Railroad Forums 

  • Famous YouTube Hobo rides Pan Am to Maine, camps at Rigby Yard and films whole thing.

  • Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1553247  by backroadrails
 
Pan Am barely has any police left. They made massive cuts to their police department several years ago.
The current department relies on other agencies (State Pd, Sheriffs, ETC) to help enforce the laws. I know about 3 years ago there was another hobo which flew here, and hitch hiked to Oakfield and rode MNR/NBSR to the boarder. He then crossed legally and train hopped to St. John. The return trip he wasn't so lucky and attempted to hitch a ride back on MAWA, and in doing so was called in by the conductor and ended up getting caught by the State PD after breaking into a garden shed.
 #1553454  by Trainman101
 
Gilbert B Norman wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 7:02 am Chicago Police just arrested the Census Cowboy for taking "peaceful assembly" too far. Why haven't the Pan Am or other Police agencies done same with this "character"?

That he has free range of You Tube, he is simply encouraging others to attempt same. Obviously he has good "situational awareness" in that he's stayed alive through his escapades, but what happens when some teen aged kid with a less than fully developed brain attempts same with a "not so pleasant" outcome?

He’s been arrested before, it won’t stop him.
 #1554602  by Plate C
 
Nothing like watching railfans, workers, and some foamers argue the legalities because absolutely no one here has ever trespassed on RR property, ever :P

Really though I do enjoy seeing people discuss & explore the topic. It may, or may not, be worth noting that the tradition of hoboing and its associated behaviors predates most anyone on this site, and the attitude toward riding freights is quite varied just within the RR itself. I myself was surprised to find out just this year that a retired engineer I know rode freights before he came to work for the RR. He said he never forgot his experiences hopping freights and was always willing to help a guy out if he saw him. There are also plenty of workers willing to give out info, like are there any Westbounds leaving today? As for hobo marking and monikers, some of the most famous ones associated with hoboes were actually done by workers (see Who Is Bozo Texino? by Bill Daniels on Youtube) and I sincerely doubt that stopping hobo monikers is a big priority when workers write on the trains and other areas too.

Some workers are of the attitude that if a man can safely get himself on/off the train and through the yard then they are free to ride. I've had others tell me they don't have time to keep running back to check their train so if someone makes it on, they're rolling with them. I was present in the Midwest when one guy phoned in to the crew of a passing train to let them know he would be boarding the 3rd unit as they passed- and he did! Of course I've seen people kicked off or arrested and some areas are tougher on this than others.

For all the hobo/freight riders I've met, I've never felt in danger at all. If anything, they may have been more a danger to themselves than others, usually with the younger crowd that gets drunk around the tracks leaving them prone to injury. Most of these guys have no desire to be seen by, or to interact with, railfans as they figure you're going to tell on them. They're just trying to catch a ride without being seen by anyone.
 #1554610  by highrail
 
"Nothing like watching railfans, workers, and some foamers argue the legalities because absolutely no one here has ever trespassed on RR property, ever"

Your first sentence misses the point of concern for the practice of hopping trains. It is a safety and common sense issue.

And there is no shortage of support for those who view the practice as adventurous and wonderful. You only need to read the number of views and the comments on the shoestring character's you tube to realize that there is quite a following. The guy is a great case in point. He lost part of a hand jumping from a train, was hit by a car jumping off a train, was trapped in a boxcar, and who knows how many other close calls. Talk to the family whose son lost a leg under the wheel of a freight because it was cool to hop a freight. It is a dangerous practice.
 #1554616  by MEC407
 
That'll have to be the last word on the subject, as this discussion is no longer PAR-related, either directly or tangentially.