This graffiti artist captured his wild train-hopping adventure from Mexico to Alaska

BY: CONNOR BRIAN

Smeared in oil, tucked in secret corners of train yards, graffiti artist Swampy is well versed when it comes to sneaking behind the back of US transport. From Oaxaca, Mexico he sailed on the top of rail cars across sun-kissed plains, waving at the children from passing villages, and taking photos of his fellow thrill-seeking vagabonds along the way. Crossing the border, he dangled from box cars at 60 MPH, experiencing the great American landscape in the spirit of unburdened authenticity.

“It is tradition to leave your mark in hobo jungles or, more historically, on water tanks when traveling by freight. A classic way to accent your moniker is to mark the direction you’re headed, such as EBD for eastbound or B.W. for bound west. I peppered the catch-out spots of the west coast with “NBD” tags that summer. Switching from one short line to another, I crawled up the foggy coast of British Columbia. Sleeping in the mud or the bottom of wet, rusty wood chip cars most nights slowly chipped away my morale. Getting dropped in a tiny trackside town along the way made a bad situation worse. Every low moment in the mud and rain, however, was made worth it by the excitement on the open water as the barge made its way across the gulf.” —writes Swampy

Photo: © Swampy

What initially pulled Swampy to freight train hopping was the self liberation you feel when not chained to the lust for comfort or restrained by the depth of your bank account. He tells Featureshoot that he sees the train as an inherent symbol of the capitalist system due to it being one of its primary modes of transporting goods and views himself as an opponent of the system by “holding onto the back of the beast where it can’t see you.”

The reality of being a rail junkie is not all desert sunsets and wind in your hair though. “Riding trains is mechanically and metaphorically a roller coaster, consisting of extreme highs and equally low lows.” writes Swampy

A much romanticized adventure, life on the tracks is about as adrenaline pumping as it is illegal. The recent tightening of US transport rules has caused the path to freedom to be at constant risk of being snatched away. But resistance of authority is what Swampy does best, and for him the sense of life affirmation felt when navigating with his own internal compass far outweighs the back cramps suffered from lying on vibrating metal floors.

“Floating into Alaska felt like looking down from the peak of a mountain to the trailhead where I began. From that high up, my route from Mexico seemed as straight as the tracks that carried me. Bound north from the start, these photographs are the product of a year spent crossing the continent on the North American criminal roller coaster.” —Swampy

Swampy’s new book, NBD, is currently available at chandrangallery.com