Tagging Freight Cars In Charlestown

For over a week now, there has been a string of freight cars sitting on the tracks next to the MBTA Sullivan Station in Charlestown. As a result almost all of the box cars have now been sprayed painted by the local graffiti artists.

Does anyone know why these cars have not been moved by Pan Am?

Could be any number of reasons. The cars could have mechanical defects which need to be repaired before they can go back on the move. Or PAR might be short on crews and/or locomotives.

If they are on tracks next to Sullivan station, they are not in Somerville. So I'm confused by your post.

This is to clarify whether the cars are in Charlestown or Somerivlle:

One member said that he was confused about the location an another member has pointed out that the cars are in Somerville on the 3rd iron and that the 3rd and 4th iron lead into yard 21. Yard 21 is located in Somerville. However, the string of cars that I pointed out in my first post start in Charlestown directly across from the Sullivan T station, near Clinton Pl and Brighton St and extend a little beyound the route 93 overpass near the beginning of yard 21.

A map clearly shows that from 93 to just south of Cambridge St (next to Sullivan) and two streets that run parallel to the 3rd iron (Clinton Pl and Brighton St) are in Charlestown.

Those cars are in Somerville, not Charlestown.

The two tracks are called the 3rd & 4th Irons. The freight cars are
on the 3rd Iron. Both tracks extended to Yard 21.

As to why they have sat there so long, I don't know. BO-1 is on a
short leash apparently (limited to 8 or 10 hours), so they usually
do one assignment. Yesterday they went to Everett Jct (Scrap)
and return and that was that.

Today BO-1 did not come out on the mainline and may have never run.

One other factor is that LOSA doesn't always come to Boston, so outbound
cars (if these are outbounds) start piling up.

D

I stand, er sit, corrected...Sullivan Square station and the to leads to Yard
21 are in Charlestown.

d

GP40MC1118 wrote:I stand, er sit, corrected...Sullivan Square station and the to leads to Yard
21 are in Charlestown.

d

Stand corrected again, wrong form of the word "Two", lol. Only kidding Dave.

So have these cars received any nice art work?

Depends on your definiton of the word "nice." Let say it the typical grafiti that has been painted by these "so called artists" in and around the Charlestown area for past several years.

It seems that every freight train that I see has at least one or more cars marked with grafiti. Very annoying not to mention ugly. Reminds me of when grafiti was marked all over the subway cars in New York City back in the 70's and 80's, until they were cleaned up.

Why do you find it annoying? As long as it doesn't cover reporting initials & numbers, or plate size of the car it doesn't bother most of us railroaders. There are often some very unique and very well done pieces.

Sorry to disagree CSX Conductor...tagging is a blight on the landscape. Ruins pictures from my perspective and is vandalism. I used to take a
lot of freight car photos for a modeler friend of mine, but most times
I pass on them because they are so badly tagged.

What angers me more is the fact that taggers can repaint the bridge abutments near Beacon Park tower without any problem, but a railfan
up on the bridge or out on the platforms along the pike is a security
risk/suspicious. I mean they even apparently climb the trash cars
and tag the girders of the pedestrian overpass at the park. How does
this happen?

dave

I am a railroader and tagging bothers me. It shows a lack of respect for property, for the law, and for the community as a whole. I am even more annoyed by the fact that it is becoming accepted, even glorified by the media as "art". I think it looks like crap, no matter how talented the "artist" is. I bagged some kids doing it one night while I was walking in a yard. I grabbed one kid, took his paint can and told him I was going to paint his face if I see him back there or anywhere else on the railroad again. I think he got the point.

Your lucky he didn't stab ya.

Next time call the RRPD. Ooops I forgot they don't anwser the phone.

Only Hobo's stab

Well they finally moved the cars from in front of Sullivan Station and I could not believe the amount of grafiti that was painted on the entire length of the retaining wall next to the tracks. The string of cars must have given the artists cover while they peformed their "ART WORK." It really looks bad from the "T" platform.

GP40MC1118 wrote:What angers me more is the fact that taggers can repaint the bridge abutments near Beacon Park tower without any problem, but a railfan
up on the bridge or out on the platforms along the pike is a security
risk/suspicious. I mean they even apparently climb the trash cars
and tag the girders of the pedestrian overpass at the park. How does
this happen?

dave

I agree with you Dave. As for the Grand Jct, I beleive it is done at night.