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Started By
Message
re: RIP Hobo Shoestring
Posted on 5/10/24 at 7:56 am to chinhoyang
Posted on 5/10/24 at 7:56 am to chinhoyang
Yeah, I wouldn’t have known had I not watched his videos.
Turns out that train hopping is extremely dangerous.
Shoestring only had a thumb and two fingers on his left hand (the other two chopped off by a train).
He was also legally blind and deaf in one ear. None of these things stopped him. A freight train was his happy place.
Turns out that train hopping is extremely dangerous.
Shoestring only had a thumb and two fingers on his left hand (the other two chopped off by a train).
He was also legally blind and deaf in one ear. None of these things stopped him. A freight train was his happy place.
0
Posted on 5/10/24 at 7:59 am to POTUS2024
Yessir he did battle other health problems also- related to his past drinking. Pancreatitis and liver problems.
He had been sober for about 9 years before his death. No alcohol or drugs were found in his system at autopsy.
He had been sober for about 9 years before his death. No alcohol or drugs were found in his system at autopsy.
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:07 am to WalkonQB
How long had he been riding the rails?
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:09 am to Hawgnsincebirth55
He started when he was fresh out of the Army. He was born in 1970. I think he said 34 years of hopping trains.
He knew everything about trains.
He knew everything about trains.
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:14 am to hometownhero89
Most of the hobo tags are on older boxcars and hoppers - many of which have gone out of service since I've taken my photos. I have not taken a train picture in a couple of years - I may go out and see if I can find any hoto tags on some of the stored boxcars around here.
I have quite a few "TG" tags as his are fairly common. Since I was attacked by a rabid bat last year, I'm not a big fan of bats any more LOL
Bama Ted tags are cool because he puts dates on his tag every time he's by the car..
I have quite a few "TG" tags as his are fairly common. Since I was attacked by a rabid bat last year, I'm not a big fan of bats any more LOL
Bama Ted tags are cool because he puts dates on his tag every time he's by the car..
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:19 am to chinhoyang
I think shoestring (and some others) actually indicate their direction of travel when tagging?
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:35 am to WalkonQB
quote:
One of my favorites. He was so happy on that Alaska trip.
I think the only place he settled down at all, other than NE Tennessee over the past few years, was in Alaska where he was with a woman and had a son with her. That's the Connor he would talk about, I think, who passed away as a kid. He'd go back two or three times a year to check on the grave and leave something there for him. He seemed to always love Alaska, and grew to love the place he was in Johnson City, TN.
There aren't many people who can say they truly lived the way they wanted, and while not always smooth living, he made the most of it. He seemed to have a certain honesty about him thanks to that life. That's hard to come by.
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:43 am to LegendInMyMind
Thank you for this, I had no idea about Connor.
His nephew is/was a child actor also- Toby Nichols who was born in Baton Rouge.
Toby Nichols IMDB link
His nephew is/was a child actor also- Toby Nichols who was born in Baton Rouge.
Toby Nichols IMDB link
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:53 am to WalkonQB
Very interesting, I had not heard of him. (I watched the video and read the obit) Seemed like he lived life on his own terms.
I almost always have a camera with me, and have taken train graffiti photos when stopped at r crossings. I would have passed over the tags shown in favor of the colorful, block letters taking up half a car. Now, hearing this story, I will look more closely for the small personal tags instead of the larger gang tags and in-you-face urban art.
I loathe graffiti in most instances, especially on natural rock faces in the wilderness, or when someone else’s (other than the tagger) personal property (fence, house , business, car) is vandalized. However, I have always loved train graffiti. It makes sitting at an endless train crossing much more interesting, and as long as they don’t cover the bar codes, I don’t see it as a big deal. Personal hobo tags are new to me, I will look harder. I always found the Depression Era stories of hobo tags on picket fences, indicating disposition of homeowners, interesting….whether lady was likely or not to give you a meal…
In SLC there is a large boulder structure called Suicide Rock that had been graffitied over and over for generations. It is always changing, and can be seen from the interstate at 1-215 and Parley’s Canyon.. For years I passed by and loved seeing it change but the last few times I noticed creep onto more nearby areas, That could get out of hand and no longer be ignored by the city. (Lots of articles and photos online)
I almost always have a camera with me, and have taken train graffiti photos when stopped at r crossings. I would have passed over the tags shown in favor of the colorful, block letters taking up half a car. Now, hearing this story, I will look more closely for the small personal tags instead of the larger gang tags and in-you-face urban art.
I loathe graffiti in most instances, especially on natural rock faces in the wilderness, or when someone else’s (other than the tagger) personal property (fence, house , business, car) is vandalized. However, I have always loved train graffiti. It makes sitting at an endless train crossing much more interesting, and as long as they don’t cover the bar codes, I don’t see it as a big deal. Personal hobo tags are new to me, I will look harder. I always found the Depression Era stories of hobo tags on picket fences, indicating disposition of homeowners, interesting….whether lady was likely or not to give you a meal…
In SLC there is a large boulder structure called Suicide Rock that had been graffitied over and over for generations. It is always changing, and can be seen from the interstate at 1-215 and Parley’s Canyon.. For years I passed by and loved seeing it change but the last few times I noticed creep onto more nearby areas, That could get out of hand and no longer be ignored by the city. (Lots of articles and photos online)
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:55 am to WalkonQB
quote:
Thank you for this, I had no idea about Connor.
I only pieced together the story. He's told it, but it was buried in a long form video. With how he titled things and how long the videos are, it is difficult to find specific stories.
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:59 am to DarlingClementine
It is interesting. Hobos travelled from place to place looking for work and they don’t like what they refer to as “bums.”
Shoestring actually shared different places near the tracks someone could find work. He said once “if you knock on this door and are respectful this man will let you work.”
I didn’t really know what a hobo was until watching his videos.
Shoestring actually shared different places near the tracks someone could find work. He said once “if you knock on this door and are respectful this man will let you work.”
I didn’t really know what a hobo was until watching his videos.
Posted on 5/10/24 at 9:02 am to DarlingClementine
quote:
I would have passed over the tags shown in favor of the colorful, block letters taking up half a car. Now, hearing this story, I will look more closely for the small personal tags instead of the larger gang tags and in-you-face urban art.
quote:
Personal hobo tags are new to me, I will look harder. I always found the Depression Era stories of hobo tags on picket fences, indicating disposition of homeowners, interesting….whether lady was likely or not to give you a meal…
Yeah, hobo tags have a long history. That's how they communicated, and still is to an extent. I found a book with a collection of known hobo tags, of all the genre of books this one is a......quilting book. It took a couple hundred hobo tags and made them into quilt block patterns. I'm no quilter, but I picked the book up anyway at one of those clearance stores and gave it to my Mom who is a quilter. I'll have to look back through it next time I'm over there.
Posted on 5/10/24 at 9:02 am to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
Used to watch some of his train hopping vids
A real life chinhoyang?
Posted on 5/10/24 at 9:58 am to LSUAlum2001
Apparently his sister Mary Nichols is a nurse practitioner. I’m fairly sure she’s in Baton Rouge. I think his other sister Jessica is also a nurse, a regular RN.
His brother is Ross Nichols of Roots of Faith.org
He has a Facebook but the .org link appears to be broken.
His brother is Ross Nichols of Roots of Faith.org
He has a Facebook but the .org link appears to be broken.
This post was edited on 5/10/24 at 10:04 am
Posted on 5/10/24 at 10:07 am to WalkonQB
Shoestring talks about his family.
Please watch this starting at 5:58 to hear about his family in BR, LA
Please watch this starting at 5:58 to hear about his family in BR, LA
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