herb the Homeless Guy, who grubs around in the garbage, eating bread crusts and drinking somebody else's last swallow of Coke. I was always repulsed by these characters--it's a short fall from working-temp-as-a-janitor to living under a bridge.

 

I think the difference is the desparate nature of their trash-can-digging. For me, dumpster-diving is an option. A choice. I worked when I could, I panhandled a few times when I was broke, I dumpster-dived behind supermarkets for vegetables, or behind fast-food places for edible food off the serving line (they can only hold pizza, burgers, chicken, etc. for a limited amount of time on the line before it must be thrown out,) but I never felt like I was reduced to the same desparate straits as those poor San Francisco schizophrenics. Any time I decided to do so, I could have pitched the whole trainhopping scene and gone and gotten a job. I just didn't choose to do that.

 

That difference is no small difference. It's what divides consensual sex from rape, employment from slavery and concubinage from marriage. It's what separates a volunteer soldier from a draftee, taxes from armed robbery and involuntary manslaughter from murder. Free will---it makes a lot of difference.

 

"Flying a sign" is just a more acceptable euphemism for begging. I preferred to make my own way in the world. I preferred trainhopping to hitchhiking, because hitchhiking involves begging for a ride. In a wierd sort of way, the hitchhiker becomes beholden to the driver--you "owe" him something, if only nothing more than being a barely-willing audience to his life story, opinions and philosophies.

If you hop a train, you usually aren't asking. You are taking a ride without permission, actually, which is why it is illegal.

Different states have different laws about it, but in general, catching out is misdemeanor tresspassing, punishable by a fine of $500 or less---more or less like a serious traffic ticket. If they really wanted to jack you up, they could charge you with "theft of transportation," and if you damaged railroad equipment, maybe "interfereing with railroad operations," which is a felony. And you could be jailed of course--some states require mandatory jail time for a second or third tresspassing offense. And yes, I have several friends and acquaintences who have been arrested, jailed and fined for tresspassing on railroad property. Stretch and Texas Mad Man got fined $500 apiece in New York state a couple of years ago. Collinwood had to go bail them out and pay the fine--they paid him back a little at a time.

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i can kind of see your point from one angle..its a personal decision, i hope i'm never in a situation where i do either...

 

another question. i'm dont know a lot about this whole tramp hobo scene so say these guys hop a freight to another state, what do they do when they get to that state? whats the common goal with this?

 

and also is it just as easy as getting on a freight once you know where its going and just waiting for it move?

 

pardon my lack of knowledge.

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FatBastard

 

Just like with everything else, there are varying degrees of "hobo-ness." There are the teenaged kids (or even younger--I was about twelve) who hop a train for a short joyride. There are the college boys who decide on a lark to hop one during spring break. There are the Deadheads and the punk rocker anarchists who hop one to get from city-to-city to attend concerts or to go to hippie gatherings. There are the alcoholics and druggies who are so down-and-out that riding trains is kind of like an alternate Greyhound. There are the illegal aliens who ride up from Mexico looking for work. There are the ex-convict 1%er members of outfits like the FTRA and the Wrecking Crew, who ride in malevolent tribalistic groups. And there are the guys from TU63, who are more-or-less harmless tramps who attend the National Hobo Convention at Britt, Iowa, and make the rounds of "hobo gatherings" around the country. (Just recently there was the Hobo Halloween gathering in Salem, Massachusetts.)

 

It's a lifestyle choice. Why do people become bikers? Why do people become surf bums? Why to people become Deadheads? Why do people decide to follow the rodeo circuit? It ain't for the money. I guess it's just a scene that is inspiring.

 

There's something else, too. There is a certain body of knowledge that is pretty esoteric and almost arcane about learning to get from one place to another on freight trains. Most tramps know a great deal about the railroad and trains in general. They know the names of all the parts of the track, the switches, the junctions, etc. They understand the railroad signals, and can tell by looking at the signal lights what is about to happen. They know many of the rules and regulations that various railroads have promulgated. They know where the crew changes occur, how often it's likely to happen, how long it will take. By listening to a railroad radio scanner, they can tell you what trains are lleaving, where they are going, and whether or not they will break up or "work" during transit.

They know the manufacturers and model designations of the units. They can recognize what engines are likely to be "road power," and which ones are likely to be "locals" or "goats."

 

All this stuff tends to give them a feeling of self respect and competance. Like someone who takes pride in knowing every detail about the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, true trainhoppers study and memorize the body of knowledge that pertains to their chosen "vocation." And they publish, too. I have seen several versions or volumes of the Crew Change Guide, which is basically a "how-to" manual for traversing the U.S. and Canada on freight trains. It is a "samizdat" publication, xeroxed and passed from hand-to-hand, from one trusted bro to another. It is NEVER sold, and it is NEVER published on the Internet. To receive a copy, you must raise your hand and swear to safeguard it. When I was asked to do that, I thought to myself "Yeah, right--like that would stop me if I wanted to sell it." But you know what? I feel very obligated, and the more I think about it, the more resolute I become to not violate that trust.

 

I rode trains in my youth, 24-7. I don't ride much these days. But when I do, it reminds me of why I did it to start with, and makes me want to go back to The Life.

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nice post.did you now kabal that hopping is not dying here in canada.id never do it but ive got a couple of friends who travel around the country in late spring,summer and early autumn.a lot of kids grabs trains here just to go to school or friends house.hopping and streaking is officially not dying down here.

peace.

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a buddy of mine had a copy of a copy of a copy etc of "new york slim's guide to north american crew change points". that shit was amazing. it gave directions to the layup and schedules for the small town im from. its truly an amazing piece of documentation. its very important that its kept fairly secretive though. it bothers me that at the time i was carrying it, i had never been told to "protect it" and was not instructed to until a year later.

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Most of the time, people that are actually hopping who are carrying a copy of the CCG are carrying a "copy of a copy." In other words, they don't carry their original, they carry a working copy, so if they get arrested or soaked in a rainstorm, etc., their CCG won't be lost. It is, of course, bad news for a copy of the CCG to get "captured," but much of the information contained within it remains the same year after year.

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