There is a secret map passed down from hobo to hobo. You can’t buy it in stores or download it online but if you’re lucky enough to get a copy you can travel anywhere in America by freight train. They call it The Crew Change Guide and it is a sacred document for those who still ride in boxcars like the hobos looking for work in the great depression. This state by state guide has grown from one man’s obsession into a network of everything you need to get from Aliceville, Alabama to Wendover, Wyoming - all for “low or no dollars”. Complete with details like which hole to crawl through and the best places to hide from the railroad police, it preserves in its pages the constantly changing terrain of American hobo culture. Fiercely protected by those who depend on the lifestyle, getting a photocopy of the guide is part of a ritual within the community and reserved only for those who have proven their worth.

This programme explores this underground document and the man behind the map, a 72-year-old Vietnam veteran known only as Train Doc. His life’s work has never been about leading an underground movement but he is an icon for hobos and his guide has evolved over the years from a train hopping handbook into a historical document, preserving the history of his culture in America. Show less