Riding suicide is called this for the reason that the rail cars you’re riding has no floor to lie out on or a safe place to lay your head. This was a coal train I was riding. I rode this coal train only because the railroad bull was on to me and I “HAD” to get out of the area as fast as I could. I only rode this coal train roughly 110 miles south to the first crew change town of Pittsburg, Kansas. Once there I moved to a different train with a nice open boxcar! A “crew change” is when a new, fresh crew is placed onto the train and 99% of the time these crew change towns are in the same location. Engineers and conductors have to abide by nearly the same rules that a truck driver must. They’re only allowed a certain amount of hours before a fresh, new crew has to take over the operation of the train.
You certainly want to stay awake on a suicide ride and be sober so you don’t fall to your most certain death. :crazy:
Here’s the link to this mad, mad ride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1M01p3fWw
Coal train ride from the “KCS” Knoche Yard to Pittsburg, Kansas’s crew change. – YouTube
