Western Railroad Discussion > Two pieces of art

Some people here hate graffiti, I happen to love and think it is just another interesting aspect to railroading. This was one of my favorite shots of the day. Love it or hate it!

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Among the other reasons to hate graffiti is the effect it has on paint sales.

Buying spray paint, paint marking pens, etc. is much more difficult in places with ordinances that attempt to control this trespassing and vandalism of property.

This viewpoint may be shared over on the model railroading board.

Some amounts of public (tax) money and a lot of private money is spent painting it out.
I have taken acetone and scrubbed it off of utility poles and boxes in my neighborhood. That was a few dollars for the solvent and about 2 hours of my life.
(It did not come back.)

I know the original poster believes this is art and I agree that it is, as demonstrated by creativity, but that is not all it is.

Maybe we can compliment thieves who are artful and break into our houses without damaging the locks, never mind that our stuff is gone?

Painting on someone else's property is not art, it's breaking the law, a crime, and costly to undo. It is absolutely no different than someone painting their choice of graphics on your own home or car.
The slow desensitizing of this phenomenon with today's younger culture, including the terminology of "art," perpetuates the problem further.

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> Among the other reasons to hate graffiti is the
> effect it has on paint sales.
>
> Buying spray paint, paint marking pens, etc. is
> much more difficult in places with ordinances that
> attempt to control this trespassing and vandalism
> of property.
>
> This viewpoint may be shared over on the model
> railroading board.
>
> Some amounts of public (tax) money and a lot of
> private money is spent painting it out.
> I have taken acetone and scrubbed it off of
> utility poles and boxes in my neighborhood. That
> was a few dollars for the solvent and about 2
> hours of my life.
> (It did not come back.)
>
> I know the original poster believes this is art
> and I agree that it is, as demonstrated by
> creativity, but that is not all it is.
>
> Maybe we can compliment thieves who are artful and
> break into our houses without damaging the locks,
> never mind that our stuff is gone?


True, but artistically expressing yourself in a publicly accessible space or trespass vs. breaking into a private residence and endangering your safety is quite difficult to relate or compare.

SCUfoamer Wrote:
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> Some people here hate graffiti, I happen to love and think it is just another interesting aspect to railroading.

Let us all know here when the "artists" where you live run out of available spaces to paint and you wake up some morning with the "art" all over the side of your house.

Ron

Ron Wrote:
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> SCUfoamer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Some people here hate graffiti, I happen to love
> and think it is just another interesting aspect to
> railroading.
>
> Let us all know here when the "artists" where you
> live run out of available spaces to paint and you
> wake up some morning with the "art" all over the
> side of your house.
>
> Ron

It seems the spaces where they paint will never run out because there is such a large effort to cover up existing "ART".
Seems like an unlimited supply of blank canvases.

SCUfoamer Wrote:
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> Some people here hate graffiti, I happen to love
> and think it is just another interesting aspect to
> railroading. This was one of my favorite shots of
> the day. Love it or hate it!

Hate it!

Unfortunately, my resources are limited to fight this infestation, and I certainly do not wish violence on another human being. So my version of "desensitivity" is to pretend the graffiti don't exist. :-)

I only stood a few feet away from you and chose a boring composition for my shot. Yup, there's still graffiti there, but the vandal somehow must have felt respect for the Fallen Flag, so his so-called "art" is almost unnoticeable.

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cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SCUfoamer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Some people here hate graffiti, I happen to
> love
> > and think it is just another interesting aspect
> to
> > railroading. This was one of my favorite shots
> of
> > the day. Love it or hate it!
>
> Hate it!
>
> Unfortunately, my resources are limited to fight
> this infestation, and I certainly do not wish
> violence on another human being. So my version of
> "desensitivity" is to pretend the graffiti don't
> exist. :-)
>
> I only stood a few feet away from you and chose a
> boring composition for my shot. Yup, there's still
> graffiti there, but the vandal somehow must have
> felt respect for the Fallen Flag, so his so-called
> "art" is almost unnoticeable.


Charles,

Well put and great photo! Like you said, you think its wrong and illegal, but its here and there is no stopping it. So we need to just accept it.
I agree it is wrong and vandal/artists should not be doing it. But personally it adds character to what would otherwise be a big blank boring wall!

I like it, get tired of seeing the same red BNSF hopper or Brown BNSF boxcar. Some is art , some is junk, I appreciate the guys who leave the car numbers uncovered .

Posted from iPhone

CasperLine Wrote:
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> I like it, get tired of seeing the same red BNSF
> hopper or Brown BNSF boxcar. Some is art , some is
> junk, I appreciate the guys who leave the car
> numbers uncovered .
>
> Posted from iPhone

I absolutely hate it; it is vandalism no matter what anyone says. I don't photograph trains the way I did years ago because of it. I enjoy seeing cars the way they are supposed to be. Sorry but the more these vandals get caught, the better I like it.

