# A more detailed story of how Memphis BNSF sucks!



## railroadron (Apr 22, 2013)

I was answering a question this morning and somehow got into the telling this story in greater detail of my last hopping experience in Memphis..forgetting how it even related to the post.. Anyway I ll post it here separate.. Cincy headed south post


Well..in my opinion and train hopping skills and preference, I ve only ridden porches and never developed the eye spotting technique I ve seen some people have. I dont recognize a 53 from a 48..let alone the wells..I just grab a porch against the wind and lay my pack down in any safe place hiding it as much as possible and then I hunker down in any available space. My Blue Jansport pack is so loud it screams at people.."look at me" so I hide it..surely not least bit camouflaged. I say that to then say, I ve ridden tons of IM s and have never been busted on one. There are a few times where I was totally seen unexpectedly and nothing happened ..that's as of YET. Do you know what YET means? It means You Eligible Too. I m not exempt...just lucky. Back in November I was trapped in Memphis 's BNSF yard. Trapped because I m strictly Train..if I gots to stick out my thumb...well that means I m walking. I was heading to Atlanta and arrived on IM from Oklahoma City..hoping to go south out of TN on BNSF into Birmingham AL, then on into Fairburn GA. I jumped off the IM as it pulled into Memphis's BNSF..12 mile yard which is actually almost on the Mississippi line. So I start walking towards the other end of the yard using industrial side streets adjacent to the yard and about midway, I entered back onto BNSF property at the end of Hungerford Rd. hoping to get a better idea of the yard operations. On the left side of the yard (if facing south looking towards the only two towers in yard ) is the RJ Corman railroad which does the switching for the industrial area around there. Thinking I could find the departure tracks and locate a southbound train, I hid my pack and ran recon..using some small compact binoculars. All I could see was cars being pulled over the hump and into classification. I waited....and waited and waited some more..not seeing shit go south. Then late that night I did see a run through IM holding the main and CC before continuing south. Anyone who s been there knows that IM yard (Huge) is well lit and quite active at all hours. People everywhere! There was no way I could catch that Bastard because I was on a wooded hill on the other side of the hump. 24 hours later I still saw nothing go south...everything was going North/West and I was getting agitated and to top it all off, I was out of beer, Makers Mark and running in the critical cig stage. Besides wet and dirty feet...nothing on the road is more miserable if you ask me. From my observations, catching a IM out of there going south was gonna be to difficult for my irked sensibilities and decided to change plans and head back towards town not only to restock but also try NS who s yard is much closer to town. In the very early morning light I once again retrace the route I used ..heading back towards town. From previous visits to the yard I knew of a little yard worker break room sitting next to the yard that s easily accessible from the road and hardly occupied. I carry a laptop during my travels as well as other electronic shit..Ipod...Phone ect. and knew there were plugs there plus it has cold wated and is air conditioned..all of which i needed. While in there charging my devices and getting hydrated, I watched a Empty southbound Autorack train hold the main for CC. In the consist was a open autorack car something hardly seen) and was pissed because it was too light to try crossing no-mans land and I was out of supplies. About 15 minutes later as I was keeping an eye out for anyone who might decide to enter the shack I was in, I saw this little figure with a pack walking down the main right next to the IM yard in broaddaylight several hundred yards across the open no-mans land ..walking towards the camera polls at the beginning of the yard. Stepping out..I summoned him and he just casually walked over to me, out in the open, not in a hurry which for some reason, found totally comical. His name was Spider bite and he was headed to GA too! Cool, you know misery loooooves company and boy was I not happy, but happy to see him...and he had smokes. Yippy!!! So after discussing my findings and conclusions he agreed with the idea of heading back towards town and trying NS or even CSX to Nashville then south into GA. After an hour or so, we spotted CN power backing into the yard and decided to catch him as a taxi and ride into town..jumping off at CN junction. So we hoof on down the same industrial street I d previously walked and entered the yard to search for the train the CN power was hooked too. Finding the train we walked the next track over looking for something concealable and were spotted by some fuckwad on a 4-wheeler and I see his punk ass on the radio steadily starring at me..something I strongly disapprove of. Deciding we didnt like his look..we cross over a few knuckles and dip out..up into the brush to lay low and watch and sure shit..the bull and check this out..not one but two local PD cops show up and start looking for us. Like we were seen busting seals or something. He pulled out his CC guide and pointed out the comment of Memphis being friendly (BNSF) Shit ME! they re bastards! Several hours later after what we thought the heat was off us, we recon back into the yard in search of another taxi...once again, spotted but at least we didint have our packs on which afforded a quick escape and sure enough, a repeat of the same....pigs and the bull. Now I'm really pissed because this means we re screwed in daylight and chances are word is out about us which means our only option is night. Some hours later after discussing options and agreeing we d somehow find a spot close to the main and wait for a southbound IM, we set off to recon. The night before as I was running I did make mental note of some large canal pipes apparently running under the yard in a east west direction. (This would be Johns creek..as seen on yahoo maps) and