Trainhopping stories, vol. 3

Another tale from the road.
#trainhopping
#hobo
#crustpunk
#straightedge

[@YardBuzzards]

Hell of a story man. Be cool to sit and bullshit when your out and about

[@PitchBlackForge]

Thanks. We’ll probably run into each other again out there.

[@nywherebuthere]

I'm down. I have decent gear and comms

[@iReturnV1deotapes]

Agreed. These videos are what I've been yearning for. Not just strung out gutter punk kids carrying everything unnescessary on their backs, but someone that travels light and with purpose. Hard to find these people. I spent 3 and a half years living in various parks while I was working and saving money and it was difficult to find likeminded people that were clean and consious that did it for reasons beyond addiction or alcohol. I'd love to see an interview with you conducted by Soft White Underbelly. I bet this channel would blow up with more people exposed to you.

[@PitchBlackForge]

I wrote to Mark Laita when he was interviewing train riders but got no response. The fact that it was just strung out kids who obviously had no goals or ethics was really annoying. If anyone wants to tag him in these things, I wouldn't mind at all.

[@RaigOgle]

Duck soft white underbelly

[@Snorky_88]

For real. I never hopped a freight train in my life but it's obvious those kids are posers. This guy you can tell knows what he's talking about.

[@bruderschweigen1259]

NICE STORY. I'VE RODE FREIGHT OFF AND ON SINCE MID 1970S. STILL AT 66 I GO RIDING FREIGHT EACH SUMMER. I AS WELL HAVE A TON OF RIDING STORIES. LIKE ENDING UP ON A HUMP IN THE U. P. ENGLEWOOD HUMP YARD IN HOUSTON ON MY VERY FIRST FREIGHT RIDE. NO... LUCKILY GUY IN TOWER SEEN ME AND WENT OVER P.A. TO " GET THAT LITTLE TRAMP OFF THE TRAIN ." AND YARDMAN CAME AND GOT ME.. I WAS ON A GRAINER..LOL FUN FACT: VETERAN BACK IN 70S WHEN I WAS A NEWBIE TRAIN RIDERS DID NOT CALL RIDING TRAINS AS TRAIN HOPPING. THEY CALLED IT RIDING FREIGHT OR RIDING TRAINS OR LESS USED RIDING IRON.. ===DRIFTER===

[@flyingthesails6801]

Your presentation skills are exceptional. You have a very strong command of the English language and comprehensive vocabulary. The way you talk about your adventures keeps the listeners engaged and very interested. Have you ever considered writing a book about your travels and experiences?

[@PitchBlackForge]

Thank you. I have considered writing. Maybe a book, at some point. I’m wary, because I read a lot, and bad writing is hard to stomach. I get the question often enough that I should probably try anyway.

[@Inquisitivemind1987]

Something happens in the brain when your hands get past a certain point of cold, it’s a type of pain that you can’t describe to people. I’ve gone horse screaming at my fucking hands to work like a psycho in the middle of nowhere. If I got a choice between a good set of gloves up north or a meal, I’d be sleeping hungry.

[@loganknowles5486]

Love these train hopping videos. Thank you for posting these

[@Derrick-dm6ym]

Love this video also love your vids

[@dis_trak_ted]

First off thanks for the video, really appreciate your voice towards longevity and safety, respect and being able to poetically describe some aspects of romanticism with trains. Just wanted to add a little testament of my own. One of my first times trying to get a train, it was going to fast… but I had gotten on fast trains before, it’s actually all I had gotten on.. and I had come a long way for this train… Well last thing I said to myself was “this is it, don’t be a p***y” … I woke up who knows how much longer later. The train was gone. I had broken my face, completely separated my shoulder from it’s socket, and was covered in road rash (ballast rash?) and cute. I think if I had had grabbed anything other than the back ladder of the last car, I’d have been burger meat. Middle of nowhere in the desert, coyotes howling, my arms just dangling there (tore my bicep tendon in half), no cell service. Just had to crawl around crying until I found a bar of service enough to call for help. Well that didn’t teach me… I still love trains, I had ptsd type symptoms and flinching when I would think about that memory. For years. But I stayed fascinating with trains and continued to ride. Now I ride more than ever, but wow do I wish someone would have showed me the ropes or told me how insanely naive and foolish I was. I still have the aches from the accident and 30+ shoulder dislocations in the years fallowing because of it. Please be safe people. Don’t take chances with trains. Trains will humble you.

