Going Places - Graffiti On Trains
One of the primary places for graffiti in the city is on city trains. Graffiti on trains is not as prevalent as it once was in the past because many trains are coated with a substance that does not allow the paint to adhere to the train. This has prevented a great deal of graffiti from occurring on trains in recent history.
Throughout history, one of the biggest targets for graffiti was city trains. Watch any older movie and you will see elevated trains rumbling through the city covered with graffiti. This was normally done as a way to make an expression. Early graffiti on trains was not related to gangs, but a form of vandalism. Swear words and even names were put on these trains.
As time wore on, the graffiti got bolder and so did the artists. Many graffiti artists, eager to make a mark on the world, would use air brush materials to paint intricate pictures and small murals on the trains. Despite the fact that this graffiti was a step up from traditional graffiti that just entailed numbers, names and swear words, it was still considered an eyesore.
Some entrepreneurs started to actually charge companies to paint the names of their business on the sides of trains. The practice of advertising on trains as well as busses still exists today, although today this is done legally and consists of signs and not graffiti.
The overwhelming graffiti on trains became slower lesser and lesser when special coating began being used for trains. The repellent coating did not allow spray pain to adhere to the sides of the train and has put an end to the graffiti on trains in many cities. Some cities, however, still have to paint and re-paint the elevated trains that run through the city every so often because of graffiti.
Graffiti on trains began as soon as elevated trains made their appearance in cities. Graffiti is not anything new, although laws to prohibit graffiti have become tougher over the years as cities sought to clean up their images. Graffiti is generally considered defacement of property and is a misdemeanor crime in certain circumstances. When used as part of another crime, such as the promotion of fear or intimidation, the incident might be moved up to a felony charged. Stricter laws and tighter enforcement has done much to eliminate a great deal of graffiti on trains.
Today, most of the graffiti that you will see on the outsides of trains will be minimal and is usually removed before the train begins to be an eyesore. Graffiti on the inside of the trains amounts more to defacement of property, although there are some trains where you can find the artwork of some graffiti artists. Stricter penalties, better materials for repelling graffiti and more vigilance when it comes to watching trains from being vandalized has caused there to be less graffiti on trains. This is much to the delight of city mayors who realize that graffiti riddled trains is detrimental to the appearance of the city.