mentioned the possibility of getting to the otherside of the yard without being seen. So we went to investigate and sure shit..the canal pipes were our best bet to reach the main undetected. Also..the weather forcaste called for rain and lightning was visible in the distance. About dusk we traveled the pipes with gear on..no problem but spooky..and long (Inside a 20 foot pipe in diameter) and emerged just as it began to rain. It was almost perfect! ..undetected and now next to the main in the only wooded area on the IM side of the yard, we were confident we were in the right place. Cept it kept raining...and raining even harder and soon enough the water began really flowing through the pipes we were trying to use as shelter from rain as well and had only one option, the locomotive shop s which were 100 yards away. Making a mad dash for a silent unit and still close to the main we took shelter and passed a jug...waiting for a southbound..anything on the main going south. Hours later, fucking nothin..Ultimately we did end up crashing out and having to bail (rain stopped) in early morning light for the woods right next to the main. Problem was, we were out of cigs now and needed to make a run so stashing our shit we took off down the main for E. Shelby drive, on foot and attracting much attention. I mean people stopping to stare at us...rail workers and shit..looking at us like we were crazy or something, I was thinking like " what, is my face dirty as shit or something?" By the looks and attention we got, we just knew that coming back to our gear via the way we d just come was not going to be an option. After some grub and cigs...booze, we head back down Shelby drive, this time walking past the yard and hump tower. Guess what we saw? Mother Fucker!!!! A southbound junk train heading south..out of the yard but the freaky thing was it rolled right next to the hump tower and hump track with people on each side giving it the look over and I realized we could nt of caught that train even if we d of wanted too. My pack dont fit in no grainer hole. We made a left on Hungerford st walking adjacent to the yard (its on google maps) in hopes of crossing back over the whole yard in daylight without detection to get back to out gear. Because of the heavy rains the night before which had only ended about 8 hours earlier ..the tubes were out of the question and crossing in daylight was our only option. Pretending to be Ninjas, we cross the yard in stealth mode..totally seen because by the time we got to our gear, I could see many vehicles coming at us as we enter the woodline. Grabbing packs for an attempt to go deeper into the woods along johns creek..we dropped in the brush on our backs...packs on. I could hear tires in the gravel just yards from us..radios crackling..and at one point, further down the treeline I could see two dudes scanning the woods and looking for us. Now I'm on my back with pack on which basically means I m stuck in one position..my back and on my left is a small gravel and muddy knoll maybe about 4 feet tall. Spider bite is about 3 yards away at my feet, also stuck on his back cause these fuckers want us and there are folks all over the area lookin. I mean..we d been called on at least 4 times..each time evading them and now they were gettin serious. I can hear a vehicle approaching slowly on the gravel just on the otherside of the knoll I was pinned behind and low and behold..while looking up, I see this massive fucking Dodge truck pop his front end out over the knoll. just feet away. I could see the fucking oil pan! thats how close he was and if he didnt stop on that knoll, he would ve ran right over me as I lay strapped into my pack. Although I couldnt see him cause I was busy changing his oil, I was almost sure he was looking at least at Spider bite who was somewhat visible ..which explained why he was on top of me for what seemed an eternity. As a matter of fact, I was so sure he saw us..I rolled a cig while on my back making sure I had my nic on before going to jail. But Spider bite was starring up at the truck not moving a muscle and I was wondering why he wasnt rolling one too. Then moments later as I exhaled a drag..the truck slips into reverse and backs away slowly.. The Cocksucker Didnt see us! Can ya fucking believe it! He never looked down on the ground...if he d of just looked down ..8 feet from his door, he d of seen Spider-bite. Thats why He didnt move..the mutha fucka was looking all around accept down..and he was basically on top of us..literally..at least me anyway. Man that shit was close! By then we realized we were not only pinned and confined to the area with only one option, to catch a IM on the fly, but we gotta get the hell out of there and quick like. Playing 10,000 with dice and and not moving from out hide out we waited till dark. Around 11PM and totally pissed we see an IM pulling into the IM yard..right under the loading cranes..(those massive ones you see from any distance) and under heavy lighting. Expecting power to cut free..I see a CC van..strange but the crew is changing except they are in the IM yard where trains break..off the main and literally in the IM tracks..Never seeing such and totally confused I hear the air and cant figure out my next move..kinda like a deer caught in the headlights. It started pulling...and suddenly my mind and instinct took over and i grabbed my pack and bolted for the train...climbing the gravel embankment that leads to the IM yard..under the floodlight..and all..totally exposed! Looking left I see a white service truck facing the direction the train was moving right next to it..all he had to do was look in the rear view mirror and we d of been spotted for sure. looking to the right I see the ass end of the train approaching and said fuck it! lets roll and man I ran like hell to grab on..and discovered I was on the porch of a suicide. Knowing that in moments we d be passing that truck who d surely see me if he hadnt already done so..I stepped down into the suicide well, standing soley on the crossmember beam and holding my breath. Fuckin scared! not of getting caught but rather ground up into Railroadron burger with a slip of the foot..with gear on..

