Don't Call Them Bums: The Unsung History of America's Hard-Working Hoboes.
The other is a fantasy about living free on the fringes society: jumping boxcars despite the danger, wandering from town to town with no roots or commitments, sleeping under the stars with fellow hoboes who trade banjo tunes and wild stories. Woody Guthrie, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, James Michener, Louis L’Amour, Clark Gable, and multi-millionaire Winthrop Rockefeller were all drawn to this untethered lifestyle and told stories about their time on the rails, burnishing the legend.
Okay Woody Guthrie and Jack London I knew, and Louis L'Amour makes sense, but Winthrop Rockerfeller? Didn't know that.
I had a coworker who believed he was going to become a hobo when he retired. Late 60s, bad back, I'm not sure this is going to work out like he thinks. I would say "No harm in taking a shot at it," but actually, harm is possible with this guy. He was not known for the best judgement in dealing with others.
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They haven't come up recently but for a few months a year or so ago I was getting recommendations to watch YouTubes recorded by hobos, and actually watched a few. It looks a bit easier than it was not long ago since the well cars used to transport shipping containers often have open but relatively sheltered spaces between the containers and the end of the car if the container carried is one of the shorter ones.
We also pretty regularly joke at the RR museum of offering a hobo experience ala the Lee Marvin character in 'Emperor of The North' including riding on the frame rods under a box and getting rousted by the train crew.
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