# Train tagging and other trivial pursuits! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141 "2018-05-30T18:33:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/1 "2018-05-30T18:33:58Z")
As a teen I tagged trains. I dare say I was good. Never got caught. My lettering was outstanding, and unreadable at the same time. I grew up and jumping fences and running got to be too much trouble. What I want to know is: I used to think I could get away with any kind of graffiti. I always wanted to paint the statue of Liberty’s toenails. Could I have gotten anywhere near them? Would there be guards and the like? What trouble would I have incurred if caught ‘red-handed’ ( nice toenail color)? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/2 "2018-05-30T19:06:01Z")
You would find it difficult to get to her toes, since they are way up on top of the supporting building. Which is a good thing, since defacing them would be reprehensible. I personally find “taggers” to be only slightly less odious than thieves and other lowlifes. If you want to “express” yourself, buy a canvas and paint it. Don’t deface someone else’s’ property. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/3 "2018-05-30T19:07:10Z")
Speaking of tagging, how do they get away with some of the gigantic tags that I see? Its seems you’d have to have climbing harnesses and more than a little skill in order to complete some of these works of vandalism. The logistics are impressive as the work is annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/4 "2018-05-30T19:14:51Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > As a teen I tagged trains. I dare say I was good. Never got caught. My lettering was outstanding, and unreadable at the same time. I grew up and jumping fences and running got to be too much trouble. What I want to know is: I used to think I could get away with any kind of graffiti. I always wanted to paint the statue of Liberty’s toenails. Could I have gotten anywhere near them? Would there be guards and the like? What trouble would I have incurred if caught ‘red-handed’ ( nice toenail color)? Ooo! Grab a Sharpie, and show us a favourite tag from your old days! I love a well done tag or better yet, a train car long mural. Truest form of art IMHO. Donated, temporary, and purely for the enjoyment or inspiration of the viewer. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/5 "2018-05-30T19:19:20Z")
I never painted buildings. Only trains. And I was tall so I could reach really high. I have lost about 2 minutes worrying what I defaced. Bad me. I love looking at trains passing and all the tags. Some are really good. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/6 "2018-05-30T19:23:56Z")
I remember one time me and the kids were sitting in the car, waiting at the train crossing. We were just silently watching train cars pass by, when one glided past with a painting of a large demon flipping us the bird. I guess you had to be there, but we totally cracked up. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/7 "2018-05-30T20:00:10Z")
My son, as a teenager, kept having problems with his phones and occasionally borrowing me. So I once intercepted a message from a friend that said, “We gonna bomb 2nite?” I was actually quite relieved when I found out what that meant. (Art bombs=going out to do some stealth graffiti) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/8 "2018-05-30T20:02:43Z")
We called the cans of paint ‘spray bombs’. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/9 "2018-05-30T21:35:55Z")
Remember the days when railroad bulls could beat the living shit out of people defacing railroad property? I hope someone comes by and adds some “art” to your house or car. Seems fair, wouldn’t you say? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/10 "2018-05-30T21:38:37Z")
Shhhh! Don’t tell them I am here. I have been in hiding for several years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/11 "2018-05-30T22:51:26Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Speaking of tagging, how do they get away with some of the gigantic tags that I see? Its seems you’d have to have climbing harnesses and more than a little skill in order to complete some of these works of vandalism. The logistics are impressive as the work is annoying. When I was a kid in the 1960s, it was common to see graffiti on tall water towers—I remember seeing high-school themed stuff like “SENIORS '64.” I’m still amazed that there weren’t regular news reports of teenagers falling to their deaths (maybe there were, and I didn’t notice). I remember asking my mom how people were accomplishing this, and she said, “They use really long paintbrushes.” Obviously she didn’t want me to get any crazy ideas about climbing water towers. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/12 "2018-05-30T23:45:54Z")
Ooh, I climbed a water tower and did some art on it. I had forgotten that. The ladder is inside a cage, there’s plenty of room to walk around up there. Or the one I was on, there was. It was scary high. And pretty stupid. But in my defense we were dumb kids. Fun had to be found in Nowheresville… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/13 "2018-05-31T01:46:47Z")
You really think you’re the cool one in these stories? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/14 "2018-05-31T02:40:07Z")
I did when I was a kid. Not so much, anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/15 "2018-05-31T03:19:42Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I always wanted to paint the statue of Liberty’s toenails. Could I have gotten anywhere near them? Would there be guards and the like? What trouble would I have incurred if caught ‘red-handed’ ( nice toenail color)? Did you ever calculate how many bottles of red nail polish it would take? I’d be interested in seeing the math and assumptions (loss factor, etc) on that. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/16 "2018-05-31T03:36:46Z")
I wonder if any one knows the surface size of that Big ol’ great toe-nail? I have seen pix of people standing near it as it was being made. I guess I would have to use gallons of high gloss cherry red automotive type paint and a spraygun. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/17 "2018-05-31T05:41:24Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Ooh, I climbed a water tower and did some art on it. I had forgotten that. The ladder is inside a cage, there’s plenty of room to walk around up there. Or the one I was on, there was. It was scary high. And pretty stupid. But in my defense we were dumb kids. Fun had to be found in Nowheresville… The water towers in my city were the kind that resemble golf balls on tees (like [this one](http://www.clydeohio.org/Water%20Treatment/images/WaterTowerVert2.jpg)). There was no catwalk around the perimeter or anything like that. I still don’t know how they did it. Maybe there’s an interior ladder that goes up to a platform on the top? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/18 "2018-05-31T05:54:36Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > The water towers in my city were the kind that resemble golf balls on tees (like [this one](http://www.clydeohio.org/Water%20Treatment/images/WaterTowerVert2.jpg)). There was no catwalk around the perimeter or anything like that. I still don’t know how they did it. Maybe there’s an interior ladder that goes up to a platform on the top? That would be hard. The one I climbed was on 6 legs. Each leg splayed out a bit. The ladder was along side one leg. When you got up there, it was a trap door. It probably was supposed to have a lock. We just pushed up on it and it came open. We were in like flynn. I spent some happy hours up there. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-tagging-and-other-trivial-pursuits/815141/19 "2018-05-31T13:10:39Z")
As per our registration agreement: “You agree not to post material that in our opinion fosters or promotes activity that is illegal in the U.S.“ Last time I checked criminal mischief is illegal. Please don’t post about your current or past illegal activity.