Conductors were people who traveled south to help slaves escape from the plantation and accompanied them to a safe location, usually further north. The most famous conductor was Harriet Tubman. Her activities as a conductor included various tricks, such as scheduling an escape after the Saturday newspaper came out, which gave the slave all day Sunday to travel before news of the escape was released on Monday. On some occasions, Tubman also used the slave master's horse and buggy because it aroused less suspicion.
Stationmasters were people who offered their homes to escaping slaves, providing safe refuge. One of the most famous was Levi Coffin. Beginning in the the winter of 1826, slaves seeking freedom found refuge in Coffin's homes in Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. According to Ohio History Central, Coffin may have helped more than 3,000 slaves escape. His efforts were so far-reaching that his fellow abolitionists nicknamed him the "president of the Underground Railroad." In his memoirs, Coffin notes that he could successfully hide slaves in the upper rooms of his house for weeks without anyone knowing they were there.
Raising money to fund activities on the Underground Railroad fell to a group known as "stockholders." While some abolitionists like Coffin were relatively wealthy and could fund their own activities, others needed financial assistance to carry out their goals. Large northern cities often had "vigilance committees" that were devoted to raising money and helping former slaves become members of the community. Other stockholders donated food and clothing.
A lesser-known activity was performed by people called "pilots." Pilots watched for enraged slaveholders and bounty hunters and kept other abolitionists informed. The bounty hunters were dangerous because they would abduct free blacks and sell them back into slavery. Despite these separate titles, activities of people who provided assistance along the Underground Railroad often overlapped. For example, people like Levi Coffin often acted as conductor, stockholder, and stationmaster.