Hopping Freight Trains in America
"Hopping freights is not only dangerous, it's illegal," Littlejohn says, but he loves the adventurousness of it and the startling view of the country it gives. He tells you what sort of clothing is best (dark, and wear gloves), why it's easier to hop a freight in rural areas than in cities, why it's hard to find a train on Sundays and Mondays, how to know where you're going (try Rand McNally'sHandy Railroad Atlas of the United States), and why railroad workers (except bulls and managers) are, in general, friendly to riders. He describes hobo jungles. He gives an insider's view of unions and characterizes various companies regarding their attitudes toward free rides (many of them look the other way, Littlejohn says, because riders are often migrant workers; the produce they harvest may end up as freight). Littlejohn gives a colorful history of railroads and how they affected cities--for instance, the "wrong side of the tracks" originally referred to where immigrants settled after the railyards were established. Finally, Littlejohn suggests where you can hop a freight in every state and most Canadian provinces, with some asides for certain cities. (In New Orleans, "get ready for some long bridge walks.") There is no other book on this subject.John Mort