Boylston Street Graffiti

Likewise, thanks and well done to the cleanup crew. It was nice to see the MBTA address that ugliness so quickly.

It really does look better than before it got tagged.
Here's a short video for those interested as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAAPqHcuyZc

Great photos and video of the cleanup process.

As sad as it was to see both 3295 and 5734 tagged it is also sad to see the layer of dust that has collected in the cars' interior. Sad to say that if they weren't tagged, and then making into the media, they would be still there unnoticed collecting dust. So in a warped view, the tagging may bring more attention to their presence, beyond transit enthusiast forums and maybe a better future.

JoeD

Type7trolley wrote:Based on tonight, I have a feeling tomorrow's AM riders are in for a pleasant surprise....
http://jdgator95.smugmug.com/Transit/MBTA/Cleaning-3295" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kudos to those involved for an EXCELLENT job.

Second the above. Great job by the cleanup crews and those pics inside were great as well.

They needed a good cleaning for a while now. It's always bothered me that the roll sign isn't completely on a destination...

Wow, they look great! It's sad it took this to get them a bath! The interior also saddens me, but I doubt the T is going to clean the inside.

octr202 wrote: I'd bet that a high quality paint finish is probably easier to remove spray paint from than the bare metal skins of some of the commuter rail cars - aren't the ones that show the worst "ghost tags" the ones with the brushed aluminum exterior?

Yes, I did not factor in paint.

At least it looks like the issue is just dirt/dust inside the cars. Doesn't look like a lot of moisture issues (aside from this week's powerwashing!). At least most of the interiors are hard surfaces that can be cleaned/repainted/refinished in the future when called for. Keeping them dry and away from the weather is a huge help.

octr202 wrote:At least it looks like the issue is just dirt/dust inside the cars. Doesn't look like a lot of moisture issues (aside from this week's powerwashing!). At least most of the interiors are hard surfaces that can be cleaned/repainted/refinished in the future when called for. Keeping them dry and away from the weather is a huge help.

Yeah. Post-fixup Boylston station is a MUCH drier station than it used to be when the roof leaks wreaked havoc on it. Those metal catch basins they installed on the ceiling to collect the water moved it from one of the most disconcertingly leaky stations to one of the bone driest (except for the slick stairs when there's a deluge outside).

It is amazing how well the 3295 cleaned up, considering the amount of crud that had accumulated on it. Hopefully 5734 came through as well. Remember that 5734 is old type steel which is not as resistant to the acids used to dissolve the spray paint. I wonder if there is any video of the guy(s) who did this. I never have looked for cameras in Boylston. It would be nice if the Transit Police have a few shots of the event.

Gerry6309 wrote:It is amazing how well the 3295 cleaned up, considering the amount of crud that had accumulated on it. Hopefully 5734 came through as well. Remember that 5734 is old type steel which is not as resistant to the acids used to dissolve the spray paint. I wonder if there is any video of the guy(s) who did this. I never have looked for cameras in Boylston. It would be nice if the Transit Police have a few shots of the event.

Boylston ceiling is covered in fish-eye security cams now. They not only have to have clear video of the incident, but several angles' worth of clear video. If the perpetrators' identity is unknown it's probably because they had their faces covered in masks and hoods.

The only real disconcerting thing about this is that somebody in the security office was asleep at the switch on the overnight shift. That much tagging had to have taken a good 20-40 minutes to do, well inside the interval of what one security person downtown can do to cycle through each station's cams. They need to tighten it up now that this vulnerability has been exposed in a station very very well covered by cameras.

So did the vandals hike in all the way from a portal? Did they hide at closing time? Did they bust in a door?

I have wondered about this too? When there are assaults on the T they have those video still out to the public pretty quickly. Yes I have seen nothing yet about this.

I wonder if they would even let some of volunteer to clean the insides? I love to clean. I would love to help out.

Adams_Umass_Boston wrote:I wonder if they would even let some of volunteer to clean the insides? I love to clean. I would love to help out.

Ditto. And it would make a neat newspaper story and PR piece for the T.

In other news, this story has ventured far outside the railfan realm: I met a friend for dinner last night and she asked me if I saw "those beautiful photos of the historic trolleys at Boylston being cleaned." If there are any plans to do something more with the cars, now would be a great time!

When 5734 was at Watertown Carhouse a Seashore Member had the key to the building, and we gathered one night a week to work on 475, 5734, cars to be moved to Maine, 3295 and whatever else crossed our paths. I have cleaned more grease off my hands at Watertown than I have in Maine! We even loaned tools to the carouse staff.

There is very little public awareness that Seashore exists, or that 3295 was restored by a bunch of T employees, mostly 589, on THEIR OWN TIME.