[@PitchBlackForge]

Damn, dude. Glad you survived. These things are definitely not a joke. We all take on a certain level of risk, but my purpose in starting this series of talks was to provide a counterpoint to some of the straight up idiocy we see on here. Safe travels.

[@petelewis7313]

That's a great story, Man. I can empathise a little bit as I once rode to Motorcycle across Florida . I have nothing but a T-shirt and jeans on. I'm from the UK and didn't work out that it could get cold at night. I've never been cold in my life. I thought I was gonna die.😂 how you coped with this was unreal !

[@JamesTopham-t4y]

Amazing,. My new favourite show, living in wales UK you can't ride trains really but I'm been doing my 30 mile hikes, love this

[@wendigaro438]

Keep em coming boss! If you wrote a book id but two copies and read them both ten times!

[@dis_trak_ted]

I talked with some workers who said they never ride those kinds of tankers in the yard.. they called them stripper pole tankers…lol. Also… once saw a guy on a tanker, at the very back of the train, leaving town about 25 mph over high bridge in Spokane. He was yelling at the top of his lungs “F*CK YOU SPOKANE! I’m out of here!!” It was incredible and hilarious but I was so worried, it being winter, that they wouldn’t side out for quite some time heading to pasco… I’m sorry you suffered on that ride! Really interesting to hear the story of something very similar to what I saw. Thanks for the video, appreciate so much and respect your desire to share for the sake of longevity.

[@jeffquintrall4057]

These tips can save lives! Thanks.

[@Rothbardy]

Awesome! Thanks 🤘

[@Biffbaker]

Keep ‘em going

[@sammysam1410]

Great story

[@ivanbaja]

This is just the content I was looking for. You inspired me to do train hopping this fall. Greetings from Spain

[@PitchBlackForge]

If you hear stories that involve a lot of discomfort, and you still want to ride, then you’re who should be out there.

[@conalrichards8844]

Love your channel dude. You have a real talent for storytelling. You mentioned you read pretty frequently on the road. What do you tend to read? Any favorites that stick out from your travels?

[@PitchBlackForge]

Thank you. I tend to read two books at a time - one fiction and one nonfiction. Right now it’s a biography of Nietzsche (by Kaufmann), and Runaway Horses by Yukio Mishima. I read broadly, so it’s a real mix. My Goodreads account is linked in my bio if you’re curious. And I’m thinking of doing a video here in the near future about reading habits. Standouts: anything by Tolkien, Vonnegut, or Paul Shepard.

[@conalrichards8844]

@@PitchBlackForge Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll have to check those out.

[@nywherebuthere]

I sat on a boxcar porch like 1 foot by 4, no railing , feet crossed on the knuckle, praying i wouldnt fall asleep. It stopped after an hour. I slept in a ditch instead

[@nywherebuthere]

One arm on the 2 inch rail and other holding gear. Good times. Makes one humble

[@nywherebuthere]

It was that ride or be stuck forever

[@nywherebuthere]

I'll ride forever

[@TheRandomAdventurerVeteran]

#stayhard

[@PitchBlackForge]

Who is going to carry the boats?!?

[@Biffbaker]

Can you talk about modern/past freight train gangs I find it fascinating

[@PitchBlackForge]

In the past there was the FTRA. There’s been some effort to revive that, but it seems to have gone nowhere. As for contemporary train riding gangs - I have never seen any evidence that they exist, beyond one tweaker on KZbin who seems to have spent maybe one summer riding trains. And gangs are generally concerned with making money. There’s no money in this. Four junkies with a name for their friend group doesn’t constitute a gang. This might be a thing, but I have my own social circle and usually keep to myself when riding. I’ve spent enough time around real criminals to know when to stay the hell away from people.

[@Biffbaker]

@@PitchBlackForge “four junkies with a name for there friend group” haha that shit made me laugh hard. That’s the dam truth Thank you for your reply and keep up the great content brother🤘🏻

[@nywherebuthere]

Darkest hours of the night