The moniker has its origins among railroad shop and yard workers of the late 19th century who would "sign" cars that they worked on with a caricature or pseudonym in chalk. Hobos picked up the practice in the 20th century, and today "rail riders" and railroad employees alike continue the tradition.

This HO scale water slide decal set contains 61 unique monikers (several variants are included of the more common examples) that can be seen on freight cars from 1990 to the present, all traced by hand from photographs and printed in white to represent the grease chalk that is used to draw them. These are the perfect detail to add variety and interest to your modern freight car fleet.