What was the name of people who rode the trains illegally?

The hobos sought not only employment, but also the freedom and independence the life allotted them. But that life also came with hardships and danger. Not only is hopping a train illegal, it is extremely dangerous. Many hobos were killed or injured while trying to board or jump off a moving freight train.



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Life as a hobo was dangerous. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, and far from home and support, plus the hostility of many train crews, they faced the railroad police, nicknamed bulls, who had a reputation of violence against trespassers.

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He was a hobo, part of an American tradition that emerged after the Civil War: transient laborers who rode the rails and found short-term work along the way.

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For a variety of reasons the practice is less common in the 21st century, although a community of freight-train riders still exists. Typically, hoppers will go to a rail yard where trains stop to pick up and unload freight and switch out crew.

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Train surfing (also known as train hopping or train hitching) is the act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram or other forms of rail transport.

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deadhead. Slang A person who attends a performance, sports event, etc., or travels on a train, airplane, etc., without having paid for a ticket, especially a person using a complimentary ticket or free pass.

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As far as I'm aware, there's no legal limit. Passenger trains do not normally exceed 12 cars (around 900 feet, dependent on rolling stock type), but many are much shorter than this.

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Female hobos were an integral part of the hobo culture, and their stories and experiences have been documented in literature, photography, and other forms of media.

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