| Hopping Freight Trains in America |  | Author: Duffy Littlejohn
Publisher: Sand River Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $14.30
New (1) Used (6) from $14.30
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 76345
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 353
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 094462734X
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.568
EAN: 9780944627341
ASIN: 094462734X
Publication Date: July 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand spanking new from the Author/Publisher
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 not quite what ya expect August 16, 2008
its a sort of how to book with not much in it being of use. i have hopped freights before and was looking for more information about locations, times, crew changes, and more, but nothing really. i mean most of the stuff in the book you can find out online like north bank fred's.
 Invaluable for the Freight Hopper August 29, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Littlejohn's book is an ideal gateway into the world of freight hopping. It is well written. The author's personality & outlook as they come through in the book are encouraging. It is full of advice, both with respect to general things such as the broad makeup & functioning of the railroad system & particular things such as what time of the week you are more likely to find a train & what air brakes sound like (you'll find out why knowing this sound is important). It incorporates personal anecdote without relying too heavily upon it.
I have a few reservations, however. While I wouldn't call it outdated, it does show a few signs of age. It mentions the possibility of riding on automobile carriers, for instance. It would be inadvisable to do this even were it feasible, but with the new designs of car carrier, it is next to impossible to ride one. There are other instances of Littlejohn's writing bearing the stamp of age, but fortunately, not very many of them concern vital things. In other words, most of what is dated is either relatively unimportant to the actual practice of freight hopping or still viable with the application of some common sense (which you'll need a lot of to ride the rails successfully anyway).
In addition, the book skimps on some aspects of modern freight hopping, such as radio frequency scanning, but this is no big deal. In my opinion, Littlejohn is wise to concentrate on the more fundamental aspects of hopping freights.
This book will start preparing you for hopping freights. If you take the advice in this book, start small, supplement it with information from the Web (for instance, the freight hoppers e-mail list at train-hoppers@nw.com ), & practice, you should be well on your way. Moreover, once you have caught out a few times, you can return to the book often to hone your skills.
A valuable book, highly recommended.
helpful book, living proof March 9, 2004
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
the book was very informative. gives a good idea of what train hopping and the respect it deserves is all about. would recomend this book to any person who is interested in the safety of cargo travel. I even used the knowledge I gained from this book to travel by freight in mexico.
 what, now your ready to ride?????? March 24, 2003
15 out of 31 found this review helpful
there aint no book anyone can write that can explain how-to train hop.it gives young punks a feeling that they will be safe if they follow the rules.bull.i been out here on the rails for 20 years and i couldnt have learned any of it from a book.theres aready too many stupid kids out there who think they know it all.hell, some a them ride to protest.train ridin is tough.it`s for people who dont like people.that are dirt poor.ride to live.live to ride.lets keep it that way brother.if your gonna ride.get out there and do it.dont read no book.
Sage Advice from a savvy, veteran Trainhopper October 9, 2001
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
When I first hopped freight trains, in 1970, there were no books to explain it or to allow one to learn the safe way to do it. Littlejohn is an entertaining writer, but most of all, his information is accurate, and his advice is sound. He approaches the subject from the viewpoint of a "sportsman," and he does gloss over some of the negatives, but the book is informative and intelligently written. I know of only one other book about trainhopping, and of the two, I find Littlejohn's book to be the more timely and superior of the two. In a way, the people that most need to read Littlejohn's book are those least likely to do so, but I would have benefitted enormously if it had been available when I was a neophyte tramp. Youngsters reading this book may get the idea that trainhopping is just one big lark. This isn't true, but at least if they follow Littlejohn's rules they will avoid getting hurt long enough to figure it out. I have ridden trains for years, and I learned a lot I didn't know. If you intend to trainhop, READ IT WITH AN EYE TO SURVIVAL. Just the list of rules in the front is worth the price of the book, if you follow them.
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