Vandalism

[badassunicorn]

I don't understand why people graffiti on the sides of trains. It happened to one of my TOC's trains the other night in the depot and I can't understand why they do it. If you spray it in the yard, then clearly its not going to go into service like that so whats the point. Nobody will see it.
And lots of people seem to think that its "art" and harmless enough, but seriously? Its going to take a cleaner ages to clean all that off and cost a bomb too!
Not to mention how dangerous it is pottering about railway lines and sidings with no safety training or PPE or knowledge of anything. I just can't understand it =/

 

[Lockwood]

"Because I can" would be the most likely answer.

 

[dk1]

Perhaps if BTP took up the option to 'shoot on sight' the problem would disapear overnight. Heres hoping.

 

[Antman]

I don't understand why people graffiti on the sides of trains. It happened to one of my TOC's trains the other night in the depot and I can't understand why they do it. If you spray it in the yard, then clearly its not going to go into service like that so whats the point. Nobody will see it.
And lots of people seem to think that its "art" and harmless enough, but seriously? Its going to take a cleaner ages to clean all that off and cost a bomb too!
Not to mention how dangerous it is pottering about railway lines and sidings with no safety training or PPE or knowledge of anything. I just can't understand it =/

Well FCC certainly put trains into service in that condition

 

[bolli]

Well FCC certainly put trains into service in that condition

I doubt that a TOC would put a heavily graffitied train into passenger service unless they had to.

Theres a video of a LM train being put into service after being heavily vandalised, however, this was only because it was done in a remote siding and was taken out of service after the morning peak.

Edit: heres the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAsytE2xV80

 

[Antman]

I doubt that a TOC would put a heavily graffitied train into passenger service unless they had to.

Theres a video of a LM train being put into service after being heavily vandalised, however, this was only because it was done in a remote siding and was taken out of service after the morning peak.

Edit: heres the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAsytE2xV80

If you google 'FCC trains covered in graffiti' there are loads of images. I'm sure other operators have done it too but FCC seem to be the worst, or maybe their trains suffer more vandalism?

 

[tsr]

...maybe their trains suffer more vandalism?

They certainly used to, owing to the positioning of some of the various sidings - I'm not sure if they still do. On the Thameslink routes, I would say the chances of getting a graffitied unit have, if anything, slightly decreased in the last few months.

 

[RailProfileUK]

I hate seeing it and I like seeing it at the same time. I think it's good to have designated places for it and i'm sure NR had some people come in and do it on some property last year?

http://www.rssb.co.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/national_programmes/newsletters/2012/august/5.html

I think this was a good idea and it helped cut down graffiti in the area. (RSSB graffiti article above)

It's other people's property they are defacing at the end of the day and it's wrong full stop.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Some say that it actually dates back to ancient Egyptian times and the hieroglyphs. The Pharoah's name would always be contained in a cartouche in the hieroglyphs and often a pharoah's name would randomly appear in writings as a fawning act towards the pharoah by the writer. The more popular or 'important' the Pharoah the more often his name would appear. A practice continued to some extent by Roman emperor's having their names appear on buildings and even kings and queens of this country having monuments or buildings named after them. Having your name etched or carved everywhere thus equated with importance.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Much better on FCC of late (but window etching is back big time)

Not as bad as in the 1980-90s - particularly on the tube - seems a small, hard core of vandals still out there. Operators seem better geared at dealing it with these days - and the miscreants are not neccesarily "street yoof" - often 30+ so called "professionals" judging by recent arrests.

 

[Crossover]

It does amaze me where graffiti turns up to be honest. I don't think PTS, PPE come into it somehow

It was reported on here that Northern (nervously) had to put a train out in service with a few obscenities on it

 

[61653 HTAFC]

They certainly used to, owing to the positioning of some of the various sidings - I'm not sure if they still do. On the Thameslink routes, I would say the chances of getting a graffitied unit have, if anything, slightly decreased in the last few months.

My Bold. What has been done to reduce this?

I've always been surprised looking back at when the 333s were stored in Wrenthorpe loop just down from Wakefield Westgate upon delivery, that they weren't 'decorated' by some of the local 'artists'!

 

[tsr]

My Bold. What has been done to reduce this?

Well, you often can't move the sidings, so someone has to pay for better fencing and lighting, security guards and more CCTV. Normal security stuff, really, except it all has to be fitted into the railway infrastructure. A lot of the graffiti can be removed when the train has an exterior clean, which will often be in a more secure location. Unfortunately, many sidings do not have staff to keep an eye on all the trains and clean them overnight!

The BTP will generally also take an interest - as and when they have time...

 

[BestWestern]

Sadly there is a sizable movement in our society who appear to genuinely believe that this sort of crap counts as 'art', and that it is a justified expression of whatever, etc etc.... Trains are a particular draw for these morons because they travel and thus display the 'work' to a wide audience. This is why the best policy is always to remove the paint in the first instance, as it completely ruins the effect. These people are, of course, nothing but vandals and criminals and I doubt very much if they would appreciate somebody turning up in their front room and 'expressing themselves' via the medium of spray paint daubed all over their walls. Unfortunately we have the likes of Banksy, a professional vandal (and a cynical self-publicist rather than an artistic genius), who I am convinced has played a big part of endorsing this type of behaviour. I'd deeply love for him to leave some of his work on a wall of mine, so that I could invite the press round to witness me paint straight over the bloody thing

Sadly it is for TOCs to make the effort to secure their trains sufficiently to prevent this sort of thing from happening. There are plenty of other places these low life can deploy their spray cans if access to rolling stock becomes prohibitively difficult.

