Not my era, but....

[MasonJar]

it was fun to do!

I posted a shot of some graffiti I took outside my work at lunch several weeks ago (see below or WPF June 18-24). A friend who runs a modern-day layout gave me a couple of "blank canvasses" on which to try my hand. I used paint markers in extra fine and fine tips, and Bragdon weathering powers for the rust and so on. The couplers and wheels are likely to be changed out at a later date, so did not get much attention.

Here are the results. You only get two guesses as to what my friend's name is...!
[albumimg]2840[/albumimg]

Reverse side. If you are not familiar with the Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot, you can check it out here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.killerbunnies.com">http://www.killerbunnies.com</a><!-- m -->
[albumimg]2841[/albumimg]

The covered hopper is "tagged" with the name of my friend's dog. You only get two guesses for this one too
[albumimg]2842[/albumimg]

The reverse
[albumimg]2843[/albumimg]

actually has prototype inspiration as seen in the photo from our field trip!
[albumimg]2618[/albumimg]

Andrew

[MasonJar]

For the record, the paint markers are DecoColor Opaque Paint markers in Fine and Extra fine. On sale at Michael's Craft stores (in Canada at least) for $1.99 each.

Andrew

[Herc Driver]

I'm not a fan of "tagging" a real railroad car (if it's not your property...leave it alone) but I really like what you've done with those cars! That snowman is great.

[Ralph]

Very convincing graffiti! I don't know the bunny character but he sure looks like something you might see on the side of a car nowadays. Well done!
Ralph

[P5se Camelback]

Nice job Andrew! I'm not a big fan of graffitti as I see it as defacing the property of others. In Philly the used to arrest those who were caught and they be "guests of the city" for a week or so. However, as it is a fixture in the world these days, and it will bbe modelled, you've done an admirable job. What medium is contained in the markers? Being from a craft store, should I assume that they are acrylics? They seem to flatten out nicely when they dry!

I'd be interested in how you post an interactive photo ... if you'd PM me about it Id be appreciative!

Now, what is that black headlight in the background attached to?

[MasonJar]

Thanks guys!

The markers are "paint" markers, and judging from the smell, are not acrylic...! They are actually very mild, but are solvent-based. They don't attack the plastic though, but they are glossier than shown in the photos. DullCote will go over all - hopefully not fading the chalks too much, or making the markers run.

I agree that tagging is a criminal activity - no matter how artistic the outcome. I don't model current day, so my cars will be marked up with chalk marks, not grafitti. These cars however will run on a friend's current day layout, and he's quite happy with them.

The headlight is attached to my Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 into which I am installing sound.

Andrew

[P5se Camelback]

... The headlight is attached to my Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 into which I am installing sound. ...

AHA! As I recall, the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 has as it's prototype the Reading Company I10s Consolidation! Ya gotta love that wide Wooten firebox ... you can spot that fat firebox and the equally fat boiler of the I10s from a long way off.

Even though I could only see the headlight and smokebox front, something deep inside told me that I would be interested in that steam locomotive!

Interesting Trivia ... The Reading Company's well-known T-! Northerns, of the 1976 American Freedom Train fame,
were built in the Reading Shops, using lengthened I10s boilers.

[nachoman]

AHA! As I recall, the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 has as it's prototype the Reading Company I10s Consolidation! Ya gotta love that wide Wooten firebox ... you can spot that fat firebox and the equally fat boiler of the I10s from a long way off.

The spectrum locomotive is a rather generic baldwin prototype. Bachmann used to offer an I10 in their "train set" or standard line, back in the 1980s and early 1990s. They looked okay (fora plastic locomotive back then) but ran lousy due to the infamous "pancake motor". For awhile, they re-tooled the mechanism with a more traditional motor and worm gear, and sold the locomotive under the "Bachmann plus" line. The Spectrum 2-8-0 replaced the I10 model, as I have heard rumors that the molds and tooling used to produce the I10 had either worn out or broken. They also sold an N-scale I10, but I am not sure if it is still available.

[RobertInOntario]

Very cool, Andrew -- well done!

I agree with the above in that I'm not a fan of tagging or creating graffiti, etc. I don't like vandalism or damaging others' property at all.

However, whether we like it or not, graffiti is a part of the modern railway scene so it's legit to model it on a contemporary layout.

Rob