Extrreme Graf

[Bob Bufkin]

Someone had a lot of times on their hands to paint the whole side.  Seen today Eastbound at Riverdale, MD:

[DKS]

Someone had a lot of time on their hands to paint the whole side.

That, and a lot of spray cans...

[Packer]

And a good-sized ladder

[Guilford Guy]

I hope it was an empty car when they tagged it.

[Philip H]

I've seen a couple of similar cars come by the office recently.  One of them was literally covered from top to bottom anlg an entire side - except the reporting marks and herald.  Makes me wonder if the RR shop guys don't do it sometimes as a preemptive strike . .  .

[Mark5]

heh, I thought this was about Paul Graf.

[ednadolski]

Seems to be almost an epidemic .....

[up1950s]

How much over-spray lands on the vehicles ?

[Bob Bufkin]

Guess this is becoming common.  There was an empty autorack train running on CSX yesterday that had at least 5 cars with there whole side painted over.  Didn't have my camera so no photos.  Only 1 car had the reporting info visable, the others painted over.  Actuallt the graf on these cars was not even worth photographing, mostly scribbles and lines. 

[Hyperion]

How much over-spray lands on the vehicles ?

A lot.

On the plus side, in at least some circumstances, employees of the railroad can buy them really cheap.  BNSF has a large ramp just north of the headquarters in FTW and I know a lot of people that've picked up otherwise brand-spanking new cars for huge discounts.  Depending on the nature/amount of the repairs though they can be sold as brand-new on lots alongside everything else.  There's some dollar threshold of repairs that must be met before the car can no longer be sold as "new" anymore.

Guess this is becoming common.  There was an empty autorack train running on CSX yesterday that had at least 5 cars with there whole side painted over.  Didn't have my camera so no photos.  Only 1 car had the reporting info visable, the others painted over.  Actuallt the graf on these cars was not even worth photographing, mostly scribbles and lines.

When the economy was in a bit worse shambles than it is now, autoracks in particular were parked for long periods of time.  And oftentimes right in the middle of neighborhoods.  They made great canvases for the graffiti artists as they weren't going anywhere and they weren't even buried in the middle of yards; often just on some lone siding through a neighborhood.

The car that's always amazed me is a coal hopper that came through the Havelock Shops about 18 months ago now after a minor wreck.  It's got both sides completely covered in graf, every last square inch.  On one side a tropical scene and on the other, a massive life-size killer whale that covers the entire side.  The amazing thing is that coal cars rarely sit in one spot for long, let alone the time needed to do all this work.  The artist wasn't particularly careful at not covering the reporting marks though.  But we still didn't strip it or repaint it, though being a Back Shop we're more than capable of doing it and being a Wreck, most get that.  We actually re-stenciled it right over the graf and even painted a contrasting color behind the stenciling.

Here's one side:  http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=292787&nseq=1  (and, no, despite the comments speculating otherwise, BNSF absolutely did not "commission" this, nor did the artist leave all the data intact originally)

And the other:  http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=273847&nseq=1

[2-8-8-0]

This guy (the BNSF gon painter) needs to get into an arts school (if he isnt already) as that is pretty amazing. Normally I hate grafitti, but...wow.

[Pomperaugrr]

This guy (the BNSF gon painter) needs to get into an arts school (if he isnt already) as that is pretty amazing. Normally I hate grafitti, but...wow.

Maybe he found the art school on a match book cover.