An Interview with HINDUE GTB and New Artwork

HINDUE GTB needs little introduction. He has been slaying freights from coast to coast for many years and his distinctive monikers can be found on thousands of cars. On the occasion of the release of a handful of exclusive pieces of art by HINDUE (available here on Monday, 2/25 at noon ET), we asked the man himself a few questions.

CARNAGE NYC: You’re known for your monikers as much as your pieces. Did the script lettering you use influence your piecing style?

HINDUE: I've been into lettering type and structure from comic books, Celtic, olde English, saloon, script, blocks, old Sanborn map titles, funky shit and more in spray through the years. I love old hand painted signs and the movement/muscle memory it takes to execute. The script moniker is mostly (flat bottom) is based off of a version of 1952 Cadillac emblems. In short, kinda. 

CARNAGE NYC: How has the freight game changed over the last ten years or so?

HINDUE: Trashed and abused, overcrowded and almost not benchable, but they're still available. The internet has ruined so many things …

CARNAGE NYC: You’ve been using all sorts of unusual stationary in your artwork. Do you collect freight-related memorabilia? Any favorite pieces?

HINDUE: I've collected and moved them. I am definitely a fan of vintage railroad logos and stationary but some of my favorites are the Frisco, T&P, New York New Haven & Hartford, the detail in most stock certificates ... so many good logo and letter designs associated with railroad history though ...

CARNAGE NYC: What’s the most exciting aspect about writing on trains at this point in your career?

HINDUE: Seeing anything still riding pre-Y2K. Crazy that coming full circle, the most exciting thing is seeing something and deciding not to paint. 

CARNAGE NYC: You’ve painted a shitload of trains and your fair share of wholecars, but you’ve only done one autorack wholecar (an HO-scale replica of it is available in the store). What’s the story behind it?

HINDUE: Fun fact: I was layed up for three nights. The first night, 5.0 came and posted in the spot for way too long after the fill was about done. The second night, the condensation made the outline and 3D almost disappear. The third night I pretty much did the entire thing again because the outline dripped into the top of the fill.

Third time's a charm …