What can I say – There are no secrets in this world, only ignorance. unfortunately I have to be careful with what I say(for reasons I wont get into at this moment in time).
Many train hoppers have a problem with exposure. They feel that they belong to some secret fraternity that is unknown to the outside world. They worry that by discussing such a past time, over night every one will begin taking to the rails, the cops will step up security, and they will no longer be able to exist as they are. Although it is my goal to slowly weed out a certain type of train rider by promoting such a culture; I can assure you train hopping has never been, nor will it ever be a secret. Have you ever met anyone who has never heard of riding freight trains?
Even though every one knows it is possible to ride freight trains most do not. The main reason they do not, is because they have been told not to do it. You will hear people talk on just how dangerous it can be, yet they have never ridden a freight train, nor do they even know the first thing about them. Why do they think such things? Every single day people die doing things that are completely safe. Every single day people partake in hobbies that are far more dangerous than riding freight trains, yet you will never hear how stupid and dangerous it is. Why is this?
You will hear freight hoppers talking on how free they feel when riding trains. Yet they cannot control when a train comes, or when it goes. A train runs along a predetermined route, and it does not just stop when they want to get off. For all intensive purposes a train hopper exists to the whim of the railroad. That doesn’t sound like freedom to me. How does freedom stem from riding something that is a prisoner to the iron road in runs on, and one has no control over its schedule?
Wizehop had once stated “Freedom lies in pastimes that are a bit odd and slightly illegal” If I read it correctly freedom is not a physical term, it is a psychological one. Most boundaries in life are psychological. Right/Wrong, Good/Bad, Legal/Illegal. There is nothing physical about these concepts yet most people can not go against them. On top of it all the rules change depending on where you are. One country does things this way, and another does it the other way, and in each place the people are adamant that this is how it is supposed to be – to the point they are willing to die for it.
How we got this way is another story all together, but the fact of the matter is we are guided (or herded) by imaginary lines. After all we have existed on this earth long before there were laws, brand names, and Gods.
By crossing boundaries we prove to ourselves that we are indeed free and not just sheep led to the slaughter. I believe this is what Wizehop was referring too and in hopping freight trains we cross two of the main “invisible” boundaries out there. Those are the law, and public opinion. Riding freight trains is a meditation. By crossing boundaries we enter a head space beyond what we are told, and we get the chance to see the world from a different perspective. In this world perspective is everything.
If you look throughout history (and you don’t even need to go far back) you will quickly see that the elites, religion, governments and so on have purposely kept the masses uninformed, and “guided” us on how we should think and feel in order to push their own ends. In today’s age it is not so easy, and due to our ability to share information things are changing for us quite quickly.
Train hopping was a vehicle for some of us to move beyond what we have been told to think and feel. Train hoppers are fiercely Independent people and most are not under societies spell. Mind you the Anti conformist train hopper is no different from your average conformist 9-5er, in that they are upholding a fairy tale image and do not make lucid choices. Ill get into that later on.
My soul intentions with this blog are to share with those interested a little insight into the concepts and goings on in the train hoppers world. We are not all uneducated hobos living off of food stamps and the art of train hopping can be quit exciting. You may be amazed at how complex we truly are.
I’m not here to give any easy answers and if all you’re looking for are schedules and catch out info, you’re looking in the wrong place. However if your interested in how we go about things you may want to pay a little attention. Our passions are freight trains and the study of logistics, from this stems a world built on research and pushing the limits.
We are educated, intelligent and in control. Any preconceived ideas you may have had on what a train hopper is – you may want to trow it out the window
You may not see us but we are there hiding between the lines
Moving forward
