Teaching a friend to jump trains from Washington to Richmond
After many years of solo riding, I was bringing along someone else for the first time — a coworker who
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Abdul Rahimov has a Ph.D. in Russian history from Stanford. He studied earlier at Harvard and grew up in Illinois in a railroad-dominated town.Rahimov prefers to use a pen name to avoid attracting unnecessary attention from railroads. He lives on the East Coast.
Author: Abdul Rahimov
Daytripping and ripping my pants on the way to Santa Fe
“The Santa Fe has a reputation for speed.” That phrase from a business article rings true. The BNSF habitually attaches
Read moreTime traveling wishes and a coal car ride from San Jose to Oakland
For some time, I had been speculatively eyeing elderly pedestrians and baby strollers from my car. So for everybody’s benefit,
Read moreReflections on a 5-mile freight-hopping ride to RFK stadium
As the pig train trundled by, I cautiously touched its side. My hand came flying back toward my face. Yeah,
Read moreBack in the saddle: Watching shooting stars from flatcars
It would work out this way: my first train in 15 months would be the toughest to catch. At 1:15 a.m. a
Read moreRiding with ‘ghosts’ from Hagerstown to Altoona
It was time, after a long and gloomy hibernation in perhaps America’s foulest climate, to resume hitting the rails. From
Read moreUrban blight in Buffalo: Exploring Central Terminal
My target was Buffalo’s magnificent, long-abandoned train station, the Central Terminal. After two days of legitimate sightseeing in low-key Canada,
Read moreHallucinations, freezing and lessons from veteran tramps in the Rockies in 1992
I’d bought a discounted round-trip Greyhound ticket to Salt Lake, my jumping-off point. I looked through the bus window and saw
Read moreFarewell to the Modoc and freight-hopping advice from hoboes
This has been a sad summer of watching the Union Pacific prepare to swallow up the Southern Pacific. Already some
Read moreI felt ‘kidnapped’ after hopping aboard the train to Royal Gorge
My plan was to hit two separate lines, the Royal Gorge route and the Santa Fe’s Raton Pass route. The
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