Monikers (also known as streaks, tags, or hobo art) are a type of

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

done on the side of a

freight car Goods wagons or freight wagons (North America: freight cars), also known as goods carriages, goods trucks, freight carriages or freight trucks, are unpowered railway vehicles that are used for the transportation of cargo. A variety of wagon types ...

freight trains A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...

. They date back to the late 1800s. Monikers are usually produced with a solid paint stick, industrial crayon, or a lumber crayon. Monikers serve the purpose for a moniker artist to share stories or a moment in time with others. Monikers are usually basic line drawings and may include a name and date. Many moniker artists have a unique design they produce, and sometimes write the area they are from, or date that the moniker was produced. Occasionally, a short phrase will accompany monikers (this being started by BuZ blurr, famous for his Colossus of Roads moniker). Most of the earliest artists were

hobos A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works. Et ...

and railroad workers, but since the emergence of modern graffiti in the 1960s, railroad enthusiasts and graffiti writers also use monikers.

References

* * * •Gastman, Roger and Neelon, Caleb. The History of American Graffiti, 2010. {{reflist Graffiti and unauthorised signage