A history of freight train graffiti in the United States required several achievements to be truly comprehensive. To start,this story had to be told in the words of the artists who participated over the years as well as those who are still going to this day. In order to do that, we set out to contact and interview as many writers as possible and include their information in these pages. We also wanted to present the most complete collection of photographs ever brought together. ...

Graffiti has grown into a vibrant and rich culture that has left an indelible mark on key industries,from fashion to music. With demand for new material stronger than ever, it is perhaps surprising that one of the largest and most exciting segments of the graffiti world has been left largely unexplored until now. FREIGHT TRAIN GRAFFITI is the first comprehensive insight into a subset of the graffiti world that has become the focal point for marry graffiti artists today.

Preface

Foreword

Sacha Jenkins SHR

Foreword

Henry Chalfant

1. The American Railroad:

Right-of-Way, The Development

of the Freight Train System

The Early Days

Standard Gauge

Recrew

2. From Vandalism to Art:

Writing, How Graffiti Became

a Culture

The Cultural Phenomenon

CORNBREAD

Graffiti Explosion

Here to Stay

Media Milestones

The Buff

Clean and Scrap Trains

Recovery

Organization

Art Crimes

Art Business

3. Freight Pioneers:

American-Made, From

Subways to Freight Trains

The Beginning

I.G.T.

SUROC

BRAZE

Los Angeles

The Bay Area

CRAYONE

New York City

Elsewhere, USA

4. Creating a Movement:

Rolling Stock,

Connected by Rails

Melding of Cultures

Just Say No!

Blame the MTA

Validation

Versatility

California

KING157

CHARLIE

JASE/Train Piece #001

LA Meets NYC

Cross-Country

Old-Timers

Sunnyside

Bud Yard

PRE

Crews

NETWORK

No Limits

5. With the Force of

a Freight Train:

Rolling Thunder, The Return

of the Train Piece

Media Generation

TLT

Transformation

Adaptation

MBER

Characters

The Smart Alternative

Learning the Lines

Chasing Numbers

Bombing

Style

Whole Cars

Canada and the Midwest

Benching

6. The New Rail Fans:

Highballing, The Next

Generation

The Habit

Model Railroader

Balancing Act

The Internet

Europeans

NACE

The Crossover

National Playing Field

7. The Opposition:

Derailments, Chase Stories

Proceed with Caution

Bulls and Pigs

Rail-Worker Anti-Graffiti

Stamping

The Buff (Part 2)

Censored

SKATEONE

The Etiquette of Competition

9/n/0I

TAKE5

The Elements

8. Monikers:

Oilbars, Names and Messages

Life on the Rails

First Shift/BOZO TEXINO

HERBY

Second Shift

COLOSSUS OF ROADS

Working Class

COALTRAIN

F.T.R.A.

THE SOLO ARTIST

Third Shift

Rebuilding

Bill Damiel

9. Conclusion:

Limitless Service

Endless Tracks

Glossary

About the Authors

Acknowledgments

Picture Credits

Index