Avoiding the bulls from Sacramento to Oakland in October 1997
Sacramento can be a challenging place to catch out. It has bulls and plenty of passersby, as well as a
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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
Freight riding with Generation X from Roseville to Eugene
As I tried to sleep in the bushes adjoining the yard, a city cop shone his flashlight in our faces,
Read more41 miles through Maryland
On Saturday I finally jumped a train of opportunity rather than leaving town to find one. I nearly ended up
Read moreCrossing Stampede in my secret life
We all need secret lives. I had to flee again, back into the wilderness aboard a freight. They say the
Read moreHop aboard from San Jose to Oakland
It was time for a modest day trip to escape my burdens: I had two commitments in the East Bay
Read moreEluding the cops from Richmond to Mojave
There are better places than Richmond to hang out in after midnight. I was reluctantly eyeballing the BNSF yard in
Read moreLocomotive whistles from Portland to Eugene
On Friday night, August 2, 1991, I rode Tri-Met bus #17 to the Southern Pacific yard adjoining the Eastmoreland golf
Read moreEastbound freight-hopping from Vancouver to Klamath
I’d been sitting beside the loading dock of some factory and geared upward to a sprint. Determined to catch out
Read moreTrain hopping from Portland to Nampa
In his great hobo essay “The Road,” Jack London said that you always get turned away from the mansion on
Read moreDetroit seen from a different view
I’ve been traveling in an unorthodox manner for 30 years. When vacation comes, I’m apt to jump a freight train
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