“I tell people the best way to enjoy traveling is always the safe way,” says Connecticut Shorty, a former hobo “queen,” as crowned at the National Hobo Convention that takes place the second week of August, every year since 1900, in Britt, Iowa. “ Hopping freights is illegal and dangerous.”
Do hobos still exist?
When you think of hobos riding the rails across America, you probably think of the Great Depression or other bygone eras. Yet you may be surprised to learn train-hoppers are alive and well in modern-day America — and, what’s more, around the world.
Are hobos illegal?
Train hopping, sometimes referred to as freight hopping, is against the law in all US states . ... Homeless hobos, immigrant workers, mostly from South America, and thrill-seeking US citizens surreptitiously all hitch rides, despite the increased use of electronic surveillance and tightened security around rail yards.
Is freight hopping legal?
Train hopping, sometimes referred to as freight hopping, is against the law in all US states . ... Homeless hobos, immigrant workers, mostly from South America, and thrill-seeking US citizens surreptitiously all hitch rides, despite the increased use of electronic surveillance and tightened security around rail yards.
Is it dangerous to train hop?
This type of travelling can be dangerous and even life-threatening, because there is a risk of death or serious injury from falling off a moving train, electrocution from power supply (overhead lines, current collectors and resistors), colliding with a railway infrastructure (bridges, tunnels, platforms, traffic lights ...
What does hobo stand for?
A hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagrant , especially one who is impoverished. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States around 1890. Unlike a “tramp”, who works only when forced to, and a “bum”, who does not work at all, a “hobo” is a traveling worker.
Is stobe the hobo dead?
On November 9, 2017 , James Stobie, better known by his YouTube identity Stobe the Hobo, a famous train hopper was killed when he was dragged to death by an Amtrak train.
How did hobo shoestring lose his fingers?
Railroad police, known by hobos as “bulls,” often check trains as they stop at yards. ... He was hurt one time while traveling on the Kansas City Southern Railroad in Pittsburg, Kansas. He fell and had a pinky and ring finger on top of the rail. The train ran over his fingers.
Who was stobe the hobo?
James William Stobie gained considerable notoriety during his all too short life of thirty-three years as a filmmaker who self-produced documentary styled videos portraying life as a rail riding traveler– AKA ‘Stobe the Hobo.” His accomplishments were many, but his time here on earth...
What is the maximum length of a train?
So how long is a train? Freight and passenger. A freight train length is anywhere between 140 feet and 10,000 feet or 1.9 mile. However there were instances where a freight train has reached over 18,000 feet or 3.4 miles , pulling 295 cars.
What happens if you hop on a train?
It should elicit a fine of a couple hundred dollars, but it could land you a month (or more) in jail and a fine in the ballpark of $1,000.
How fast do freight trains go?
Trains carrying freight are currently allowed to travel at speeds of up to 70 mph or 80 mph , but unloaded many trains generally only travel from 40-50 mph, according to FRA researchers.
Why did hobos ride the rails?
Some left to escape poverty or troubled families , others because it seemed a great adventure. At the height of the Great Depression, more than 250,000 teenagers were living on the road in America. Many criss-crossed the country by hopping freight trains, although it was both dangerous and illegal.
What is a female hobo called?
bo-ette – a female hobo.
Is hobo short for anything?
Possibly a term for a stowaway traveler out of the Hoboken, NJ train yards, or a contraction of ho, boy, or the dialectal English term hawbuck (“lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin”). It could also be an abbreviation for homeless boy , homeward bound, or homeless Bohemian.
Who was the most famous hobo?
1. is arguably the most famous hobo in the United States. His given name is Leon Ray Livingston and he was born in 1872 and he was a lifelong wanderer. He was riding the rails, and stowing away on ships starting at the age of 11 and then he began to write about his journeys. He wrote about a dozen books on the subject.
