Visiting a friend in Southern Idaho last week, we were sitting in the shade watching the train go by, when we spotted this tramp trying to get a free ride. Where’s Shack when you need him!!! 
No, we didn’t “stage” this photo. The Vagabond actually hopped aboard somewhere on the layout. jb
Seems like those and grasshoppers have been quite popular lately. They seem to have come out later this year than normal.
By the way, how’s Fred doing? He needs to come up here more often.
Warren
JB,
That is very funny. topical too.
In German they refer to the M&A crowd as “Grasshoppers”; they move in, clean up and then move on.
Let me see, that isn’t a LGB car that Grasshopper is riding, is it? 
HJ, I’m not sure if you have those lil buggers as far north as you are. That’s not a grasshopper but a praying mantis. He’s probably been having a field day and banquet on grasshoppers.
As for the box car, it doesn’t appear to be an LGB or USAT. Nor is it an Aristo classic. My guess would be Kalamazoo/Delton. From the look of the end it appears to be a grain car.
Warren
Warren, The Mantis hopped aboard an Aristo/Delton classic box car labeled for the South Pacific Coast. He didn’t like the LGB SP Composite that was in the consist. Fred is just Fred. I helped him tear out half his layout while I was there. He says it is too big for him to maintain. By the time he cleans track and trims plants, runs off Mantis’s and hoppers, he’s too damn tired to run any trains. jb
Hahaha that’d be a funny scene:
Shack confronting giant mantis: " …No one rides my trai…ahhh-eeeooowwwww!"
Cut to scene of giant mantis eating Shacks head off…
John Bouck said:Seeing as it's a mantis, it's more likely a railroad bull than a hobo :D
No, we didn't "stage" this photo. The Vagabond actually hopped aboard somewhere on the layout. jb
Some more shots of Fred’s layout. The SPC car is right behind the cable spool car.
A Sumpter mallet crossing “Possum Lake”.
A Mike pulling 22 woodside cubbies of various roadnames.
John Bouck said:
A Mike pulling 22 woodside cubbies of various roadnames.
Holy moly! Does he have all the cars for them 'booses, too? No wonder he can’t keep up!
The “booses” are most likely John’s. He collects them.
John, is that Mogul with the shortie Vandy your new baby??
Warren
Speaking of “hobos”, while railfanning in N. California on our way to Oregon we spotted this UP freight headed toward Klamath Falls. There were 4 of them riding on top the hopper car. About 5 miles north of here the train headed into a tunnel. I always wondered how they made out going through that.
Who says UP doesn’t have passenger service?..
Well… We didn’t hear about them on the news, so they must have gotten through.
Warren Mumpower said:
The "booses" are most likely John's. He collects them.John, is that Mogul with the shortie Vandy your new baby??
Warren
That’s the new SP Mogul with short Vandy. The tender already modified greatly.
jb
A little secret about hobos meeting an untimely demise: both UP and BNSF have an UNOFFICIAL policy of just having a…ummmm…“private” memorial for the poor chap and plant him along the tracks if the…ummmm…incident occurs in an unpopulated area.
Warren
WOW what a layout , and WOW what a caboose collection , neato .
And a really amazing thing is , this past Sunday there was a preying mantis on one of my train cars …really , I have witness’s , they spotted it .
I enjoy the beauty and usefullness of the dragonflys landing and resting on the catenary also .
Met an old guy who worked in loco maintenance. “I was under an engine once and reached up over the truck. I felt something squishy. It was a child’s hand. They gave me some time off.”
<And a really amazing thing is , this past Sunday there was a preying mantis on one of my train cars …really , I have witness’s , they spotted it .>
I believe you, Dennis!
Those little monsters are everywhere this fall. I’ve even had two of them riding on my shoulder and I didn’t even know it until my wife pointed it out.
I like to take a green one and put it on a dead plant and watch it turn brown.
I said to my buddy down in Idaho, lets put it on the asters and see if it’ll turn purple!
jb