Riding the Rails

by Michael Mathers

The author's description of his adventures riding the rails in the United States accompanies photographs of and comments by freight riders who have made it their way of life

Genres: Nonfiction, History

136 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do when you're a new Harvard grad and you are inspired by Jack Kerouac? You try to recreate the idea of roaming from place to place, of course! What started out as a need to satisfy some wanderlust turns into an unofficial study of those who ride the rails for their life. A combination narrative and pictorial history, with a lot of short comments from interviews conducted over the years, Mathers relates a way of life that, while always existing since the days of rail, really was dying off by the time he started. Therefore, this has a place with Studs Terkel's oral histories because sometimes the best way to learn about something is to hear it from the horse's mouth.

The tales generally run similarly--men who work here and there and who can't settle down (some of them have tried and failed, leaving behind their families), primarily white and primarily older. They appear to have a fairly good community (though I wonder if this was romanticized by the author) as judged by the lack of stealing. However, as the author notes, there is a general class of resentment, frequently to minorities, who have to carry protection at all times. A lot of the surviving rail riders, called either hobos or tramps depending on the part of th country you're in, came from the depression era, when people moved across the country looking for work. Back then, according to Mathers, whole families would be hopping boxcars.

I found it interesting that apparently at the time this was written, the railroads did not seem to care overly much about the hobos. Mathers says that it's because the old rail hands, who once tried to keep them away, see them now, in the era of automation and diesel, as one of the few ties left to the days when being a railroad worker was a specialized job. I wonder if that's still the case today in this era of security, and somehow find myself doubting it. If the tramps are allowed to ride for free on that gondola, the terrorists win. Or something.

I think that this book is a very good amateur love affair with a lifestyle that's nearly no more. If you're looking for scholarly research, this is not the book for you. However, if you want to listen to the stories these men want to tell, if you want to gaze into their face and see people who know they can't fit in society and must live at its edges, if you can overlook the darker aspects (alcoholism, leaving their wifes and kids, racism), and if you still get a little twinkle in your eye when you see a train go by your car or office window, then this is the right book for you. (Library, 11/07)

Trebby's Take: Recommended for those who like oral history and/or trains.

[Kazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mathers, a sometimes hobo, writes about his experiences riding the rails and the men he meets along the way, accompanied by a trove of his photographs.

On one hand I found the look at hobo/tramp life fascinating. It's a world that surely doesn't exist in the same way now - ad hoc "jungles" near railyards for men to rest in for a few hours or a few days, following agricultural work with the seasons (or not), seeing the country framed by the open door of a boxcar.

On the other hand, I get the feeling that this is a highly romanticized view of a fading culture. Mathers is hardly an impartial observer, and while he points out some things he glosses over others. For example, he points out that Black men get the worst treatment by far and are often threatened by white hobos. Mathers then states that women are rare - he only knows of three, but they can take care of themselves. While almost every hobo carries a knife, women carry a gun.

My first thought was holy hell, what happened to these women that convinced them that they need to carry guns?! And on top of that, I'm guessing that if they were arrested for trespassing or something it could get them in a bunch more trouble. There's no law against carrying a knife, but concealed carry of a gun across state lines? Eeep.

All in all Riding the Rails was a neat look at days gone by, but the position of the author prevents it from being more than a collection of interesting anecdotes.

[Coffeecups]

No rating for this one; I think it belongs to its time, and within the context of the author.

I didn't find this a particularly interesting read. I found Mathers' commentary on the dangers, degradation, and realities of riding the rails constantly undone by his romanticism & never really separated his feelings about what the hobo/tramp lifestyle was versus the contemporary reality.
The book itself was a little frustrating to read as the photos did not always align with content of the captions, and that the story itself is interrupted by these, often inane, captions.
The actual "story" (journalism) Mathers presents was lacking in logical construction (as in, chronology, which interviewees were now being discussed, where in the country) and there was not a conclusion; the author did not present any answers. Overall this felt like a handful of randomly selected parts of a fuller, more detailed work.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, straightforward stories and photos about and from folks who rode the rails, captured by a man who rode with them. An honest and non-judgmental look at an alternative lifestyle fed by wanderlust and alcohol, unfettered by families, time, or space. Pretty amazing documentation of folks who jealously guard their privacy and their past, but share tips and info about riding the rails and people who help and hinder along the way. If you are interested in the Plight of the Common Man in the 1970's and earlier, are unfazed by unpleasant realities of the homeless, and have a bit of wanderlust yourself, this is a great read.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an attractive and evocative book of photos, oral histories and personal memoir about riding the rails with hoboes, a term and a lifestyle already rather antiquated even when this book was published nearly 50 years ago. While there are snippets of personal interest, social critique, beauty and introspection, there also is frankly a kind of clichéd emptiness which leaves the reader with the impression that there isn't any 'there' there. Sometimes, the evocation of meaning remains just that, an inchoate call with no real response.