Hobo Living Continued: Freight Train Hopping In New York

[LadyDreamer555]

Been there, done that =] Best memories of my life thus far!

[512DMoney420]

what a fuckin oogle

[512DMoney420]

wow what a fuckin oogle

[BraveDave]

@JakeBrakeable "What the he'll going on day boe"

I have no idea what language you speak but I'll take that to mean "Great video, friend!" Thanks!

[RjwBrandNew]

anyone know where the best place to catch out headed west in ct?

[kdjfnvjvd]

fuck that shit

[BraveDave]

@kdjfnvjvd

Okay, I WILL!

[cw1310]

Hobo, you can't ride this train.

[Marta7350]

That had to be an amazing experience. My cousin knew an older man who had done that in his younger years in the 80s. He said a lot of guys lose their legs trying to jump on the trains because they're actually travelling faster than they look, and he called the railroad police "bulls", lol! He said they had their own lingo for everything, and he met someone named "Crazy Mary" and said she was as tough as any man and that no one would mess with her.

[TheNiceic]

im braver than you !

i just aint got the cash for the flight !

[potheadNZ]

man that does look like an adventure, you must of felt free

[Noid193]

graffiti is art

[maddogwisconsin]

Ahh Freedom.... of the brave and/or crazy.... sounds like fun

[st0831]

it must've been a unforgettable experience ...

...feeling the air embrace you, hearing train horns roaring towards the horizon, observing the serenity of the night, not knowing where you're heading.. oh the freedom.

[Topknot666]

Well I think your pretty brave. I mean I ride freights as well. Not the east coast. And to to just ride the rails is being brave by itself. especially the east coast. I'll stick to UP lines on the west coast...

[88foot88]

when you were riding the part with the open floor thats called "riding suicide"

...and your not that brave dave, im only 19 and have done this with all kinds of kids form all over

[BraveDave]

I don't see how you riding freights means that I'm not brave but okay, if you say so, I'm not brave.

[88foot88]

sorry, i meant for the emphasis to be on the fact that LOTS of people do it, not saying its cause i do it,

and also, alot of those people are very young

there's deffenetly a culture out there among young people that do this

wasnt putting you down, just wanted to say its not just old timers and you,

i was also anoyed by people saying you would inspire kids to do this

i mean, we learned about the 1930's hobos in school, they were glorified in my u.s. history class

[SuicideSeattle]

Hold up so because you can do it means dave is not brave? That does not make sense unless your saying your a pussy and there for no one could be brave if you can do something that another person can.

[Looswire]

Well maybe in your opinion the possibility (slightest or not) of riding a suicide is worth it. As for me (and pretty much everybody I know). I believe, if your going to be out here hopping trains, there's no such thing as "that or nothing" (there's another train, ALWAYS). Which means there's no need to do something like riding a suicide unless you don't know any better (ignorance). Or, you were not willing to wait (impatience).

[kaylakaaos]

Dave, I understand you survived this experience and whatnot. But some of the stuff you pulled on here is very very BAD. And some of the skilled veteran hoppers who are commenting on this video are just expressing the frustration over that, because some kid might want to pull the same stuff you have from watching this and not be as lucky. I've lost friends from riding the rails. Try not to act so high and mighty cause even the oldest and baddest tramps in the land can have one swing at bad luck.

[BraveDave]

Kaylakaaos, I appreciate your ability to comment in a civilised manner unlike 95% of the others on here.

However, I disagree with you. What defines something as "very very BAD"? I think that the stuff I did would only be "bad" if it put anyone else in harm's way. Nothing I did was threatening to anyone other than me.

I don't care if skilled freight hoppers get frustrated at what I did. That's their problem (even though it shouldn't be).

[BraveDave]

Everyone goes on about "what if some kid copies you?" Well if that happens then the kid is an idiot.

Again, it's nothing to do with me. I'm not subliminally forcing kids to jump about on trains. At no point do I even suggest anyone else try it. I chose to do it and I chose to let other people see me do it.

If people want to censor every available bit of media showing people doing dangerous things then they seriously need to re-evaluate their lives.

[BraveDave]

And last of all I don't act high and mighty. I simply get bored with wave after wave of "real" hobos telling me what I should and shouldn't do, like there's a rule book for this stuff.

If someone lists all the things that COULD have happened to me I feel obliged to remind them that none of it DID happen to me, thus their rantings are POINTLESS.

