# Weathered Boxcars: Graffiti or No Graffiti?



## clickharder (May 20, 2013)

hi everyone,
i've been trying to improve my weathering techniques on boxcars this time. had lots of fun playing with different media such as enamel washes and airbrushed acrylics.

old battered CP boxcar ex Sooline heavily weathered:




































modern CP boxcar lightly weathered:


















the question i have for you is do you prefer adding graffiti to boxcars or do you just go with a weathered look?

i would like to add graffiti for that authentic look but once i start adding it to one car i'd have to add it to many cars... and then would i have to add it to the back of buildings? underpasses? just about any place tagging would be present?

graffiti can be really cool but lots of it is just a mess and i feel it would make my overall train layout lot like an urban slum. so for now, i find myself thinking i may do one or two in the future but having the boxcars look vandalism free seems like the direction to go with.

opinions?

cheers.


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

That weathering looks really good! 

Personally, I prefer no graffiti.


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## California RailFan508 (Jul 2, 2013)

Perhaps some minor graffiti on the older Soo Line/Canadian Pacific boxcar (since nearly every old, beaten-up boxcar [Golden West Service, some old Southern, Rio Grande, Southern Pacific, old "Rail Box" yellow boxcars, and the occasional red Norfolk Southern ones] that rolls past at crossings on the Union Pacific tracks in my neck of the woods is tagged with at least one to three mid-to-large sized graffiti), but I would not do any on the newer Canadian Pacific boxcar. 

However, they look pretty sharp as they currently look (with the weathering effects, no other modifications), so in my honest opinion, just keep them as is. However, that is up to you...


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## ZebraCakez (Mar 26, 2011)

They look great, good work.

As for graffiti, I personally do like it but only to an extent. Everything that rolls through my neck of the woods is absolutely covered in it, and I would never want that much of it on my layout. I do think that it looks good in moderation, and it can be a fun way to add some color and depth to an otherwise bland urban scene.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I love graffiti. 

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=12398&highlight=graffiti


Do a site search using the word GRAFFITI.
There are a bunch of different threads on what members think.

A locked thread, http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=12502&highlight=graffiti

Another few on the subject, http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=6880&highlight=graffiti

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=11186&highlight=graffiti

There are more.

Check out my Road Train thread if you want to, I have some real graffiti shown in posts there.
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=5388

I must say I like the guy's face shown on this one. 
I see this car in different spots around Jersey.


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## Hutch (Dec 19, 2012)

I don't get it. Take a beautifully weathered car like you have and then scribble on it? There won't be any kids with spray cans getting near my trains.:lol_hitting:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

It does look good the way it is. :smilie_daumenpos:

And like he said once you start you have to graffiti everything on the layout.
But like I said I love graffiti. 

But I vote for NO GRAFFITI.:smilie_daumenneg:
But it is your decision to do what you want as it is your RR. :smokin:


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

A no vote on the graffiti.

A huge yes vote on the Soo/CP box. That rust is perfect,
liked the extra touch of letting it eat up some of the
car data.

It takes a real artist to make such a mess. 

Don


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## BK R (Dec 8, 2012)

Graffiti is a modern trend, early graffiti was a peace symbol or "Ban the bomb", I think a 1950's era would have next to none.
I wouldn't spoil that job with scribble either.


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

oneses or twoses maybe. Just to add some variation. But not all of them. 

I always wondered if the artists/taggers have courtesy to work around reporting marks and such? I have seen some where it looks like they went around the car info with the paint. I know some had reporting marks repainted over the tag.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

BK R said:


> Graffiti is a modern trend, early graffiti was a peace symbol or "Ban the bomb", I think a 1950's era would have next to none.
> I wouldn't spoil that job with scribble either.


I've always wanted to take a "midnight ride" to the local rail yards to see if I could catch a graffiti artist in the act and then sit down and chat with him to gain some insight on what motivates them to do their "artistic" work.
Unfortunately, the local rail yard is in a part of town that you don't want to be anywhere near!


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## daveh219 (Sep 16, 2012)

I dealt with enough gang graffiti during a 40 year law enforcement career to last a lifetime. NO graffiti on my stuff...


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## DCHO (Dec 3, 2013)

The cars do look good as is. 

Graffiti may be more accurate, but on the other hand I saw about 50 chilled express cars on a train last week that the big white canvas must have been used for graffiti art class, by about the third car it went from tagging to just an eyesore (probably why UP was letting CSX pull these cars). When it's on one car it's usually on many, but not always every. I've never seen it on a single car, so if it's going to start it's probably going to be something that spreads around cars.

As to having to mark up the rest of your layout, I think that can relate to how much you're trying to display a type of area, might make for a neat scene to have a spot where a scale figure is in the process of tagging an area, may be better to decide that the cars just pass through and they were tagged while the cars were on loan with another railway.

