American Graffiti --- The Final Frontier

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
41

Hey guys, while I have no love lost over the idiot in the White House, my rant did not single him out as the sole source fo this country’s problems. That can be traced back at least 10 Presidents, all the way to Truman. Each one piling on more layers of crap on to the previous pile. All of this started before there were muslim extremists. Back then there were communists. My rant was both non partisan and bi partisan, and extends to the Congress as well.

I actually though that Bush might not be so bad afterall, for a few short weeks after 9/11, but then the retribution started. I still wasn’t upset with the acton in Afghanistan, but Iraq was too far. Why not just invade Saudi Arabia??? They have a very oppressive regime there too.

To all of those so quick to use our military to teach the world a lesson about America, I would say that WE HAVE WON NOTHING!!! And our actions have only gone to **** off most of the world, including some of our friends and allies, though they may be too polite to say so.

I DO LOVE THIS COUNTRY, AND I DO SUPPORT OUR MILITARY, BUT I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE MISSION UPON WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN SENT. Do the words Viet Nam ring a bell??? At least Iraq has oil.

My problem with this whole situation is that it is beginning to effect our freedom here at home. Activities that we as Americans once did so freely and easily, have now become suspicious. Reports of our railfanning are being taken, and we are being watched. I haven’t changed my habits, the railroads have changed their’s!!! I am no more a danger to the railroads today than I was on September 10, 2001, but the hysteria created by that event has caused a gross over reaction.

I think it is a huge waste of resources to go looking for a NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK THE SIZE OF AMERICA!!!

Although I am firmly against George Bush and his friends in the oil business, I am only slightly less opposed to the Democrats offering of John Kerry. No matter who wins, America is doomed

42

I grew up there in the same period but there definitely was some grafitti. It was more written than pictures, though. Most of it I remember seeing was spray painted on the walls under a RR “viaduct”, as they’re called in Chi-town.

Fairly harmless stuff, like “Kilroy Was Here”, “Bob Loves Betty” (usually in a heart with an arrow through it), “Go Cougars”. Walther’s used to sell decals like this, maybe they still do.

And then some of the gang stuff like “Spanish Cobras”, “Latin Kings” and many times you would see “c/s” sprayed under those gang ones. I asked a guy in high school once what the “c/s” stood for and he said “can’t score”, as in if anyone sprayed something else in response to the gang thing, it didn’t count, if I understood him correctly.

43

Good one CBQ, I forgot about all of that old fashioned relatively innocent stuff. Most of that kind of thing wasn’t on the trains, but rather on stationary objects near the tracks. So it is prototypical regardless of era to a limited extent. In those days it was done with a brush, when was the spray paint can invented???

It was nice to see that this topic took a rest, but I see that

44

It didn’t take a rest so much as I’m WAY behind on my email lists, forums, newsgroups, rec.models.railroad, etc. Just trying to get caught up.

I don’t know when the spray cans came out. I suspect you may be a hair older than me, I’m 50, and my recollections of all this would be around the early to middle 1960’s, I suppose. I know they were available in the early sixties because I used to buy the small spray cans of Testors paint when I was building the AMT automobile kits. I hear they passed a law in Chicago many years ago that they can’t even sell spray cans in the city due to all the “tagging”. My wife and I were both “born and raised” on the south side of Chicago, but we moved to this area back in 1979 to buy an affordable house and start a family.

One other memory of the period, as kids we would go by the tracks behind Campbell Soup on the south side where I lived. We would watch a slow moving freight train as it passed waiting for the caboose. Then we would all yell, “ANY CHALK?”. Many times the guy in the caboose would toss us a handfull of that large chalk they used for marking cars. Then we would take it and go draw on the street the rest of the afternoon (it was a dead end street, btw!).

45

GreyLoess… bill mathewson… You gents should run for office. I’d vote for you!! I’ll never forget the images of various groups of Muslims dancing in the streets for joy when the World Trade Center was attacked… Never. Remember Munich '72. There is no difference between the KKK, *** and Islam. They all advocate hatred.
Getting back to the topic: Graffiti (or should I say vandalism). It disgusts me every time I see it. The trahat does that: I’d like to do that to their cars or houses and see how they like it. You’ll never see any trahat celebrates vandalism or decadence on my lay-out.