I'm not invincible. But I'm also not dead. So all the "yes but what if"s mean absolutely, completely and utterly nothing ;-)

[Looswire]

Theres no "rule book". Sure nothing bad happened to you, everyone is lucky sometimes. Im not saying your not riding brave. I just think your riding stupid. So i'll chalk it up to ignorance, considering the fact that if you were riding a suicide for the hell of it (which seems to me, that is what you were doing). It's only because you dont know any goddamn better.

[BraveDave]

Thanks for your valuable opinion, Looswire, but if we're going to talk about ignorance then may I just say that you obviously have no idea how we ended up on the Suicide Car if you think we did it "for the hell of it". At the time it was either that or nothing.

I'm sorry that you have a disorder which causes you to automatically fall down any holes that happen to be near by but fortunately for me I am able to be near a hole in the floor and not topple through it. Which is why I didn't die ;)

[jsmit989]

This guy would die after one day

[BraveDave]

Censr48? I agree.

[censor48]

how bout this as a name:

BRAVE STUPID DAVE

[BraveDave]

Whoa, are you still posting comments on here? Even a 5 year old would have got bored by now.

Zzzzz...

[censor48]

so dave likes to be brave and touch the wheels as they turn. HE DOES NOT REALIZE THAT A ROCK CAN FLY UP FROM THE RAIL ROAD BED, HIT HIM IN THE EYE. THEN WHERE ARE YOU BRAVE DAY, YOUR EYE PROBABLY KNOCKED OUT OR BLEEDING AND YOU ARE STUCK ON A DIRTY BOX CAR FOR 8 HOURS OR MORE.

I THINK YOU ARE "STUPID DAVE."

[BraveDave]

Nah, "Stupid Dave" is crap. It doesn't even rhyme. I'm sticking with "Brave Dave" thanks.

Also, a bit of logic for you here, every part of rail that the wheel rolls over has already been rolled over by the rest of the train up front i.e. 1000s of tons of steel. That suggests that there's probably not going to be any rocks sitting on the rail by the time it reaches my car.

Next time I'm going to touch the wheel with my tongue, just for you, Censor48.

[censor48]

I thought you were BRAVE?

CAPS SHOULD NOT BOTHER YOU.

I AM HARD OF HEARING AND SOMETIMES HAVE TO SCREAM SO OTHERS CAN HEAR ME..

[BraveDave]

I am brave. Though I have no idea what that's got to do with questioning the over-use of caps.

Good day to you.

[censor48]

what is the LONGEST length of time you HAD TO STAY ON A TRAIN BECAUSE IT DID NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN.

[BraveDave]

What's the longest length of time you typed something without hitting Caps Lock? ;)

To answer your question I'd say about 8 hours probably.

[ManoftheBeret]

I would suggest not fucking around while catching a moving train.  You never know when they're going to speed up.

[BraveDave]

And I would suggest not eating uncooked meat. It's got all sorts of harmful bacteria in it!!

[mofoCutThroat]

Don't be a baby.

A life without a good meal (ie undercooked meat) is a life not worth living.

No wait, there's still whiskey and trains.

I take it back.

Thanks for the videos.

all judgments of your bravery and stupidity aside.

Ha.

[Repercussion77]

I saw a Brave Dave Tag in Syracuse NY, i got up there! you will see if you go back, east side of the yard.

[Neurosis315]

thats such an easy yard to catch out of....

[armorfox255]

where did u start your journey? if u ever do this again, and drop by kansas city, gimme a call and ill hop with you

[StrappedGypsy]

you ever run into any problems with johnny law brother?

[BraveDave]

Nope, never, not once, never will.

Except that one time a Bull gave us some grief so we had to kill him with a shovel and bury him in a shallow grave.

[josephkennith]

that was cool srry about the comments again somebody used my account

[tehanarchist]

why all the flaming?

you dont have to be a hobo to hop trains

awesome video

[BraveDave]

Why thank you, Tehanarchist :)

[hobotron]

i have been riding trains for ten years and you filming all this, being a weekend warrior and all pisses the real dirty kids off you sir suck balls

you better hope no real train riders catch you under a bridge ya fuckin oogle

[BraveDave]

Haha. Yes, as I sit here at my computer in England one of my biggest worries in life is that a "real train rider" catches me "under a bridge" in America.

Sorry for pissing off the dirty kids. You and them needn't get pissed off though. If you hadn't been watching videos on YouTube (hmm, I didn't know REAL hoboes had the Internet?) then you'd have never known I'd even been on your sacred tracks. I think the lesson here is "ignorance is bliss, stay off the Internet". You dirty kid.

