Man Tries (And Fails) To Hop A Freight Train, Records Adventure

He’s a self-crowned “Hobo Clown King.”

Meet Jeff Seal, an experienced—and frequently unsuccessful—train hopper (and filmmaker).

In this short video, Seal provides us with an inside look (via GoPro) into the world of train-hopping, and it’s surprisingly engaging.

Let’s go to the tape:

Simply put: Seal is a likable guy. He’s what we would call a “mensch,” back home in Long Island, where he does the majority his train-hopping. From the beginning of this video, I found myself rooting for Seal to successfully hop freight trains from “Queens to Montauk,” despite his various missteps along the way (including a few arrests).

There’s something about his voiceover that has a little Adam Richman/Chris Penn-type thing going on—which only made me enjoy the video even more.

And while he urges people not to “try it at home,” I’ve gotta admit, I sort of got the impulse to hop some trains after watching the video. Aside from the sheer thrill of jumping onto a massive, speeding, iron object, the sights Seal managed to capture while doing so are simply spectacular.

With autumn upon us, what better way to appreciate the golden and red hues of the foliage than from the top of a moving train?

Oh yeah, and the best part about train hopping? It’s free, of course. Bravo, Jeff. Bravo. Godspeed on all of your future freight-related excursions.