Reddit reviews Hopping Freight Trains in America

Probably the best plan is to hitchhike until you've got a handle on living out. Once you are adept at the life and have done some traveling, then you can look for trainhoppers. It's not totally impossible to just learn-by-doing, but it is far more hazardous than learning from a mentor, preferably a mentor with extensive experience.

I know several trainhoppers whom I schooled about catching out and the basics of living in a jungle, who then went on to ride trains, even without a mentor. I told them everything I could think of, and showed them basic safety stuff on trains that were sidetracked, but didn't actually catch out with them when they went. They got lost, they got stranded, they made all kinds of mistakes, but they avoided the biggest dangers.

You can't learn trainhopping from a book, and you can't learn to hop trains on the internet. But that doesn't mean that reading Duffy Littlejohn's book, "Hopping Freight Trains in America" is a waste of time. It's a very valuable book with lots and lots of very valuable information. But it's still not enough. You need a mentor.

https://www.amazon.com/Hopping-Freight-Trains-America-Littlejohn/dp/094462734X

While the popular opinion on this sub is to get a more experienced traveler to teach you, if you really do your research about it, I mean really be invested to reading up on the subject, as long as you're careful you can do it. I would suggest the book Freight Hopping in North America by Duffy LittleJohn. That book will teach you everything you need to know. I don't know how much time you have before you need to leave, but I would take some time to read that book and other things online if you aren't able to find someone to go with you. Either way, good luck on your travels, freight hopping is a beautiful thing!

edit: [book link] (https://www.amazon.com/Hopping-Freight-Trains-America-Littlejohn/dp/094462734X)

Have you read Duffy Littlejohn's book? If so, can you say whether or not it's accurate?

Always good to keep your eyes peeled. A good guide book, aside from experience around trains, is Hopping Freight Trains in America by Duffy Littlejohn. It has a wealth of knowledge regarding trains and train yards. A good read worth checking out. http://www.amazon.com/Hopping-Freight-Trains-America-Littlejohn/dp/094462734X

Side note. I've read other books dedicated to riding freight trains, this guy has good info. His general warning of how dangerous it is should not be taken lightly. Here's a few resources if you're stupid enough to try:
https://expertvagabond.com/hitchhiking-america-part-2/
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/094462734X/

I have a copy of this book signed by the author.

I learned everything I know about the riding the rails on my own, through research and some help from member of STP. You'll learn as you go, especially through your "mistakes" along the way. You might be able to find a road dog to teach you the ropes once you're on the road but you'll probably never find one online. With that said, always keep people at arms length.

A decent starting point is Hopping Freight Trains in America by Duffy Littlejohn. It helped me quite a bit but take it with a grain of salt. Railroad maps are easy to read and are invaluable on the road. A CCG is nice to have too if you can find one.