In the end it's your railway, so it only needs as much or little that pleases you; as it so happens on my railway the railroad companies make sure they scrub it of before the public sees it.


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## Rusty (Jun 23, 2011)

Nice weathered boxcar..


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

My rule is "just enough to be convincing, but not enough to make you think you're on the wrong end of town."...


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## clickharder (May 20, 2013)

*thank you everyone*

thanks for the kind words on the boxcars and for the input on whether graffiti should play a part in my layout design.

i read each and every comment and thought the pics uploaded did a great job of illustrating how it can be done to balance otherwise plain freight cars. i think i may do one or two down the road but for now i believe i will focus on getting better at weathering my rolling stock collection. graffiti may have a strong effect on the look of my project so i will likely tread carefully.

cheers


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## beachbum (May 1, 2010)

I vote NO, regardless of the era modeled. I know that's not necessarily proto and some of the art is actually pretty good, but I see way too much of it on my daily commute on METRA. I don't want a reminder of going to work. LOL!


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## SteelWheels360 (Dec 31, 2013)

damn thats a fine looking model. I think the question of graffiti depends really on the level of authenticity you are looking for and the era you are modeling. If you are modeling post 1995, graffiti fits. I do custom weathering and graffiti and once had a cllient ask me to do a graffiti piece on his 40' wooden cattle car from the 40s - lol. :dunno:


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Your box car may very well have the best weathering job I have seen! Well Done! :thumbsup:

If it were me, I wouldn't cover up that beautiful job with graffiti....


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*Spray bomb*

nice weathering. Also, I vote no on Urban Tagging, its your layout though, do what makes you feel good, well if its added for realism , Then go with it, tagger. Regards, tr1


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

The one aspect of modeling that I haven't really tackled is weathering. Oh, I've done a few small things, but no rolling stock or locos. Mostly out of fear that I would royally mess 'em up. 
That being said, I'm just about ready to grab a few el cheapo old cars and give it a serious go.
I've got 7 or 8 cars that are trashcan candidates so if I screw up it's no big deal. 
If I ever get 50% as good as you then I'll be a happy camper. I've watched YouTube videos, read many articles, etc., on the subject so now it's time to get busy.
Can't learn to swim if you don't jump in the water, right?


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

I've only done a little graffiti and it was nerdy graffiti. I like it to add a little variety to the cars but won't do everyone nor on any buildings around town.


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## Brian (Jan 22, 2014)

your weathering is beyond compare. I would not put graffiti on them at all


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## clickharder (May 20, 2013)

*thanks once again everyone...*

... really taken aback by the kind words and the comments on adding graffiti to my layout and cars. i hope it has inspired one or two folks to give weathering a try just as the works of others have helped me push myself to get a bit better with each attempt.

since i finished those boxcars i weathered another set of 3 bay hoppers, here's a look at one of them:



















though i used my airbrush to do some subtle preshading, most of the work is simply oil paints streaked with paint thinner and acrylics splotched on using a sponge from some electronic packing. then some enamel washes, no pastels as these make handling hard. 

if i can do it i know that you can too, you've just got to get those paintbrushes wet 

just for fun here's a civilian van i finished in 1/35th scale for a military diorama i'm working on:



















this one was a trick as i really wanted to be subtle and even in the paintwork. anyway, i'm really pleased by the nice feedback from this forum's community and learning more about how i feel about graffiti on model trains. cheers.


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## FRED On Board (Jan 2, 2014)

Clickharder, (et al)...

Echoing the remarks of others, your weathering results are truly life-like as seen on prototypical roads...And I agree with those who say no graffiti...Yeah, its there in the real world but in my opinion (and not so humble) except for some truly artistic and meaningful messages that can perhaps be critically considered an "artform" and/or understood by anyone but gang members, it's only an eyesore.

As a nearly life-long railfan, I've seen enough of it already to last me a lifetime...I don't need to see it on my model RR or anyone else's to be appreciated or impressed.

Again, a great example of superb weathering on the CP box car! 

FWIW (from an opinionated old man).

Bruce /FRED On Board
ATSF, BN, SP, UP


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

Also. Amazing weathering!


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

NICE WORK ON UR WEATHERING

graffiti; i say no
but it is your rr, and it is a part of modern scenery.


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## morland (Sep 25, 2012)

I must admit I hadn't really thought about weathering much but good grief your work is excellent and makes me want to start to give it a try. I'm like a lot of the others, graffiti is there in real life but most of it, in my opinion, is a distraction to the eyes. I've seen a couple of really nicely done jobs but if it where me I'd stick to the weathering and maybe only do a couple of cars with graffiti.

Keep up the good work and please post more pictures...what would be really neat is if you had the time to document a project from start to finish and post it here!


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