It was HIS decision, and his responsibility. On November 9, 2017, James Stobie, better known by his YouTube identity Stobe the Hobo, a famous train hopper was killed when he was dragged to death by an Amtrak train. He was the beloved Son of Michael J Stobie (Thornton) and Mary Stobie Lechman (Wheat Ridge); Brother of Lily Ribeiro; Brother in law to Wagner Ribeiro ; Uncle to Noah and Bianca Ribeiro Longmont); Grandson of Marilyn Stobie (Ukiah, California); Nephew to Timothy Stobie (Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts) and Catherine Stobie (Fort Bragg, The details are suitably murky given his preferred mode of transportation. He made fun and interesting train hopping videos over these last number of years.Thanks for checking out this video.Please keep your comments about Stobe tasteful and civil. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. But now the 37-year-old transient who calls himself "Sidetrack" has recanted his confession, turning . The railroad is my home, Nichols said. "Stobe was an artist. This old hobo and his dog, I was waiting on an overpass and he was waiting on a train down below.. Some cops have a code for such deaths: N-H-I - no humans involved. Hobos frequently traveled together in groups on train cars, yet they were on their own in terms of finding work and would be left behind in situations of peril. PS: That Russian-speaking Brit got arrested or detained (or something) in Kazakhstan this month for getting too close to Russias Cape Canaveral. Boris is still at large. Ever since Christopher Artes was a teenager in suburban Maryland, he had an illegal and dangerous kind of wanderlust -- hitching rides on trains. Like other full-time hobos, Nichols often gets jobs while traveling. http://www.webook.com/project/life-times-of-a-professional-hobo. Hobos frequently traveled together in groups on train cars, yet they were on their own in terms of finding work and would be left behind in situations of peril. However, its a misdemeanor in most states. "When you ride the trains, what name do you use?" How did he fall? Hobo Stobe in my movie was an alcoholic. The case landed on Quakenbush's desk when a computer trace of the box-car revealed that it had passed through Salem, where the murder had probably taken place, according to an autopsy report. You can enjoy the scenery and not be in a rush, Nichols said. Stay near the front of the car: if the train stops suddenly, you don't want to go flying out of the door. Quakenbush could barely hide his anger about the fate of the dispossessed and the "double standards throughout America": "There's a great system of justice for the rich. He told me that he had met Silveria several times. The case resembled hundreds of others around the nation in the past decade: a couple of homeless guys have a fight and one gets his head smashed in. The last time Artes spoke with his mother was last Saturday. A couple who romanticized and lived a modern-day adventure by riding railroad cars across the U.S. were killed when a train dumped its load of coal at a Florida power plant. James William Stobie gained considerable notoriety during his all too short life of thirty-three years as a filmmaker who self-produced documentary styled videos portraying life as a rail riding traveler AKA Stobe the Hobo. His accomplishments were many, but his time here on earth. Like many hobos, medical problems have kept Nichols from riding recently. Freight trains can be up to a mile long. "The original guys were great. He usually prefers to step foot on a stopped train at the local rail yard, climbing up four feet to the deck, which he described as a 6-by-8-foot platform. To give myself a challenge, it just keeps me focused on one thing, even though its a bad way, a hard way of living. "They don't understand the proud traditions of the hobo - the hard worker who built the West, kept the jungles [railside camps] clean, shared what he had with his fellow 'bos. What exactly happened here? Prisons? He rode the rails in a way that was reminiscent of a desperate man searching for work at every city he could find during the Great Depression. No one much cared until a few determined police officers began to suspect a serial killer was at work. Artes' mother said her son had a train-hopping manual, but it was stolen at some point. Today, however, he often talks with his family, and he tries to visit his mother at least once a year. America's first known railroad serial killer then hit Garfinkle at least 13 times with an axe-handle. Railroad police, known by hobos as bulls, often check trains as they stop at yards. . An academic "top gun", he never did drugs, meditated three times a day, and ran a successful business. [17], Operation Lifesaver has been criticized for its strong ties to the railroad industry and the group's skew toward the railroad industry. He said he has heard of many different freight-hopping deaths, but nothing like the case of Artes and Hendershot. Like Pettit, Clites had been bludgeoned repeatedly and died of severe head wounds. He was thirty-three years old. I've had to delete some comments recently. Jim Stobie, aka Stobe the Hobo, or Hobestobe on Youtube, arguably the most widely known modern hobo, was fatally injured