Considerate Graffiti artists?

[MIGN-Todd]

Hey everyone, sorry it has been a while but I really haven't found anything to respond too as of late. I was however at Amerhart in Williamsburg today. In their yard sits a C&NW box ( #71 62 51 I think) that was dropped off the other day. It was a plain, rather new brown 50 footer covered with graffiti. Odd thing about it though,- Some of the side numbers were sprayed over BUT the little paint can criminals painted the correct numbers back on . Upon further inspection other areas were intentionally sprayed around and not on. I never thought they cared about anything when they painted but at least one of the little turds did. Made me feel kind of good (almost). GLC should be picking it up tomorrow as it is empty now and MOW plowed the grade crossings throughout town.

[PatAzo]

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).

[Saturnalia]

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).

Not saying I support vandalism, but it seems the recent trend of full-car graffiti seems like a free coat of paint:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66353741@N07/11295742825/

Certainly makes for another cool bit of railfanning

[bctrainfan]

i too have noticed frequently that the "artists" appear to have purposely avoided the reporting marks and other info on the side of the car...or are the car shop guys are just carefully painting the reporting marks back over the graffiti?

[PatAzo]

If they spray painted the front of your house or your car would it just be a free coat of paint? They may display artistic ability but it's vandalism. Just because we don't make a connection between the the person suffering the lose and ourselves doesn't make it o.k. If anything it makes rail fanning less interesting. Look at pictures shot from the steam days up through the 80's at locations that railfans can hardly set foot in now. The railroads knew what railfans were doing and for decades largely ignored us. They started to tighten up on trespassing in the 90's and clowns like these helped make it happen.

[AARR]

Amazing that the railroad police can catch pedestrian crossing the tracks and issue them tickets but can't catch a vandal painting the entire side of a rail car. I'm not being sarcastic or insulting, I'm sure there's an explanation for it.

[BnOEngr]

If they spray painted the front of your house or your car would it just be a free coat of paint? They may display artistic ability but it's vandalism. Just because we don't make a connection between the the person suffering the lose and ourselves doesn't make it o.k. If anything it makes rail fanning less interesting. Look at pictures shot from the steam days up through the 80's at locations that railfans can hardly set foot in now. The railroads knew what railfans were doing and for decades largely ignored us. They started to tighten up on trespassing in the 90's and clowns like these helped make it happen.

Exactly.

[PAT.C]

HEY AARR - DID YOU SEE THIS ?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 9907.story

[J T]

Amazing that the railroad police can catch pedestrian crossing the tracks and issue them tickets but can't catch a vandal painting the entire side of a rail car. I'm not being sarcastic or insulting, I'm sure there's an explanation for it.

They'll harass a harmless railfan with barely a toe on RR property, but these vandals find the time to get away with painting the entire side of a boxcar without being spotted? Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

[J T]

HEY AARR - DID YOU SEE THIS ?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 9907.story

Police continue to interview a 24-year-old man in connection with the beating and choking of a 39-year-old Norfolk Southern police officer near a Southwest Side Metra station late Sunday night.

Why is he being "interviewed"??? He should be getting the crap beaten out of him.

[SousaKerry]

"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."

[CSX_CO]

They'll harass a harmless railfan with barely a toe on RR property, but these vandals find the time to get away with painting the entire side of a boxcar without being spotted? Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

Because, unlike the average railfan, they're not 'tagging' the car in the middle of a busy junction. They're usually doing it on some customer's spur. They do catch them from time to time. Had to let CSX police photograph some cars for a case they were working on as evidence. They 'caught' the painters in the act, and needed photos of the car.

Yeah, its vandalism, but there are some pretty funny and good ones out there. Shoot...'cave paintings' from the Ice Age are 'vandalism' too when you get down to the brass tacks.

Practice Safe CSX

[AARR]

HEY AARR - DID YOU SEE THIS ?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 9907.story

Yes, I know police work can be a dangerous job. So is the point that railroad police target pedestrians crossing the tracks because there is less risk than going after vandals and thieves? Maybe there is a statistic that says losses do to pedestrians crossing the tracks is greater than damage done by thieves and vandals? I honestly don't know. Those who know me know I have challenged this policy for a long time but try to be open minded.

[CSX_CO]

Maybe there is a statistic that says losses do to pedestrians crossing the tracks is greater than damage done by thieves and vandals? I honestly don't know. Those who know me know I have challenged this policy for a long time but try to be open minded.

What's your typical jury settlement for getting hit by a train go for now-a-days? That would be your statistic for 'damages'.

Practice Safe CSX

[Typhoon]

Amazing that the railroad police can catch pedestrian crossing the tracks and issue them tickets but can't catch a vandal painting the entire side of a rail car. I'm not being sarcastic or insulting, I'm sure there's an explanation for it.

They'll harass a harmless railfan with barely a toe on RR property, but these vandals find the time to get away with painting the entire side of a boxcar without being spotted? Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

Not really.

[J T]

Because, unlike the average railfan, they're not 'tagging' the car in the middle of a busy junction. They're usually doing it on some customer's spur. They do catch them from time to time. Had to let CSX police photograph some cars for a case they were working on as evidence. They 'caught' the painters in the act, and needed photos of the car.

Sneaky bastards, they are.

Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

Not really.

Exactly.

[PatAzo]

Amazing that the railroad police can catch pedestrian crossing the tracks and issue them tickets but can't catch a vandal painting the entire side of a rail car. I'm not being sarcastic or insulting, I'm sure there's an explanation for it.

Target of opportunity. They don't have to walk far from the car to write a pedestrian a ticket. But they have to go well away from the car to catch graffiti vandals. In fairness to the police they need more than one officer to do it and in a lot of places they have higher priorities. The graffiti vandals increasingly get referred to as artists which slowly gives them bit legitimacy. I'll lay odds you can find some community organizer advocate type who can tell you why they should be able to do. They don't have any other way to express themselves etc etc.

[Steve B]

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and the graffiti appliers are artists. I acknowledge that, even though I personally don't care for the vast majority of graffiti I see.

But, they are also vandals and I vigorously support efforts to arrest and prosecute them, whether the graffiti is on a boxcar, a school wall, a bank, or my house.

Maybe nonprofits or local governments could build public, blank walls for graffiti artists. But that would be subtracting much of the "edgy" appeal of vandalizing private property, I suppose.

[CAT345C]

A lot of this stuff is an inside job, there are series of cars that I have noticed have the same artist. If you can pull off covering a 50' or a entire 70' box car multiple times with out anybody stopping you, I would suggest playing the lottery.

Both of these cars were yellow RBOX's

Down on the Beach by Mike Tabone, on Flickr

IMG_9774 by Mike Tabone, on Flickr

[redcrumbox]

I looked around the web and found the person that painted the hula girl. Other photos on the site showed what looked like California as some of the locomotives were yellow. The person was painting another boxcar in the yard and in daylight while rail workers were doing their job. There was even a few photos of a rail worker walking by him while he was painting. Nobody stopped him. That is how most of the full side boxcars get the new paint.

A lot of this stuff is an inside job, there are series of cars that I have noticed have the same artist. If you can pull off covering a 50' or a entire 70' box car multiple times with out anybody stopping you, I would suggest playing the lottery.