46

Graffiti is vandalism… trash… plain and simple. It disgusts me every time I see it. The people who do that: I’d like to see their reaction to someone doing the same thing to their car or house. You’ll never see it on my lay-out.
GreyLoess… bill mathewson… Run for office. You’ve got my vote!!

47

No graffiti on my layout now, and there won’t be in the future. It’s a problem over here too, and one the police seem pretty much powerless to do anything about - in the event of the perpetrators being caught they’re frequently either under 18 (and therefore face reduced punishments) or don’t get much of a deterrent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a “lock them up and throw away the key” person as I believe that many of these individuals need help to get their lives in order, but it makes me angry to see a train operating company (TOC) lose thousands of pounds through having to pull the train from service (can’t send it out with offensive language sprayed over the side) and spend not much less in cleaning the train and restoring damage to the factory paint. The TOC has to pay for all of this, resulting in less money to spend on improved services and new equipment. End result is that 30mins of “work” by someone with nothing better to do costs several thousand pounds and affects a lot of people, while those responsible will probably get a minor punishment and then reoffend. I say that it should be established practice for anyone whose property is attacked in this way to have damages awarded against the person responsible. In the rail case, the TOC would be able to claim for the repairs and the cost of hiring in replacement stock while theirs is being repaired. A few months of having just enough money to survive on (and paying every penny of their disposable income to the people whose property they vandalised) might make them think twice about trashing other people’s stuff!

48

I have a couple cars with graffiti on them, they were an impulse buy, lol. 99% of the graffiti you see is crap but while railfanning I’ve seen some very impressive paintings on the sides of boxcars. Its illegal but everybody has to admit that some of these taggers can be creative, its just to bad its on the side of a car. When I do see graffiti that impresses me I always wonder whats on the other side of the car.

49

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“There is no difference between the KKK, *** and Islam.”

Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there, the first two I agree with you on but lumping the entire Islamic reglion into one banner is completely ignorant. Islam when practiced by level headed sane people is a reglion of peace

It’s like saying all Christians are bat*** insane mouthbreathing fundimentalists.

51

Graffiti has been aaround from the first. pictures of freight trains from civil war times on have had chalked and brushed on graffiti. The spray can made it easier nd faster. .
to address the freedom to photograph and laws of tresspass I must ask everyone has anyone ever heard of telephoto lenses or public places?
long shots can be beautiful.

Off Soap Box

Doug, in Utah

52

I think there’s been a derailment here guys. This is not a political topic. Please go back to the beginning and read. This is about graffiti on models only!

53

I have NO grafitti on my railroad.But then,most of my locos and cars are made of plastic.A real steam engine built out of plastic wouldn’t last 10 seconds!

54

I made this for my fiance with her name on a NYC World’s Fair Subway Car. On another note, Graffiti is something that is not understood and I think that that is the reason sometime it is not given the time of day or night… Just my opinion…

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4699/1338/1600/2005_0221Image0011.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4699/1338/1600/2005_0221Image0009.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4699/1338/1600/2005_0221Image0008.jpg
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4699/1338/1600/2005_0221Image0007.jpg

Please comment with some feedback… thanks…

55

I can’t remember the last time I saw a freight car WITHOUT it… [sigh]

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I also do freight cars, and many other things, this was just one that stuck out and was not for a client, buf for my lovely fiance. Most of the time I just do the artwork on the car, but on this one I actually created a scene (Fence, Grass, Gravel, etc…).

Here is the one I did for my father-in-law who is into garden railroading, and who has taken me to several train shows and vendor meets…

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4699/1338/1600/Photo_58.jpg

57

Don’t have criminals. Or police cars, which makesthe criminals thing a goos thing!
I don’t mind graffitt, really.
Matthew

58

Thanks Matthew…

59

In my era graffiti wasn’t like it is now, I think I’ve done a few cars with “Bozo Texino” or “J.B.King esq.” graffiti but that 's about it.

60

You all missed the point… graffitti is a matter of “freedom of expression” and “personal choice” … just like unsafe/inconsiderate railfanning …

[:-^]

Think I’ll just go and hide in the nuclear bunker for a day or two…

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