The rail yard looked like a bust this month from the door to my office. All I spied were blank cars hardly worth a second glance! I had a hunch that the view might be better out in the field, though, so I wandered out among the tracks early one chilly morning. Sure enough, my trip paid off. Welcome to the August 2025 edition of railcar spotting.
If you’re new here, let me tell you about this recurring feature: I’m the production planner at a plastics factory. Of my company’s thirteen plants across the globe, we’re the only one that gets materials delivered by rail. Every now and then, the cars show up with some interesting art. I take pictures of my favorites.
I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of commentary this time around. Nevertheless, this piece stuck out for its earthy tones and signature. On an unrelated note, I have no idea what it says.
The deep blues of this indecipherable tag are completely different from its predecessor. They added a pop of color to the early morning grays the day I visited.
Although these tags appear to be two separate pieces, CIGS COMBAT is an interesting sentiment when combined. As a longtime smoker, I believe cigarettes should be combated every step of the way. Firing up my first Camel Turkish Silver fifteen years ago was a mistake I haven’t been able to take back just yet.
I was close to deciphering this piece by the time I hit the “Schedule” button on this post, but I never made it all the way through. I think it says “KrEAP,” but it reminds me of German Chocolate cake.
This tag says “RAUS,” but I don’t know what that means. Urban Dictionary says that to “rau” is to “vomit in a violent and excessive fashion,” but I don’t get that from this tag aside from the splatter surrounding its cerulean hues.
The friendly colors on this impressionist series of tags were too jaunty not to document. A piece that spans a full car rarely captures my attention!
This skull with an emo haircut stood at the other end of the spectrum from that colorful car across the way. August wasn’t a complete bust for railcar spotting, all told! Still, I’m still excited to see what rolls our way over the next few weeks.
