VMT Musings

Graffiti is an interesting thing. In some areas, it's used simply to deface property. In other areas, it marks territory. In yet other areas, it can be effective, and often moving artwork. But graffiti at VMT is another thing altogether.

When we were kids, a fun thing to do was to carve our names into trees or picnic tables or benches or anything that could be chipped away with a young boy's pocket knife. I think we can all remember desks in our schools which bore the names of students from years past, letting us know that they "were here."

What have these two paragraphs to do with one another? When synthesized, they lead to the subject of this post.

In our railyard, we have a large collection of locomotives, baggage cars, dining cars, cranes, and other rail equipment. Located directly beside Norfolk Southern's main east-west line, this equipment picks up a considerable amount of dust and dirt kicked up by the nearly constant passing of freight trains. Add to this the pollen of spring, and what's created on the sides of these metal monsters is a thick plaster of dirt out of which is carved with bony fingers the markings of who "was here."

What follows is a photo essay of our graffiti. Note its different purposes. Greetings, dates, relationships, and even religion. Also, please note that we haven't cleaned these in a little too long.

Alas. A love lost before it began.

Hello, yourself. Come on in and write on things. No, really, it's cool.

The date of this scribbling is 6-2-06. When I think about how many times it's rained since June of last year, and that this is still here, it's almost sickening.

This is easily the best of the lot. One wonders if the person enjoys the food, (and if so, what kind of pie) or the number and the person just can't spell.