Does anybody know if you can take the freight's numbers and find out where they were or where they're going?
no the numbers mean nothing ..thats actually me, i jus stencil numbers on trains..i have abouta million cars. im so up an nobody even fucking notices im a fucking freight king i tell u!
I'm a railfan. While most railfans object to grafitti it doesn't bother me, I think of it as just another part of the urban landscape. A few basic pointers about safety: The only rail that is dangerous on electrified track is the third rail. It is the hot side of the circuit. It is mounted to one side of the tracks and usually elevated higher than the other two rails. In most places it carries 600 volts. That is not high enough to jump much of a gap, in fact a pair of rubber soled boots would probably be enough to protect you if you're dry, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Also, never assume a third rail is not electrified, even if the tops of the rails are rusted. If there is no third rail, but overhead wires instead then the tracks are quite safe. Only the overhead wires are dangerous in that case. When it comes to determining if rail lines are in use, rust will tell you if a train has been through in the past couple of days. A train will always strip at least some of the rust off the top of the rails. The time it takes for rust to form again depends on the weather, but it's usually a few days, so rust alone is not enough to say that a rail line is abandoned. Even weeds don't necessarilly mean that, but if they are more than maybe a foot long then it may be abandoned. A good way to tell for sure is to check google earth satilite photos. If there are any paved over crossings, the line is abandoned. Yards can be very dangerous due to the amount of activity in them, the unpredictability of that activity, and from a legal standpoint, the far higher chance of running into railroad cops. I would recomend avoiding active rail yards (any that have large numbers of train cars, a railroad owned building with cars parked at it, or a locomotive, even if it has no one in it. If you feel the need to paint cars in an active yard, listen for locomotives or cars moving, they tend to move slowly in yards and if you keep your ears open you'll hear them coming. Also, avoid being seen, not just by railroad employees, but by anyone. Chances are anyone hanging around a rail yard could be a railroad cop or a railfan, and most railfans will not hesitate to call the railroad police on anyone they see acting strangely around the tracks. If you see someone near the tracks with a camera and/or a walkie talkie or CB looking radio (a scanner) they are most likely a railfan. I agree with what another poster said about not painting locomotives, that's a good way to piss the railroad off and make them increase security. As for the numbers on freight cars, yeah, if you have access to the railroad's database you can track them, but only customers have that. I know some railfans will try to keep track of specific cars, but there are literally millions of them, so that's hard to do. Also the thing about autoracks is true, and along with intermodal cars (the ones with truck trailer boxes on them) they carry the highest value cargo, and are watched more closely as a result. Anyway, thoughtg you might find this info useful. If you have any other questions I may have answers.
havent read anything other than TRF's post so if im repeating anything my bad but i'll just lay a lil knowledge wen going to train yards like said above try n stay away from active yards but if needed to paint an active yard or any yard by tht matter dont be hot boy, dnt leave anything thea or bring attention to the fact people tht dont work thea were thea...in other werds dont leave your paint, caps, ladders, buckets (roller paint), crates (to stand on) and also dont bring attention by cutting huge openings in the fence try and find a way around or make a small un noticable hole in the cut and to talk about the letters numbers blah blah shit on the train TRY YOUR BEST to bring duck tape to tape off all letters/info on the train if u forgot yur tape or jus didnt think of it try your best to not go over them on yur own(its called can control dont bitch) trust me if yu dont do that maybe not today or tomaro but yur train WILL get buffed...most people who work on trains dnt care bout graff its jus their jobs to buff it cause thats THEIR info THEY need so dont be dick yull thank me in the long run wen 20 plus years yu see yur train back in tht yard n its still runin WORKERS theyre apart of the game usually in most yards its a givin to not be seen by anyone point blank period...but (if u dnt have to risk it dnt)in sum cases if yur sippin on a beer or two and get rolled up by a yellow jacket(wat i call sumone who works in the yard not ON the train) toss um a brew nd they could be chill nd let u do u...ive heard bout that from multiple heads but never happend to me...ALSO if u get rolled up on by anyone and u kno u cant keep away but have a camera try n toss yur paint n shit and jus act like a rail fan and be like"oh im sorry sir i was only taking pictures to build up my portfolio" idk if i have anything else helpful but if i do i'll come back...i hope this helped
Yes, this is a very good point that I should have brought up. Many railroads, leasing companies, and other organizations that own rail cars don't care enough to repaint over graffiti (this is especially true of cars that get the crap beaten out of them in every day service like gondolas, hoppers, and trash train container cars). However all of the lettering on cars is either necessary for everyday use of the car, or mandated by federal regulations. You cover it up, and they WILL repaint as soon as they can. Here's a good example: http://www.utahtransit.us/mural1.htm Personally, I like that mural. To me it's rather impressive, but it'll be gone (or at least partially painted over) within a few months most likely, because the artist painted over the car's reporting marks (numbering, weight, owner's marks, etc).
that's not true at all. there are widely available 1-800 numbers for UP, CSX, KCS, CN, CP, and a shitload of other class I railroads that tell you exactly when the train left it's destination, where it left from, where it's going, and when it's going to get there. It's a voice automated system and you don't need to be a "customer" to access that information. the UP number will even tell you if it's full or not. we use these numbers all the time when riding freight.
Really? Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. So you can use that to track any freight car on their system? Or is it only for trains as a whole? I'll have to look for those numbers. I presume they are available on their respective websites?
Yeha i was listening to a jayse interview and he said that back in the day there were 1-800 numbers..i didn't know those still existed. do u have any tips for hoping freights BigEl?
watch out for those fucking rail trucks! they sneek up on u fast and there quiet. its happened to me 2 times already.
it works different for different companies. UP and CSX work the best because you can track units as well. yea you can track any car on any train that has a serial number, regardless of the car maker, and it will tell you where it's going. it's mandatory that all these cars have to be in some sort of database for safety and accountability reasons.
try it out: UP's customer tracking number is 1-800-272-8777. this is a picture of a boxcar I took last year in portland, oregon. I called it into UP's registry five minutes ago and it told me that it's loaded and arrived in Laredo, Texas this morning.
Haha thats so cool. There's these out of service freights by me that have been sitting there for years. That would be cool to get some info on them.
dude honestly the best way to learn is to just go with someone who knows. hands on experience is always the best. i went with my friend once about 8 years ago and i never forgot
Yo i just found 2 freight yards in my city but ive never gone before, ive read some helpful tips about painting the trains, but i have noone to take me bc i just moved here and dont know any writers, any tips on learnen what to do without fucking up?
in day light go for a walk just to scout out the place,then maby scout it out again at dark to see what its like at dark and to find a good way in and out,then bring your cans and shit look out for people and moving trains
in day light go for a walk just to scout out the place,then maby scout it out again at dark to see what its like at dark and to find a good way in and out,then bring your cans and shit look out for people and moving trains