pulling back onto the main and obviously out of the yard, shaking with fear and relief we climb onto the porch and dance in celebration..WE made it!!!!! We rode that bad boy all the way to Fairburn GA via Birmingham (CSX crews take it from there)


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## Tude (Apr 22, 2013)

I like the way you write.  But there was a hellofa lotta nail biting going on there!!!


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## Bl3wbyyou (Apr 22, 2013)

Thats a hell of a good story Ron.Maybe one of these damn days we will run into eachother.

That shit reminds me of Knoxville.Where me and Hobojim got off at.That yard was a utter nightmare with the bull patrol plus workers.Luckily Hobo knows Mouth and he has a worker connection there.So we got a ride out of there that same day.But holy shit that place was nerve racking just running recon was sketchy as shit.And where we got to in the yard we thought was the departure yard and waited for hours and nothing was being built or leaving.

That worker connection saved our ass tho.Got us a open box right to Chattanooga.That was a fun ride.

Also fuck LINWOOD/LINEWOOD its on the east coast that yard is a fucking nightmare.75 degree ditches at absurd angles and the nearest store is a 8 mile walk and half of that is rail ties.But hey they had lakes around the area lol.We had to machete a path in the woods just to get to the departure tracks.Haha.Good times.

Gah i gotta get back out on the rails i miss the nail biting moments and all the nerve wracking moments.Its truly living life at its core.If you are caught you are gonna least get escorted off the property or arrested.I've been pulled off one ride and that was due to a drunkass rider being loud as we rolled through the yard and a worker heard em yelling.


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