Freight Train Riders of America

The Freight Train Riders of America (FTRA) are an American gang of transients, who move about by freight hopping ("Catching Out") in railroad cars, particularly in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada and are linked to many violent crimes.[1]

History and background

The origins of the FTRA can be traced to a group of Vietnam veterans who founded the group in 1984 in a Montana bar.

[2] Members of the FTRA claim to be a loosely knit club of people that share a similar lifestyle, organized for mutual support. In 1998, the SPLC stated that there could be as many as 1,000 active members. Other experts state that the FTRA membership could range between 600 and 3,000. Canadian estimates are considerably harder to find.[3][4]

FTRA members are most frequently encountered along the BNSF Railway's Hi-Line,[1] which stretches from Chicago to Seattle, often sleeping in switching yards, bridge underpasses and boxcars along the route. While the "elite" of the FTRA ride the Hi-Line and are recognized by the color black worn in a bandanna, usually with a conch for a slide, the mid-line wears a blue bandanna and those who ride the Union Pacific "Sunset Route" from Southern California to El Paso fly either a red or desert camouflage-colored flag.

The term FTRA most commonly stands for Freight Train Riders of America but the term "F--K the Reagan Administration" was common amongst original members, many of whom were Vietnam vets, after Founder d boone spotted a freight car marked 'XTRA'.

In Canada, members use the tag FTRC (Freight Train Riders Of Canada) or (F--k the Royal Crown). Legend has it that the FTRC was founded by 2 BCRail Workers who ran the CTRC Canadian Train Riders Club & Martin "Metroman51/50" Vasil along with 3 FTRA Members NoID51/50, MaryJane51/50 & HiLine51/50 as the FTRA demographic began to include Canadian born members only who wished to represent the FTRA Flags.

The "51/50" term is ONLY designate to members who have earned the "5 flags" and is unique to the FTRC Only. The 5 flags consist of the FTRA black bandanna that shows the FTRC links to the FTRA & also used by the FTRC to represent members who ride Canadian National Railways north run Vancouver to Edmonton Alberta or the American HiLine if it has a Silver BNSF ring squeezed or pinched around it.

Most members of the FTRC only have a Silver CN ring squeezed or pinched to the ends of the bandanna AKA Flag.

The Yellow Flag or Bandanna represents Union Pacific Railways and is only worn by members who ride Union Pacific Eastport to El Paso

The Green Flag is worn only by members of the FTRC who ride Burlington Northern Santa Fa Railways Seattle to Dakota to Nebraska towards New Mexico California then up towards Seattle and also represents American War Vets.

The red flag represents the old southern Pacific Run Portland to California Run very few of the FTRC have this Flag most of the FTRC who have red flags have a silver ring on them they ride Canadian Pacific Railways {Locomotives are red} Vancouver BC to Montreal

but not all Red flags of the FTRC are good if the Member has a red mark on him and a red bandanna he murderer a person or persons in Canada or the USA and it would be best to avoid them

it is only speculated that the Blue flag is for recruiter

The Canadian Rail Police have a different say and believe its the enforcers of the FTRC and the persons who derail trains or the founders like Metroman51/50 who control the members of the FTRC that have Blue Flags when asked for more info all they would state is Some of the Members of the FTRC who were charged with violent offences in America & Canada stated the Blue flag is for enforcer or founders of the FTRC FTRA and red flag was for members of the FTRC who went after tramps and other members of the FTRC FTRA to kill them or just the wrong person at the wrong place and thrown off moving freight trains

all Members of the FTRC have Black Dakota overalls its a violation of the FTRC not to be in Dakota garments most of the Violent Crimes in Canada by the FTRC were against other riders who were found with the FTRA FTRC Flag Colors or in black Dakota

In Canada the FTRC are considered a Terrorist organization by the Canadian Government and believed to be involved in a number of train derailments.

Members of the FTRC ride between Vancouver and Quebec or into America on Canadian Pacific Railways, Canadian National Railways Union Pacific or BNSF.

Criminal accusations

Retired Spokane police officer Bob Grandinetti has specialized in investigating the FTRA both as a Spokane police officer and since his retirement. He has linked members of the group to food stamp fraud, illegal drug trafficking, and hundreds of thefts, as well as brutal assaults and murders committed against other transients, hobos, and freighthoppers.

The 1996 revenge shooting of 30 year-old Joseph "F-Trooper" Perrigo by fellow FTRA member Martin "Mississippi Bones" Moore. His murder stemmed from an altercation the year before regarding Bones' wife Misty Jane, in which Bones was stabbed and nearly killed. F-Trooper had an arm tattoo reading 'FTRA' lending credibility to several agencies' assertions of this organization's existence and exampling a certain degree of loyalty from its followers. Moore is serving a 25-year sentence for the murder.

A series of murders of transients along the rails committed by a serial murderer, Robert Joseph Silveria Jr. (a.k.a. "Sidetrack"), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur8mTMj_UXk led to police and media attention on the FTRA, including a May 1996 murder which led to the organization being profiled on America's Most Wanted. Silveria claims to have not been a member of the FTRA, but former police officer Bill Palmini, in his book Murder on the Rails about the Silveria murders, says he was a member. Robert Silveria is currently serving a double life sentence in Oregon for the murders.

Michael Elijah Adams (a.k.a. "Dirty Mike"), 48, a native of Michigan who started hopping trains at age 14. He would go on to kill more than 16 fellow drifters, according to his reckoning [5] He is serving 15 years to life for the killing of train-rider John Owens in Placer County, California. He's also a suspect in murders in Texas and Washington state, among others. According to the Henrico County prosecutor's office, a plea deal for life without parole is all set, waiting for the governor's office in California to sign off on Adams spending the rest of his life in prison in Virginia. Adams has repeatedly claimed in interviews to having been apprenticed in how to commit serial murder via rail by suspected FTRA enforcer John "Dogman Tony" Boris; who has himself beaten the rap on at least one murder charge of his own.

Realistically, any distinction of FTRA or FTRC as an organization, or a count of its members, is a loose one at best due to the circumstances inherent to rail-riding, and to a transient lifestyle in general. This also speaks to the contradictory information regarding whether or not the FTRA or the FTRC are a well organized criminal group. Author Richard Grant writes that various FTRA members, including American founder daniel boone, insist the group was 'founded' on the basis of camaraderie between people sharing a similar lifestyle of adventure and not as a criminal organization.[6]

A 1991Spokane, WA train derailment in which an unidentified person was found to have severed the air-line to the rear cars' brakes. The suspect was killed in the act and his body was recovered wearing a black bandanna with the signature silver-ring conch. It has been speculated that this wreck and another one the same week were meant as deterrents against the rail companies' increased security measures.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Valdemar, Richard (30 November 2007). "The Freight Train Riders of America - Where getting railroaded is even more ominous than it sounds.". Police Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Howard; Burke, T (Oct 1998), "Train Gangs Today: Another Threat to Law Enforcement", Law and Order, 46 (10): 117–120
  3. ↑ "Hobo Killings Probed", SPLC Intelligence Report (89), 1998
  4. ↑ Douglas, P (20 September 1998), "Trackside Terrorists", Florida Times Union, retrieved 7 July 2015
  5. ↑ Holberg, Mark (3 March 2016). "Admitted train-hopping serial killer is proud, looking forward to 'retirement' in Virginia prison". AOL. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Grant, Richard, Ghost Riders: Travels With American Nomads (London, 2003), p.271
  7. ↑ Wilson, Scott Bryan "Riding Toward Everywhere by William T. Vollmann" Quarterly Conversation
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.