[skeletora]

hahahaaa

[236260]

I've been riding trains for twenty years, and the dirty kids under bridges are just dirty kids under bridges. Why do these criticisms always come back to some tough guy posturing? Why must you reflect train riders in such a silly light?

[hobotron]

you are a fucking idiot

[BraveDave]

Oh no, a person on the Internet called "Hobotron" just said I was an idiot! It's sure going to be tough getting to sleep tonight :(

[CambridgeAlphonse]

I'm not going to shit on the idea of train hopping.

I know you know the dangers already and still choose to ride, and I respect that.

But when I see 14 years olds who seriously consider riding, it bugs me, because I know for sure they acknowledge that there's danger there, but not entirely know the severity of the situation; the kinds of forces they are dealing with. They are dabbling..jump into something they know little about(I mean interms of railroading, aside from the hobo lifestyle)

[CambridgeAlphonse]

P.S.: It made my heart jump when you almost got your foot caught in that frog.

[BraveDave]

Don't worry about my foot. It wasn't as close as it looked. But yeah, that clip always makes people go "WHOAH, CAREFUL!"

And yeah, whenever some kid contacts me saying how he and his friend want to hop across America and do I have any advice I always tell them they probably shouldn't because they'll most likely die. Simple as that. It's nothing to do with me after that. I expect 99% of them would never follow through with what they say anyway. It's easier to stay home and play video games :P

[FastDash9]

Yeah, I hear ya. At least you got a guide to offer some tips. A lot of people today don't really understand that the railroad is completely different today than it was a good 100-150 years ago when the hobo was common. Trains today are much heavier and travel at faster speeds (freight reaching up to 70 MPH) Most hobos during those days were hardworking, migrant workers that went west to places like California for the field work there.

[FastDash9]

Also: If you wanted a comfy ride, why not ride a midtrain/ end train DPU? Nice seat, air conditioning, mini bar (if equipped)... :-D they're usually prevalent in mountainous areas, where the train needs a bit more power spread out to equalize the power per tonnage.

[GEES44DC]

Mid train engines are to be locked at all times when the unit is in normal DPU operation.

[CambridgeAlphonse]

I'm fastdash9, I just forgot to sign out of that account.

[naomiexploding]

Id love to do it someday. but Im a 20 year old girl that stands at 5'2" and I dont think anyone would come along with me. maybe Ill just do it on my own though. I really dont like the idea of panhandling and hitchhiking though. is this always necessary? and Ive always wondered how people do this with their dogs on them...

[mofoCutThroat]

I don't think you realize how eager some of us would be to bring a five foot two, twenty year old girl.

Although, poverty is usually the norm.

[map0quest]

i would like to try that, so which cars are the best to ride on and where to sit at without getting caught? and where can i obtain maps?

[legfire9191]

grainers are probably the best unless you can find an open box car. the open bottom carriers are not terrible but grainers and box cars are probably your best bet. you can find maps of your rail roads on google. or just search for a USA railroad atlas.

[sp9813]

awsome I live for trains so if it was legal Id love to that!

[sp9813]

well there isnt a law against it but...

[ronthecyborg]

Dude train-hopping looks like so much fun. I want to do it, but my parents would kill me, bring me back to life, and kill me again.

So, I just watch videos of people doing it. Looks like an awesome thing to do.

[dannylerch]

it's really easy for people to talk shit on this sort of thing. but until people try it they have no right. you really get to see parts of the country that are so beautiful and untouched by industry. it's breathtaking. go out and live a little people.

oh and dave, good job. you did the right thing by going with an experienced hopper. that's what every first timers should do.

[BraveDave]

Thanks, Danny! Your comment is very true and very much appreciated, mate :)

[CambridgeAlphonse]

Or you could ride Amtrak :-)

[mofoCutThroat]

Truth!

I've hopped a bunch of freights, but a BUNCH more Amtraks.

I'd spend a bit of time after every stop hiding in the bathroom or observation car, but that beats the SHIT out of cowering and trying not to fall asleep and die on the back of a coal car or some shit.

[zonaloca]

Got my own train hopping vid.. :)

"Tren de Noviembre"

Check it out :D

[drgntwn06]

Just hopped my first train 3 weeks ago in Vermont. It was incredible, right until I jumped off, fell, and dislocated my shoulder!

[trashmaster3260]

what is the name of the sound track on this.