in an accident with an Amtrak train in the Baltimore area. The barman had mentioned that a "junk-train" - one made up of assorted wagons, grain containers and box-cars - left as regular as clockwork at six every morning, headed towards Missoula and then on to Spokane, the Pacific Northwest's main railroad hub. [4], The railroad industry has supported educational initiatives like Operation Lifesaver. https://youtu.be/M3s-KIrmEWs )If your interested in what else I've been up to check out the info below:My Instagram: @montanaredsoxxMy Flickr: where I have over a 1000 photos posted.https://www.flickr.com/photos/ptimer/Take care. 1. is arguably the most famous hobo in the United States. America is a nation based on migration. Offered a camping stove by Silveria, Stanley refused it believing it was "hot" - stolen. "If he had to die so young, at least he died at a moment where he was on top of the world," said Susan Artes, Christopher's mother. It was HIS decision, and his responsibility. After high school, Nichols said he joined the military and served for about two years. How many cars get hit by trains in the US? The very first American hobos were cast-offs from the American Civil War of the Quoting: deplorably white furry pete. Between April and December 1995, he managed to kill a fellow rail-rider once a month. The slang term shoestring often describes a small amount of money which may be an inadequate amount to fund the intended purpose of its use in full. Its considered trespassing on railroad property. According to some reports, his bag became tangled in the Amtrak train and he was dragged to his death. I arrived in Portland, Oregon, eight hours later. Mark Nichols boarded a boxcar to find that he had been in the same car once before. The vagabond crowd disdains humongous ready-to-roll RVs, preferring DYI makeovers of school buses, city buses and box trucks. Only by taking to the rails would I see the fault-lines running through America's rail-yards: the class and generation divides that often lead to bloodshed as one tribe of rail-riders encounters another. There was a problem saving your notification. Drunk? It's not clear exactly when or how they died. He said railroad staff often dont care when they find him aboard trains. Silveria, they said, had told them he was a travelling roofer by trade, using the rails to move between jobs. Artes was adopted when he was 5 days old. Done, done, done. He stinks. Nearby lay a pile of wooden sleepers under which Silveria stashed some of Pettit's belongings. He told his mother he was in Georgia on his way to Florida because the weather up north was too cold. The metal seemed to groan as the couplings took up slack. That's so true.I'm still sort of at a loss.Thanks for filling in the details.It's a dangerous ride we ride for sure. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. They also note that train hopping is dangerous and illegal. The Utah victim had been beaten over the head with a board and stabbed in the ear. Grandinetti discovered the FTRA's existence after recording ten deaths between 1990 and 1992 on the "High Line" between Seattle and Minneapolis: "The bodies had their shirts and jackets pulled up around their heads, and their pants pulled down." James Stobie created his now famous youtube channel Hobo Stobe on February 15th, 2012. . Silveria didn't look like a transient with the "eyes of a devil", as other hobos had described. According to Jacobs, Union Pacific diesel locomotives are bi-directional, meaning they create just as much power traveling in reverse as they do traveling forward. As it turned out, Stanley was right: the stove was taken from James McLean, 50, found on July 25, 1995, beaten and stabbed near a hobo camp. Pauli Murray was an inspiration to me while in college. As he crossed rusting tracks, Quakenbush appeared to shudder for a split second in the shadow cast by a graffiti-strewn box-car. In Eugene, Quakenbush interviewed several groups of homeless men. What is the difference between a hobo a tramp and a bum? Sitting under a bridge, sometimes for hours or days waiting for a freight, he chugged a beer, ate pizza, he riffed on the squalid life of transients, homogenized new cars, and how to spot where freights were heading (check the names on shipping containers). The budgeting process is where the term will most frequently appear, as in a shoestring budget or alternately as on a shoestring.. I had a lunch date with a remarkable police officer called Mike Quakenbush, a hero to hobos who made him a Knight of the Hobo Order of Merit in honour of his brave and relentless pursuit of Robert Silveria. Around 2am, I decided to call it a night at Hap's Bar. Stobe the Hobo, the internet's most famous train-hopper, dead after apparent accident James Stobie was the most famous train-hopping hobo on the internet. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. "He died doing what he loved, bringing the world his art of train filmmaking," wrote a Facebook user named Jeffrey James Horvison on the memorial page. It's illegal to ride a freight train, and I was trespassing on railroad property. Except that Stobie, aka Stobe the Hobo, made YouTube videos about his experiences, hopping trains to move around the country for the pure fun of it. Our friend James Stobie, aka Stobe the Hobo, died Wednesday the 8th of November, 2017. Stobe the hobo Stobe the hobo. He came across "Chooch Johnson" and a friend, both of them hobos, who were later to confirm key details about Silveria's appearance. I decided to "catch out" anyway. I am not homeless and never have been. Journey's end was not the Pacific but the rail yard in Salem where William Pettit Jr was killed by Robert Silveria. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Leave the area immediately.[13], Pedestrian bridges have been used to help prevent train pedestrian fatalities. "It's easy when you look at the homeless to think that they're just low life," sighed Quakenbush. He also had a half gallon of water for the trip. On the afternoon of Saturday, March 2, 1996, he got a call at home from a bull working in Roseville, one of the largest rail yards in the West. Its unknown, but the Norfolk Southern Railroad passes through the center of the city. He wrote about a dozen books on the subject. Mark Nichols "Shoestring" Professional Hobo. I have a few crash pads around the country I can use intermittently. Copyright 2021 Corridor Rail Development Velux WordPress theme by, History and a Portfolio of the Possibilities of North American Passenger Rail, New York City: Subway workers not thrilled about new post as customer service ambassadors, UK: Cowley branch line should be reopened to passengers report , U.S., Amtrak and Others: In this time of opportunity, go big, or go home, U.S., Canada: A collection of superb passenger train photography of Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada and before by one of Americas best railroad photographers, U.S.: Amtrak is eyeing new rail cars for long-distance trains through Chicago, U.S., Amtrak and others: For 2023, bring back parlor cars, reinvent sleeping car lounges, remember that train cars have couplers, plus Brightline ridership skyrockets. informal. Where is stobe the hobo buried? Its not really big enough for a place to get a shower or a job.. Some 11,000 viewers, occasionally including me -- paltry compared to some YouTube superstars -- followed James Stobie and his risky, and illegal, train hopping. Bob Grandinetti was about to retire after 30 years' service with the Spokane Police Department, 12 of them patrolling the rail yards. Don't cross under couplers or cars. He recalled another train hopper, known as James Stobe the Hobo Hobie, who was struck and killed by a train. When Quakenbush first laid eyes on Silveria at Placer County Jail, his appearance and demeanour were baffling. But in recent years, the old camaraderie has given way to violence and murder. I could hear my heart pounding as I ducked behind a pile of fresh-cut logs. The industry also may stage an enforcement blitz or put up "No Trespassing" signs.[13]. Nichols has also encountered two bodies while traveling. and chicken. Near disused warehouses, I ran into a bearded, shivering man in a dirty three-piece suit. (A super-duper-uber RV disdained by the off-the-grid warriors.). In early November last year, an Amtrak train operator found a body on the tracks outside Baltimore who authorities later identified as YouTube star James Stobe the Hobo Stobie. Stobe had incredible amounts of knowledge about the in's and outs of trains and . Manual for Amtrak employees on how to handle various situations. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Surgery this summer is keeping Nichols in Johnson City. He showed them photographs of Clites and Pettit. Death on the rails. Burton girls; Twin Springs boys win 2nd straight region title, VHSL HOOPS: Eight state quarterfinals on tap tonight for local squads, Five new businesses set to come to The Pinnacle, VHSL QUARTERFINALS: Floyd County (boys), Wise Central (girls), J.I. If you can place your finger between the springs, the boxcar is most likely empty. "What are you doing in my space?" The tunes lyrics are practically about Nichols life, he said, one that has taken him along the rails to every state except Hawaii. When one demanded to see his ID, he emailed his old Blockbuster card. He is now serving a life sentence in Oregon, unlikely ever to get out. Stobie was. Is stobe the hobo died? Get a job. People like that are misinformed. Is Becky Lynch Coming Back To WWE In 2021? These accidents cause 600 deaths and injure about 2,300. : to pay for something His parents footed the bill for his college education. Farid and Amir stop in Jalalabad to spend the night . His cinematography and film editing, his commentary and vocabulary, and his perspectives, were a true art form. After being transported to Kansas City, Nichols stayed in the hospital for three weeks. Hobos have been taking free rides on America's freight trains since Civil War days - they have always been a law unto themselves. Since the invention of the railroad, people have sought travel and wander along the tracks. Pedestrian railroad safety is concerned with the protection of life through regulation, management and technology development of all forms of rail transportation. He drank like a fish while hopping trains. I was hitchhiking and trying to get to Denver. How did the Great Depression affect the hobo