I won't get deep into the rail riding side of things here as when you get cleared head over to the hopping forum. With that said, Raleigh is a target rich environment for hopping. Hell, two yards in between Five Points and Seaboard Station. Find you a good area and watch them come in and out. Travel around the area and key to the double tracks and the signals and watch those. Get a feel for what trains are. Breath in DEEPLY the creosote as that will be your life if you choose it. Hit some free meals to make sure that you are comfortable with the sub-culture because the tracks are going to be 1000 times more rough when it comes to interactions. Learn the language --- types of cars, why there is a W on some of the white signs, and throw a couple of Hang 10 hand gestures to engineers when they come by. If they throw you water, you MAY be ready to START to think about riding. Get your gear ready. Walk with it a LOT so u are road ready. Learn to cook coffee and omelets out of empty beer cans when you cut the lids off with a P38. Don't have one? Amazon sells them cheap. I prefer the P58, though. Take a couple of days and treck the woods with your gear and break it in good. We call it a shake down cruise so u can work out all the kinks --- shit like weight disbursement, what socks work good, how to use ziplock bags to protect your Ramen so they don't bust out everywhere. Get a rail name --- a catchy one not some two bit homeguard name like Boxcar Red. LEARN to walk on the ballast --- gravel. Surprisingly, long term walking on it fucks u up initially. Break in your boots and lather them with Snow Seal (about $4 on Amazon). Learn the geo areas you want to ride to and what is available between here and there.
Now, with all of that said, it is NOWHERE near what you need to do/know to prep to break your cherry for hopping. People are inherently evil. Make no mistake about that. Inner city yards are fucked up because you have the city element. Most hobos, by in large, will not fuck with you provided you remember that the IDIOT LIGHT comes on at 6pm under the bridge. That means before sunset, UNLESS you trust those u are with, get the fuck to your camp. If you are going to bring a weapon, make SURE you are ready to use it. Chances are good that if you draw down, that knife or goon stick may be taken and used on YOU. I prefer flares, but that is a whole different thread.
Finally, just don't be a dick. Don't act like you know shit if you don't. Generally, an old timer will take you under the wing in exchange for making the store runs and shit. Regardless, when you make it over to the train forum, ask away. I am in and out of there and generally sober enough to answer questions.