We rolled into the arrival yard around Noon having just caught out of Klamath Falls. My road dog and I hopped a few strings and found ourselves on Roseville Road East of the yard. We hiked over the foothills bridge and onto the Roseville Market to resupply and then catch out to Colton to continue our journey to Texas. I'm always a little apprehensive about this yard cuz I always run into the worst kind of kids here. You know the types. Wasted, talking big of going in whatever direction, meanwhile missing every train they can and just being general morons. Plus, I wanted to avoid any interactions with Officer Flood of the Roseville PD and any interaction with the bulls.
We got to the Roseville Market where we stocked up a few more cans, chatted with Bob (The nice guy who owns the market), filled up our jugs and then continued on to the departure yard to hopefully catch out as soon as possible. As we walked toward the quarry we noticed three kids sitting in the open on the field. I gave a courteous wave but we continued walking past. I was not in the mood to hang out with other riders, especially knowing the types that frequent Roseville. As we continued on we saw two more. We exchanged formalities as they said they were going to go to the Market to spange for beer(of course), and then catching out to Oregon, where we had just come from. They said there were 3 more in the jungle. We continued on deciding not go to the jungle but found a spot closer to the yard so we could keep our eye on departures and trace cars.
We weren't sitting in for more than 10 minutes when a rider came up. He was a large kid with a small puppy and talked waaaay too loud. Since he was going the same way as us he invited himself to join us. Me and my road dog looked at each other and were slightly annoyed by this.
It wasn't long before we were joined by two more riders. They were going east. It wasn't long before an eastbound manifest pulled onto the mainline for a crew change with several open boxcars and they were gone. Then the rest of the crew joined. There was one wet brained drunk who was super annoying and boasted of his liver failure and bragged about he got stranded in Donner Pass cuz he got off the train when sided and then promptly passed out. I was getting more annoyed by the second.
I went to the yard to trace trains. Nothing going south but there was a Northbound sitting on track 3. I mentioned this to the 4 kids that were going north and two of them went to get on it. The wetbrain, tried but collapsed on the way and passed out in the field. The other kid was too distracted by the only girl in the group who happened to be going to Oakland (no surprise there). The NBD pulled out and that left us with the wet brain, who had made his way back, the couple who were going in opposite directions, and the large, loud kid with the puppy.
I
t wasn't long before it got dark and the crew complained of being cold so they all went back to the jungle to be by the fire. They seemed offended when we told them we were staying to continue to wait for a southbound. The loud kid was only waiting for the daily IM that would take him to LA. "I only ride IM's and piggybacks" he loudly boasted.
Soon after they left two more kids arrived. A couple who looked like they had just decided to stop hitchhiking and start riding a train that day. They were also going to the Bay Area (again, no surprise) They said this is where the CCG had led them and they had never been to this yard. I doubted that they had been to any yard. I pointed to the yard and said sort of rudely, "there's the departure yard, that's all you need" They continued past us.
I went back to the yard and traced cars. It was the emptiest I'd ever seen those departure tracks. We passed out for the night and woke up in the morning. I immediately went into the yard to trace cars. Still nothing going south. I looked over the hill behind us and there were 5 more fuckin kids all of whom looked like they had just rolled in from the local mall. We learned that they had just rolled in from Oakland. (no surprise again) The loud kid continue to talk about how he was going to get a piggy in a skirt all the way to LA.
A doublestack pulled in on the mainline and I traced it to Oakland. We watched three kids, two of which must've changed their mind and followed the girl. They didn't make it because the wet brain, again, collapsed on the way and passed out in the field. They all walked disappointingly back to the jungle.
All the new kids were going south too. "Great", I thought. Just then we watched them push a string onto track 4. Loaded lumber, empty boxes, a possible southbound. As I mentioned that this would possibly be a southbound, one kid, over excited put on his gear and looked around aimlessly like a lost puppy. "Which one is South?", he asked, "Which one is going south? "Relax kid", i said, "it don't have power yet, when they attach power we will know" It wasn't long before we watched power get attached. "Well" , I said to my road dog, "Lets go" "Where you guys going?" somebody in the group asked. " To catch out" I dryly responded. They watched in awe as we went and started to walk towards the yard to get on the train. None of them moved even though they had all been very eager to catch out minutes before.
We hopped two strings and found a nice open boxcar. I traced it to somewhere in Arizona and it had an estimated departure time of an hour later. It finally pulled an hour late and we were quite glad to be out of there.