life? The family eventually let Nichols live with them for a while, and in the spring he moved into his first home, an apartment in Johnson City. They always have someone who cares about them somewhere. October 23, 1984 DIED November 8, 2017 LOCATION Thornton, Colorado Obituary Olinger Moore Howard Chapel Obituary James William Stobie gained considerable notoriety during his all too short life. In May last year, Silveria pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in Kansas for the murder of Charles Randall Boyd. [18], The DuPage Railroad Safety Council (DRSC) is a non-profit organization committed to preventing deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railways in DuPage County and all around the United States. What happened at the end of Baptiste Season 2? And can attract punishments of either a fine or spending a few days to weeks in jail. A few tracks away, I spotted the junk-train due to leave within the hour. Hendershot died from blunt force trauma to the mid-section, so she could have been hurt falling or by coal falling on her. Squat the Planet is the world's largest social network for misfit travelers. Why Diesel? Stobe the Hobo, YouTube's Most . He backed it up with his tinkly, rambling piano. Trains have been done, writing's been done, arts been done. The purpose of the caboose was to provide a rolling office for the trains conductor and the brakemen. BooHoo. Officials were not sure if the couple was sitting on top of the coal or were riding in an empty car and dropped onto a mound of coal, then hit or buried by another load. He discovered that there were several initiation rituals for those joining the FTRA, and that there was a "Goon Squad" - a group of 50-100 FTRA "enforcers" - which maintained discipline among the gang. Like much of YouTube, its unsubstantiated and sketchy. Thats usually where I go to catch a train out of here.. Rice listed the dangers of riding the rails: falling off the car, getting robbed by a vagrant, being jolted or crushed when the train's slack lessens. Some community members feel Stobie was too skilled to have died while train-hopping and suspect foul play. He was an amazing artist with the way he presented his views and the background music was all played by him on piano. What had he learned, I asked, in following Silveria's tracks of death? Eventually, Nichols said hell retire and possibly settle down, but not yet. We moved 28 times before I graduated in 89.. On November 9, 2017, James Stobie, better known by his YouTube identity Stobe the Hobo, a famous train hopper was killed when he was dragged to death by an Amtrak train. ( I recently uploaded a new video of this same general area in Halethorpe taken on the same day in November 2017 that I shot this one. When he and Hendershot were in Miami several weeks ago, a trucker with whom they had caught a ride with stole Artes' backpack. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. Mark Nichols lives in a small apartment near downtown Johnson City, but four static walls arent what hes used to home is on the rails. It was called the Hobo Code. Quakenbush told me. Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. Usually they dont throw you in jail, Nichols said. I dropped a couple of dollars on the old oak bar, etched with lovers' giddy initials, and headed out into the frigid pre-dawn air. None are pretty, no death in the history of humanity is dignified. The country's leading expert on the FTRA - Spokane Police Department's detective Bob Grandinetti - was not enthusiastic about me taking a trip. Over 50 million of them around the world are uploading 500 hours of video. Vintage compendium of edible wild plants with pictures and descriptions, comprehensive work devoted to all aspects of insects. Some have called for fencing along known trespassing hot spots in order to prevent the number of pedestrian deaths. I never asked for the fame, he said. He wore new shoes and even his backpack was new.". Mark Nichols inside a boxcar traveling from Kansas City to Nebraska. Alex Kershaw rode the rails himself to follow their trail, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Hes also ventured into Canada and Mexico. c : repel. "It's real hard to find suspects after the crime," says detective Jim Writer of Big Springs, Texas, who investigated Terry's death. Past and present members of the gang and their associates are suspected in some 300 murders nationwide in the past decade. From illegally jumping trains to stealing scraps from a farmers market, the hobo community needed to create a secret language to warn and welcome fellow hobos that were either new to town or just passing through. I snatched two hours sleep in what locals called a "shotgun shack", a cheap motel, and then I made my way to the furthest reaches of Helena yards, hoping to "catch out" before dawn on the Great Northern line: the Billygoat route. An Englishman who speaks Russian roam the former USSRs ragged villages and old buildings, downing moonshine with, (grannies) and vodka with a widower near Chernobyl. Jim was, no.. IS a legend in the loner, vagabond . But forget it if you're a nobody." I decided to "catch out" on a box-car. For more information, visit BrittHoboDays.com. After killing, Silveria