CasperLine Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I like it, get tired of seeing the same red BNSF
> hopper or Brown BNSF boxcar. Some is art , some is
> junk, I appreciate the guys who leave the car
> numbers uncovered .
>
> Posted from iPhone


As the poster said earlier can we come and use your property as a canvas? Is that acceptable?
Andy

My in-laws grandparents lived in a home for several years before the highway department came through and built an overpass near their corner house. A concrete retaining wall and a nice chain link fence was put around the corner of the property. For years no one touched it and then about 10 years ago the vandals started painting it. The City would come out and paint gray over it and a week or two later it would get hit again. It wasn't art, it was trash. After a long illness they sold the property. The new owners allowed the city/county to bring in a group of high school art students that painted a neighborhood scene on the wall. The vandals haven't touched it since. In several areas in the city where there is an interstate highway overpass, or some type of retaining wall, they have brought in the school group to work their magic and the vandals are leaving it alone. Some of the paintings are presenting anti-drug and anti-violence messages. I have no idea of how many sites in Louisville have had this treatment but I would guess but it's probably around 50 or more.

Some of the vandals are talented but there is a time and place for everything and painting someone elses property is not the right place.

John

It is not just something happening here, or just to bridges and railcars. In Euorpe, beautiful centuries old buildings have been decorated with "art" in such cities as Rome and Florence. Rail cars across the Atlantic have seen these decorations for sometime now, but the movement toward the defacing of history on private and public property both senseless and offensive. I am an artist as well as a model railroader, and I would never even consider defacing anyones property. (That said, there are some owners of buildings that allow wall art on their structures and that of course is fine, and some of it is beautiful.) But without permission, it no longer is art, it is theft. While most local governments try to stop this "theft", the "theft" is widespread and will not stop until there is a collective rejection of those who feel that the world, and other peoples property, is their canvas.

One suggestion to slow the spread would be a sustained attack on the websites of organizations that promote this, both the blogs and actual companies that sell and promote this practice. Of course, I would never do anything illegal like that.....wink wink. Still, it is something to wish for.

Moving back towards graffiti and railroads. I believe that (for the most part) graffiti love and hate is a generational difference. The old timers (OG rail fans and railroaders) hate the stuff. They believe that it is wrong, illegal, garbage, and will forever resent it because it is illegal. The younger crowd getting into railroads enjoy graffiti because it adds an artistic and edgy aspect to this fine hobby. I do not approve what so ever of defacing property and I also believe that graffiti artists that are caught should suffer the greatest legal consequence. But lets be real, graffiti is going to thrive in the railroad world simply because railroads usually are laid through urban and lower-class areas across the world. It is going to exists so why not embrace its uniqueness and accept that there is likely no stopping it.

ATSF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> One suggestion to slow the spread would be a
> sustained attack on the websites of organizations
> that promote this, both the blogs and actual
> companies that sell and promote this practice. Of
> course, I would never do anything illegal like
> that.....wink wink. Still, it is something to wish
> for.


Nothing a flame thrower wouldn't fix, for those caught in the act...

dash944cw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ATSF3751 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > One suggestion to slow the spread would be a
> > sustained attack on the websites of
> organizations
> > that promote this, both the blogs and actual
> > companies that sell and promote this practice.
> Of
> > course, I would never do anything illegal like
> > that.....wink wink. Still, it is something to
> wish
> > for.
>
>
> Nothing a flame thrower wouldn't fix, for those
> caught in the act...


I think a better solution would be requiring them to clean up the damage they cause....or maybe have a railroad paint crew show up at their homes and spray paint their house, roof, cars, ect, with some color or shade of paint not normally found in nature.

dash944cw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ATSF3751 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > One suggestion to slow the spread would be a
> > sustained attack on the websites of
> organizations
> > that promote this, both the blogs and actual
> > companies that sell and promote this practice.
> Of
> > course, I would never do anything illegal like
> > that.....wink wink. Still, it is something to
> wish
> > for.
>
>
> Nothing a flame thrower wouldn't fix, for those
> caught in the act...


Yeah, So lets trespass and burn property to catch the other trespassers!

I know with most types of rail cars graffiti may soon be a thing of the past. My friend works for the railroad and he said they're working on a special paint where the grafitti would come off easily. I can't remember the details because we had the discussion almost a year ago, but if that's true I'd be happy to see it gone.

JLWII2000 Wrote:
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> I know with most types of rail cars graffiti may
> soon be a thing of the past. My friend works for
> the railroad and he said they're working on a
> special paint where the grafitti would come off
> easily. I can't remember the details because we
> had the discussion almost a year ago, but if
> that's true I'd be happy to see it gone.


Public transit roads have been using it for years. It is very expensive, as well. Pactical for RT line, but unlikely to be cost effective for your typical freight railroad.

-LD