 

[jon0844]

I guess that when the 'artists' are likely filming themselves and taking loads more from photos, it is still considered worthwhile even if it will be cleaned off quickly.

 

[badassunicorn]

and creates a nice bit of evidence when bt police catch them!

 

[jon0844]

Yes, indeed it does!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is not just teenagers who are prone to this as Daniel Halpin, whose "TOX" graffiti was widespread, was 26 years of age when finally brought to justice and convicted of causing criminal damage. I think there was a thread on this website about graffiti many months ago, when he was being tried.

 

[12CSVT]

Some people could mistake this for graffiti. 66720 in 'day and night' livery (but looks better at night).

[youtube]aFG1XPb4tJY[/youtube]

Well FCC certainly put trains into service in that condition

377510 has had the same graffiti on it for weeks.

 

[asylumxl]

FCC do try and deal with the graffiti but unfortunately the trains are usually "hit" and places not managed by them. Bellingham and Ashford sidings are the usual locationsand both are in SouthEastern territory. This has been discussed and stated in previous threads on the same subject.

While it may not look pretty, it's certainly preferential to put a train in service with graffiti rather than having to cancel several.

I do find it oddly suspicious that at Ashford sidings the FCC 377/5 often get hit despite the fact their are several blank canvas SouthEastern trains closer by...

 

[jon0844]

Maybe SET has introduced a graffiti surcharge for its own trains.

 

[asylumxl]

Maybe SET has introduced a graffiti surcharge for its own trains.

Yeh. Some kind of arrangement definitely...

 

[LE Greys]

Railway projects have been known to co-opt graffiti into advertising. Just to the north of STEAM museum in Swindon, there was a large banner covered in 'graffiti' featuring Brunel, North Star, King George V and a Della. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, and it's gone now. There was also a case where someone moved a left luggage locker in Waterloo (long time ago this) and found an engraving of a Merchant Navy (expected) and an A4 (rather surprising). There's also an HST toilet on the side of which was etched 'GNER 4EVA' (presumably gone now, but from NXEC days).

 

[swj99]

..........heavily graffitied train ...........
Edit: heres the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAsytE2xV80

Looks like they've used enough paint to spray a whole car there. How do they manage to afford to do that ? Paint's not cheap. Aerosol cans were at least a fiver in Halfords last time I looked. And why do they waste paint on something like a train, when it's only going to get cleaned off again anyway ?

I just bought half a litre of single pack acrylic from the vehicle paint suppliers for a car I'm restoring, and just the paint and thinners alone was over £50. Fortunately I've got some clear lacquer left over from a previous job otherwise it would cost even more.

 

[big_dirt]

It is not just teenagers who are prone to this as Daniel Halpin, whose "TOX" graffiti was widespread, was 26 years of age when finally brought to justice and convicted of causing criminal damage. I think there was a thread on this website about graffiti many months ago, when he was being tried.

Yeah, but that lad had serious issues beyond the graffiti. Unfortunately the railway bore the brunt of it but he needed serious help.

Looking at the number of times he scrawled it, you could tell there was something not right.

 

[alex17595]

There's graffiti everywhere on the freight wagons but I supposed this isn't on their list of priorities, last time I was at doncaster an EWS train came past with 'Tory scum' written on it. seems a great way to get your opinion across the country

 

[87015]

FCC do try and deal with the graffiti but unfortunately the trains are usually "hit" and places not managed by them. Bellingham and Ashford sidings are the usual locationsand both are in SouthEastern territory. This has been discussed and stated in previous threads on the same subject.

While it may not look pretty, it's certainly preferential to put a train in service with graffiti rather than having to cancel several.

I do find it oddly suspicious that at Ashford sidings the FCC 377/5 often get hit despite the fact their are several blank canvas SouthEastern trains closer by...

That'd probably be because SE clean it off long before FCC do.

Blaming SE is just a cop out, FCC should either manage any security contract properly or change it to something more effective. Just because its "SE Territory" doesn't mean they an wash their hands of it,other TOCs provide their own security when outstanding away in others "territory"...They might have to get some pennies out the wallet though, which is probably the difficult part.

 

[Antman]

FCC do try and deal with the graffiti but unfortunately the trains are usually "hit" and places not managed by them. Bellingham and Ashford sidings are the usual locationsand both are in SouthEastern territory. This has been discussed and stated in previous threads on the same subject.

While it may not look pretty, it's certainly preferential to put a train in service with graffiti rather than having to cancel several.

I do find it oddly suspicious that at Ashford sidings the FCC 377/5 often get hit despite the fact their are several blank canvas SouthEastern trains closer by...

I appreciate that Bellingham sidings are an easy target but I would have thought Ashford was more secure especially with BTP on the doorstep. Maybe vandals target FCC trains because they know it won't be removed and their efforts will be seen by a wider audience between Bedford and Brighton?

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Yeah, but that lad had serious issues beyond the graffiti. Unfortunately the railway bore the brunt of it but he needed serious help.

Looking at the number of times he scrawled it, you could tell there was something not right.

Part of the 'Pharoah Complex' and the proliference of your name equating to your importance. Although a pariah to most of us he remains a 'legend' among his peers.

 

[90019]

Looking at the number of times he scrawled it, you could tell there was something not right.

Isn't the theory that it's actually quite a few people doing it?