My First Time....help

[bakerdoo]

Ok ...so sorry to be a noob but i am planning a trip out to Seattle/Vancouver/Portland from Minneapolis. I am going mid-early may and want to hop a train. First problem, i have never done it before. I have been looking at BNSF maps a bit and dont fully understand how everything works. I am looking for Tips/Tricks/Warnings/Suggestions and anything else that will help. I will be traveling alone and hopefully with a folding bicycle that i am currently building (good idea or bad?) After Vancouver i am going to Juneau, AK and am planning on paying for a ferry out there...any suggestions on getting to Juneau?
Is this something i shouldn't do alone the first time?
How much time should i plan on the trip taking (i am sort of on a time schedule)
Thanks for being understanding ...everyone hops a train for the first time before they get into it

 

[Doobie_D]

First off id take any plans/ time scheduels and throw em out the window.

 

[bakerdoo]

i can leave a bit earlier and give my self an extra few days...its not a tight schedule
would that work?

 

[Doobie_D]

you just never know sometimes. a couple days can turn into a couple weeks real quick wether you can help it or not. Just sayin i wouldnt bank on making it back at a certain point in time. Things happen sometimes. It took me 2 months to make it across Texas not too long ago. But generally you shouldnt have too much of a problem from Minne to Seattle. As its a busy line. And stacks gotta go to port sooner or later

 

[danvan]

and dont be sorry for lack of experience !

everyone learns things for the first time
and most people enjoy passing on said knowledge

 

[Bendixontherails]

I find that time has to not be a concern, or you'll go nuts with impatience. like Doob said, you really never know... I have made it all the way across my state (KY) in 2 days (east to west), and I did the same route two months later and it took almost three weeks. if you hit the wrong train, miss the one you need, get screwed with by a worker, get arrested, twist an ankle... anything CAN happen. not to be negative, but remember Murphy's Law.
people say that 90% of hoppin is waiting... and they are right most of the time. sometimes everything works out just right... and sometimes everything works out just wrong. just my 2cents.
Good luck.

if you can, find a partner the first time. might save your life. literally.

 

[reXfeReL]

bakerdoo wrote:

Ok ...so sorry to be a noob but i am planning a trip out to Seattle/Vancouver/Portland from Minneapolis. I am going mid-early may and want to hop a train. First problem, i have never done it before. I have been looking at BNSF maps a bit and dont fully understand how everything works. I am looking for Tips/Tricks/Warnings/Suggestions and anything else that will help. I will be traveling alone and hopefully with a folding bicycle that i am currently building (good idea or bad?) After Vancouver i am going to Juneau, AK and am planning on paying for a ferry out there...any suggestions on getting to Juneau?
Is this something i shouldn't do alone the first time?
How much time should i plan on the trip taking (i am sort of on a time schedule)
Thanks for being understanding ...everyone hops a train for the first time before they get into it

ummm... do what you want but i would suggest finding a partner who has ridden before if it's your first time. But hey, fuck, shit.

 

[bakerdoo]

I am working on finding someone to hop with but here are some more direct questions:
I have heard double stacked trains are priority trains and will usually travel faster and farther...is that true?
Would BNSF be the best train to hop going from MPLS to Seattle?
How afraid of the crew workers should i be?
thanks

 

[Mady]

I wouldnt recommend traveling your first time without an experienced traveler, if you have noi choice just do some practice on unrailed train cars and make sure you know the safety rules. Just dont be dumb or brave.

 

[Doobie_D]

BNSF is the only line between Minne and Seattle. straight shot wise anyways. Get rail map also if possible. Very handy to have.

 

[solo]

First I would read "HOPPING FREIGHT TRAINS IN AMERICA", by Duffy Littlejohn. Don't learn about safety from carefree kids.

You can get a look at what Tacoma and Portland bound trains look like by doing a search on railpictures.net with keyword search being BNSF, intermodal

Before heading out, check the weather forecast for Whitefish, MT
and make sure you have the clothes for that.

 

[Yolo]

well first off, sorry to be a downer.
If you have never rode a train before:

A) Don't start off on the highline or a major routeyou will get caught and every inexperienced rider who bumbles through a yard or makes a Super unsafe mistake and gets popped makes it harder for people who know whats up. Start on a couple of podunk shortlines until you get comfortable with trains, how they feel, the noises they mnake before they move when they are going to stop etc....

And do not ride alone on your first couple of trips.

B) If its your first time pack relativley light. Remember food and lots of water and DONT HOP A TRAIN WITH A BIKE UNTIL YOU CAN HOP A TRAIN WITH JUST YOUR BOPDY AND PACK.

Always remember the Engineers motto ( Not train engineer, like mechanical or electrical engineer)

K.I.S.S.
Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.

Yolo-

 

[iamcrkt]

I would highly suggest going down to the yard (i'm assuming you are speaking of the yard in fridley) and observing train operations for a few days, weeks or even a month or two. Figure out where trains stop frequently what cars you can ride... maybe some times that a specific looking train heading west always comes into the yard... and then find access points/etc. I cannot suggest that you do your first ride alone, in fact, I highly advise against it.

By the way there is one other line that connects BNSF with another rail carrier, Montana Rail Link (MRL) through southern South Dakota and southern South Dakota. This will get you to Seattle EVENTUALLY and may even be a better line to ride as most of the employees are pretty nice out there as the traffic mainly consists of manifest and grain trains... there's 1 or 2 stack trains too but that's far less then you'd find on the hiline.

 

[odd]

don't ever ever panic. the last train i hopped i freaked out for sum awful reason and literally went blind from panic . even when you fully have reason to DON'T!!!! not trying to scare ya but it's an awful thing that could easily kill anyone in a car, on a mountain, on a train wateva. even if your stuck in the middle of nowhere no food no water b thankful for whatever you consider ur sanity, and i will say it again DON'T PANIC.
good luck

 

[AtticOfThought]

Bendixontherails wrote:

I find that time has to not be a concern, or you'll go nuts with impatience. like Doob said, you really never know... I have made it all the way across my state (KY) in 2 days (east to west), and I did the same route two months later and it took almost three weeks. if you hit the wrong train, miss the one you need, get screwed with by a worker, get arrested, twist an ankle... anything CAN happen. not to be negative, but remember Murphy's Law.
people say that 90% of hoppin is waiting... and they are right most of the time. sometimes everything works out just right... and sometimes everything works out just wrong. just my 2cents.
Good luck.

if you can, find a partner the first time. might save your life. literally.

Yeah, listen to this fellow.....