We got to the Roseville Market where we stocked up a few more cans, chatted with Bob (The nice guy who owns the market), filled up our jugs and then continued on to the departure yard to hopefully catch out as soon as possible. As we walked toward the quarry we noticed three kids sitting in the open on the field. I gave a courteous wave but we continued walking past. I was not in the mood to hang out with other riders, especially knowing the types that frequent Roseville. As we continued on we saw two more. We exchanged formalities as they said they were going to go to the Market to spange for beer(of course), and then catching out to Oregon, where we had just come from. They said there were 3 more in the jungle. We continued on deciding not go to the jungle but found a spot closer to the yard so we could keep our eye on departures and trace cars.
We weren't sitting in for more than 10 minutes when a rider came up. He was a large kid with a small puppy and talked waaaay too loud. Since he was going the same way as us he invited himself to join us. Me and my road dog looked at each other and were slightly annoyed by this.
It wasn't long before we were joined by two more riders. They were going east. It wasn't long before an eastbound manifest pulled onto the mainline for a crew change with several open boxcars and they were gone. Then the rest of the crew joined. There was one wet brained drunk who was super annoying and boasted of his liver failure and bragged about he got stranded in Donner Pass cuz he got off the train when sided and then promptly passed out. I was getting more annoyed by the second.
I went to the yard to trace trains. Nothing going south but there was a Northbound sitting on track 3. I mentioned this to the 4 kids that were going north and two of them went to get on it. The wetbrain, tried but collapsed on the way and passed out in the field. The other kid was too distracted by the only girl in the group who happened to be going to Oakland (no surprise there). The NBD pulled out and that left us with the wet brain, who had made his way back, the couple who were going in opposite directions, and the large, loud kid with the puppy.
I
t wasn't long before it got dark and the crew complained of being cold so they all went back to the jungle to be by the fire. They seemed offended when we told them we were staying to continue to wait for a southbound. The loud kid was only waiting for the daily IM that would take him to LA. "I only ride IM's and piggybacks" he loudly boasted.
Soon after they left two more kids arrived. A couple who looked like they had just decided to stop hitchhiking and start riding a train that day. They were also going to the Bay Area (again, no surprise) They said this is where the CCG had led them and they had never been to this yard. I doubted that they had been to any yard. I pointed to the yard and said sort of rudely, "there's the departure yard, that's all you need" They continued past us.
I went back to the yard and traced cars. It was the emptiest I'd ever seen those departure tracks. We passed out for the night and woke up in the morning. I immediately went into the yard to trace cars. Still nothing going south. I looked over the hill behind us and there were 5 more fuckin kids all of whom looked like they had just rolled in from the local mall. We learned that they had just rolled in from Oakland. (no surprise again) The loud kid continue to talk about how he was going to get a piggy in a skirt all the way to LA.
A doublestack pulled in on the mainline and I traced it to Oakland. We watched three kids, two of which must've changed their mind and followed the girl. They didn't make it because the wet brain, again, collapsed on the way and passed out in the field. They all walked disappointingly back to the jungle.
All the new kids were going south too. "Great", I thought. Just then we watched them push a string onto track 4. Loaded lumber, empty boxes, a possible southbound. As I mentioned that this would possibly be a southbound, one kid, over excited put on his gear and looked around aimlessly like a lost puppy. "Which one is South?", he asked, "Which one is going south? "Relax kid", i said, "it don't have power yet, when they attach power we will know" It wasn't long before we watched power get attached. "Well" , I said to my road dog, "Lets go" "Where you guys going?" somebody in the group asked. " To catch out" I dryly responded. They watched in awe as we went and started to walk towards the yard to get on the train. None of them moved even though they had all been very eager to catch out minutes before.
We hopped two strings and found a nice open boxcar. I traced it to somewhere in Arizona and it had an estimated departure time of an hour later. It finally pulled an hour late and we were quite glad to be out of there.
yeah I rolled into RSVL 2 weeks ago and ran into punk ass Flood. I pulled out my not working camera and stated I had the right to film the encounter and suddenly he changed his tune and was all polite and shit..strictly by the book. He turned all red and you could tell he wanted to punch me..the fuckin prick! Glad he didnt know my camera wasnt working. I asked if if he was profiling me cause i had a pack on..he replied " nope..just routine ID check. I m housed up for the holidays with my sister alternating with my neice..in Sacramento. come Jan..I ll be headed North to PDX and Seattle ..then? Canada? Alaska? Highline? who knows..I ll ask magic 8 ball
