11 July 2007
Unexpected Cargo Puts Brakes to Freight Train
Cambridge Ontario - A man, two women, and a pair of dogs
hitching a free ride heading west had their trip delayed by police in Cambridge last night.
The group was caught riding illegally inside a freight car as part of a Canadian Pacific train that was making its way through the city
around 7 p.m.
Unknown to the hitchhikers, the train's crew had spotted them.
The crew planned an unscheduled stop and called ahead to police.
Officers were waiting for the hitchhikers at a rail yard, near the old Galt train station, when the train stopped.
"The train guys knew what was going on," said Sgt. Bob Thomas of the Waterloo regional police.
"They called us as they were coming into town, and we were there when the train arrived. They had a good idea which car they were
in, and they directed us to it."
The stowaways were arrested without incident. Their belongings, including lots of water, was confiscated and the rest of the train was
searched, police said. Charges of trespassing are expected to be laid, police said.
A CP spokesperson said it wasn't known last night where the group hopped the train. They could have jumped on at any number of spots
along the rail line, said Michel Spenard. "Our rail yards are patrolled, but trains often stop along public areas waiting for
signals," he said.
But train hopping isn't a common problem for the railway, he said - it's certainly nowhere near the issue it was during the Depression,
when thousands of unemployed men hopped freights cars heading west looking for work. "This isn't something that's really that
prevalent for us. This isn't the real hobos of the 1930s anymore," Spenard said.
Still, jumping moving trains remains a dangerous way to travel, he said. During heat waves, stowaways can literally bake inside a
freight car, Spenard said. Besides, "it's trespassing, and it's illegal."
"Travelling around inside a freight car, there's an awful lot of rock 'n' roll and movement. It's not built for comfort," he
said. "We do not recommend it."
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