Read time: 5 min.

Last month was rough for railcar spotting. Thanks to bad weather, I spent most of it stuck indoors. Fortunately, March more than made up for things: the skies cleared, the tracks stayed busy, and I managed to spot not just a few, but ten standout pieces of graffiti outside. Welcome to the twentieth edition of railcar spotting!

I’m the production planner for a plastics manufacturer. Our factory isn’t just one of the largest of the company’s thirteen plants; it’s the only one across four continents that can receive materials by rail. Sometimes, the railcars we welcome feature vibrant art like the pointy purple piece pictured above.

Our yard isn’t that big- it holds about sixty cars at most. Still, we receive enough shipments to occasionally turn things into a gallery full of intriguing pieces. I take photos of my favorite tags and share them here every month as the cars cycle in and out. Including today’s, I’ve shared 147 of the best tags I’ve seen! This “gRyPh” piece stuck out for its skeletal lettering and contrast.

I see a lot of graffiti, but that doesn’t mean I’m qualified to interpret it. The most I’ve ever sprayed from a can was cheese whiz, and that was more mess than masterpiece. Nevertheless, I like to channel my inner Potter Stewart when it comes to pieces like this “KeSOn” tag: I may not always understand what I take pictures of, but I know the good stuff when I see it.

“KeSOn” feels like a close cousin to “KESO!,” and this particular piece immediately caught my eye since I’d seen it before. We received this exact railcar back in January, which makes it a rare repeat in my railcar spotting. Cars cycle through countless destinations. With thousands of them crisscrossing the continent, spotting the same one twice feels almost like a one-in-a-million chance. The randomness decreases when you consider that the same vendors send us the same materials time and time again, but there’s still an element of unpredictability.

Nevertheless, my mind starts to wander whenever I spot a rare repeat like “KESO!” or this “PaBLO” car, which last turned up in January as well. Where has it been since the last time I saw it? What landscapes has it crossed? I know how the system works and I could find out if I wanted, but I’d rather just sit back and daydream. There’s something compelling about imagining the journeys of the cars I see again.

Whoever’s behind the “KeSO” tag must be a pretty prolific artist in the city where some of our cars originate, as this variation can attest to. Each of their pieces makes me think of some larger, ongoing story. This particular version stood out even more than the other- blended with subtle hints of blue and orange, its pink lettering created another striking contrast.

Most of the tags I’ve shared so far have been big, bold pieces, but sometimes it’s the smaller ones that leave the strongest impression. That was the case with the “STRANG3” car, the very first to catch my eye in the yard the day I visited. The drippy orange paint looked molten, oozing down the surface in a way that made the simple piece feel alive.

This giant, emotive juice box had the same effect on me. It wasn’t the most intricate or impressive piece I’ve ever snapped a picture of, but it was entirely unique and something I’d never come across before. The sheer despair packed into it was unforgettable! As you can see, someone armed with a spray can agreed and left a commendatory note of their own.

Sprawled across the middle of the railcar it adorned, this “REMOtE” tag captured my attention with its bold, stretched-out letters. The piece gave off a vibe that instantly took me back to 1997 or so, when those WordArt gradients from Microsoft Office overtook every printed document from elementary school.

Aside from that emotional juice box, I didn’t find any “character cars” this time around. Still, March turned out to be a stellar month for railcar spotting! I have no idea what this last piece says, but its italicized block letters stood out amidst the sea of silvers, grays, and rust. As the month wraps up, I’m already looking ahead to April. It’ll be here before we know it, and I can’t wait to see what new treasures roll through the yard.