BTW great vid mate

[fech07]

its smack my bitch up by prodigy. i have a vid to it on my page also

[cooldit1]

ummm. I wanna know why people are callin each other twats and shitheads and stuff. Its funny to read these comments because everyone is a stupid on this comment page. Including dave, nice video anyways

[BraveDave]

"everyone is a stupid on this comment page"

Yeah, welcome to the group, Cooldit.

[cooldit1]

yeah, no. I did not even write that comment, my friend asked if he could write a comment, i said alright. I went to get popcron out of the microwave, seriously. I have always wanted to that but, i have a disability, it would be hard to get up on to the train for me, You keep doing what you love. He pressed send after i said erase that message, he didnt listen. Im telling the truth

[BraveDave]

And you "aint nothin" but a bitter old man who is just about to hit 60 years old and has realised that he's going to die quite soon after not really ever having done anything exciting. I genuinely feel sorry for you, Logan :(

[BraveDave]

Haha.

Cockney? No, mate, I'm not from London. You ignorant twat.

Arrogant? Nah, I just had an adventure and wanted to share it with people. You mistaken twat.

Self-absorbed? Hmm. Is that because I put up a video of myself on YouTube? Look around. It's what the site's based upon. You dumb twat.

Make a buck? Haha, I'd love to see some of this money that you claim I have made. You completely, unbelievably thick as shit twat.

[BraveDave]

u iZ gaY! - Oh man, drklankenheimer, you know ALL the most badass internet insults! Clearly, you're one of life's greatest winners!

Oh and Logan Drklankenheimer, apparently you're 59 years old. You don't happen to be bitter about having had a shitty, uneventful life, do you? Be honest now..

Self-hatred is ugly enough without you wanting to take your anger out on other people who have done the things you never dared to do. Shame on you, Old Man.

[BraveDave]

"Thick-as-shit drklankenheimer thinks that I somehow made money from this video and clearly hasn't read a single thing about it before offering his own totally-wrong opinion and ends up looking like a tit".

That's about as accurate as you can get.

[toberborgan1]

what was the song? nice video by the way dave

[locust100]

Bravedave, more like STUPID DAVE. Pull that shit on any other train and you would be DEAD DAVE. Why are you showing people what not to do on a train. Do yourself a favor and STAY THE FUCK OFF OF TRAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BraveDave]

Locust100? More like SMELLY FACE POOPY NOSE 100!!!1!

Gimp.

Why would doing that stuff on any other train kill me? What was so special about the trains I rode that meant I didn't die on them compared to other trains?

Did you even think about your comment before you wrote it? If you did then you're an idiot because it doesn't make sense. If you didn't then you're just an idiot any way.

Do yourself a favour and "stay the fuck off" the Internet. And do humanity a favour and swallow acid.

[PlutoniumAnimation]

It looks great, whys it so fast?

[mharvill8674]

you're a fool for exploiting the term hobo

[BraveDave]

And you're a fool for caring so much.

Hoboes ride freights and live rough. I did that for a little bit. The title "Hobo Living" made sense and was catchy enough to get attention. Get over it.

[236260]

What, exactly, is exploitative about it?

[resonanteye]

yeh. never got hurt myself, but have many toe and footless friends.

haven't hopped in years. It was worth the dust and aggro, though. Nice footage.

[BraveDave]

Thanks, man :)

I myself have no footless friends. Although one friend had a verruca once. But it got better.

[resonanteye]

Like hitch-hiking, it's part of american youth culture. Even though it's dangerous...like a rite of passage.

What's a veruca?

[BraveDave]

It's a wart that you get in your foot. It's quite itchy and annoying. You put cream on it and it goes away after a while.

[mharvill8674]

you aren't a hobo, bub, give it up.

[BraveDave]

I know I'm not, I just lived a bit like one for 10 days one Summer.

And give up what, exactly? I spent ten days on the tracks in 2005 and that's it.

Try reading around a bit before posting otherwise you run the risk of sounding like a fool.

[vernair]

i'm planning on riding to the hobo convention. filming the whole thing. can't wait/scared shitless for my first ride -- any connections in california??? thehobosoul

[BraveDave]

I have loads of connections in California. There's a bridge in particular with some rubble around it. Go there and ask for Bert. Tell him Dave sent you. He'll give you free meths!

[ShiruChan]

I see you don't call yourself *Brave*dave for nothing! Good show, m'lad.

[BraveDave]

Haha! Cheers, Shiru.