adopted the identity of his victim, even dressing in his clothes, in order to claim ever more public welfare. Join our community of do-it-yourself nomads and learn how to explore the world by any means necessary. More than 7,200 pedestrians have been killed by trains in the United States since 1997. He also liked to ride the rails, and, in August 1994, he hopped on a freight train for the hell of it. However, not all workers turn people in. The boxcar is slow moving, Nichols said, and can travel up to 48 mph. They were Vietnam veterans who had not been able to fit back into "normal society" and who wanted to ride "free" and see America their own way, surviving as they had in the jungles of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam by hunting, fishing and living off the land. I don't really know the full details so my knowledge is secondhand at best. Today, most of the train hoppers that Nichols said he encounters are 20-25 years old. Check out his channel at \"HobeStobe\" here on YouTube. Stobe the Hobo's videos alternated between vaguely encouraging and actively disparaging the lost art of freight hopping. Since 1900, hobos and their supporters from around the country have gathered in Britt, Iowa, each August for the National Hobo Convention. However, hobo life lost its charm after the Great Depression threw the lives of working people into turmoil. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder but didn't like taking his medication. In many yards, bulls have traditionally turned a blind eye to hobos, regarding them as minor nuisances. It may not display this or other websites correctly. On November 9, 2017, James Stobie, better known by his YouTube identity Stobe the Hobo, a famous train hopper was killed when he was dragged to death by an Amtrak train. In the United States there are some 180,000 miles of track. Last summer in North Dakota, a group of teenagers jumped Fortin, beat him nearly to death with a baseball bat and stabbed him five times before taking his boots and backpack. He was last incarcerated in Regina, Saskatchewan. Score: 4.5/5 (17 votes) . Rarely do they ever stop in Johnson City, Nichols said of the trains. On November 9, 2017, James Stobie, better known by his YouTube identity Stobe the Hobo, a famous train hopper was killed when he was dragged to death by an Amtrak train. I just sit there and look at the walls [of his apartment]. More on this from Mark Nichols (shoestring) fb post - he's ok btw - should have lost 4 fingers but 6 operations later and now skin grafts he lost two but now maybe three but with a lot more time in hospital from his train fall. Many people struggled to find work in their communities. "If he got an idea and something looked good to him, he would do it. Mark Nichols is arrested in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, while riding Florida East Coast railway. Wyoming is probably the worst . From $5.78 each to many . Hendershot's family couldn't be located for comment. He taught himself how to flirt with danger, and so could they. Few had been saved. Like many, he looked for ways to occupy himself. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. . ", Hobos have been taking free rides on America's freight trains since Civil War days - they have always been a law unto themselves. : spending and owing more money than is being earned Apparently the company had been in the red for some time before it went out of business. He was trapped on a bridge with an on coming Amtrak train, and while he got to the side of the bridge the best he could, the train caught his backpack and and pulled him into the train. If the company detected somebody on the tracks, a message on the speaker said: Warning: You are trespassing on private property and are in danger of being struck by a train. He often will get jobs moving furniture from homes and storage units, which allow him to be paid regularly, rather than waiting weeks at a time for a paycheck. Mark Nichols riding on the pusher-unit of a shuttle grain train bound for the Port of New Orleans on the "KCS.". H. L. Hobo Stobe in my movie was an alcoholic. Above all, as any hobo will tell you, don't join anyone else in a box-car. Tiny houses, narrowboats and converted buses look artsy and cozy, but no thanks to climbing ladders to sleep in crawl spaces, disembarking narrowboats every few miles to crank open lock gates, or emptying "cassettes" of toilet "black water" at dump sites. Many went by nicknames or monikers that kept their identities concealed from strangers, police, train workers, and one another. Hopping freights is illegal and dangerous.. Posted February 25, 2020. . He claimed that he sent child support payments to his wife, though he'd been on the road for five or six years. Visitors can also visit the Hobo Memorial Cemetery, where many steam-engine era hobos are buried, and the National Hobo Museum, where authentic artifacts are on display. What happened to Christopher Reeves to make him paralyzed? They wanted to spend winter in Florida because it was warm. James Stobie (October 23, 1984 - November 9, 2017 [aged 33]), better known online as hobestobe, also known as Stobe the Hobo, was an American YouTuber known for his train hopping videos.