Riding 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
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Urban 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
Read moreTrain-hopping the wrong way again on Santa Fe’s Raton route
The Santa Fe’s Raton route’s existence is secure; though a secondary freight line, it has enough business and carries Amtrak’s
Read moreDehydration, an angry hobo and testing my limits from Las Vegas to San Bernardino
The Vegas-to-San Bernardino, Calif., run on the Union Pacific had long intrigued me. I had dark fantasies of crossing the
Read moreVisiting ‘Tramp Park’ while train-hopping from Laurel to Seattle
By the time I realized the train was headed the wrong way, there was nothing to do except scream and
Read moreLiving the hobo creed from San Jose to Oakland
Stampede Pass, the intended capstone to my Stanford train-hopping days, is still a few weeks away. I became impatient and
Read moreI expected to ‘fall and die’ after hopping the train from San Jose to Glendale (1991)
On Friday night at 11:43 p.m., I caught my 12th train out of San Jose for Los Angeles. It should be
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