Considerate Graffiti artists?

[bctrainfan]

Generally speaking, the RRs want zero tolerance for trespassers, period, and thats how they instruct their officers. No good comes from anyone trespassing, no matter what the circumstance, in the RRs point of view. A trespasser might not also be a thief or a vandal, though he might be, but even an "innocent" pedestrian or railfan might be injured somehow, thereby exposing the RR to liability. So if you are trespassing and the RR police see you, they are most likely going to take some kind of enforcement action, which is exactly what their employer, the RR, requires of them. Not that they aren't trying to grab thieves and vandals, just that trespassing enforcement is also a priority of their employer. No different really than your local cop writing speeding tickets on Main St for 5 over, because thats what the Chief or the Mayor or the City Council wants done.

As far as the graffiti thing, i would guess that the more ornate things are done by people who have a plan, and know the places where the cars sit mostly unattended for long periods, like some factory sidings or a lesser used yard. And RR cops are spread very very thin, really. (IIRC CN, for example, only has about 10 officers covering its entire Michigan operations!) And other cops (unless they are also railfans, LOL!) generally dont pay much attention to the RR business. So there are are probably quite a few places that the "artists" can spend a lot of time painting unmolested.

[J T]

And other cops (unless they are also railfans, LOL!) generally dont pay much attention to the RR business. So there are are probably quite a few places that the "artists" can spend a lot of time painting unmolested.

If you saw...errr, I mean if a Battle Creek police officer saw someone tagging on a car, would you, I mean them, call the RR police or go ahead and arrest the tagger?

[CAT345C]

There are some foamer cops that work Lansing, they always used to come up to our personal cars when we would drive to the job site, then come find us to make sure the cars parked by the crossing were ours. It was always the same two or 3 cops too. They would go after trespassers all the time. The one used to sit in Ensel Yard a lot.

[J T]

There are some foamer cops that work Lansing, they always used to come up to our personal cars when we would drive to the job site, then come find us to make sure the cars parked by the crossing were ours. It was always the same two or 3 cops too. They would go after trespassers all the time. The one used to sit in Ensel Yard a lot.

Hall, Leese and I went to the train show in EL a few years ago and on our way we stopped in the dirt lot at the end of Washington Ave. at the east end of Ensel. While parked there, a Lansing police officer came driving up and asked what we were doing there. We told her that we were railfans and were waiting to watch a train go by. After a funny look and a good laugh, she left us alone and drove away.

[bctrainfan]

And other cops (unless they are also railfans, LOL!) generally dont pay much attention to the RR business. So there are are probably quite a few places that the "artists" can spend a lot of time painting unmolested.

If you saw...errr, I mean if a Battle Creek police officer saw someone tagging on a car, would you, I mean them, call the RR police or go ahead and arrest the tagger?

Yes, pretty sure any hard working railfan BCPD officer would definitely hook the tagger, and then call his friends at the RR PD and let them know! Now if its just someone trespassing, those BCPD guys are generally a little less harsh than the RR cops and might let ya off with a warning if you had a reasonable explanation!

[hoborich]

Pedestrians and railfans are the "low hanging fruit" as they say.
Clearly, those full side paintjobs must take several days to complete. Not to mention, lots of paint, and a set of ladders.
Somebody has to lug a set of ladders into a yard, or down along a siding, or across a field.

[CSX_CO]

Pedestrians and railfans are the "low hanging fruit" as they say.
Clearly, those full side paintjobs must take several days to complete. Not to mention, lots of paint, and a set of ladders.
Somebody has to lug a set of ladders into a yard, or down along a siding, or across a field.

Or some customer's siding they can just drive up to...or maybe work at...

Practice Safe CSX

[J T]

Clearly, those full side paintjobs must take several days to complete.

I don't think so. Here's a small one done in about 15 minutes. An "artist" with a vision, and the right equipment, could probably knock out a full side in a few hours.

[redcrumbox]

Takes a few hours for two people to do a full side boxcar. Here is the person that painted the hula girl. Although its not a boxcar, it gives you an example that it doesn't take long to paint. These people have more paint stashed then the local hardware store.

Clearly, those full side paintjobs must take several days to complete. Not to mention, lots of paint, and a set of ladders.
Somebody has to lug a set of ladders into a yard, or down along a siding, or across a field.

[wagnew0923]

Maybe they can paint my house.

[AC60CW]

"There was a time when you'd take a guy like that out back and beat him with a rubber hose but now you got your god darn unions."

Just out of curiosity, what does a "darn union" have to do with it?

[PatAzo]

Just out of curiosity, what does a "darn union" have to do with it?

The vandals joined a union and they set up picked lines when they tag cars so no one will bother them.

[hoborich]

You're joking, right?

[PatAzo]

You're joking, right?

Back in the Emperor of the North days maybe they would have thumped on vandals, but not today. Today Ernest Borgnine would be alone and going up against a Kieth Carradine toting a 9mm. If he did manage to knock Kieth in the head with an air hose he'd end up getting arrested for assault and fired.

[Robert MacDowell]

No, self serving. If they don't paint over the reporting marks, it takes longer for the car owner to paint over their vandalism (it isn't art).

Yup. The car can't interchange with defective reporting marks. If the tagger paints over em, the next shop HAS to paint em back on.

There's a "code" among taggers that you never paint over equal or better work. Doing that is reputation suicide. So, most likely nobody's gonna mess with hula girl for a long time, as long as he leaves the reporting marks be. RBOX might, but geez, if it were me, I'd repaint graffiti cars ugliest first.