While sitting in my car at the intersection of Stadium Drive and South Railroad Street last week, I watched as the freight boxcars passed by. One by one, each was marked — ”tagged” by unknown artists of the global graffiti movement. Then I saw them. First, I saw the spiky-haired character, the work of JABER. Then, several boxcars later, the letters I-C-H-A-B-O-D.
At that moment, I became a fan. I had witnessed the work of two of the most iconic graffiti artists right here in Phenix City, Alabama. For many folks, the sight of a freight train rumbling through the Southern landscape is a familiar one. But look a little closer, and you’ll often see something else — a vibrant, ever-changing gallery of spray-painted art. From elaborate murals covering entire boxcars to stylized signatures known as “tags,” graffiti on freight trains isn’t just common in the South — it’s a deeply embedded, highly popular, and geographically crucial part of the global graffiti subculture.
But why is this phenomenon so prevalent here?…