riding the rails

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Looking at the current crop, Brookes grew up riding the rails at the indoor ski centre in Manchester, while Muir learned her craft in Aberdeen.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

There was a predictable pattern to riding the rails: People got on, changed into their train clothes, ate food they had packed and slept at basically the same time, in easy consensus.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2022

These two take off in Emmet’s car, leaving Emmet and Billy in pursuit, riding the rails in boxcars.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 24, 2021

In the worst years of the Great Depression, nearly a quarter of the country was unemployed, suicides skyrocketed, and people started hopping on freight trains — "riding the rails" — in search of work.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2021

I had been shamed enough in that cafe that, while I liked riding the rails, right then I wasn’t going no second class.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson