I really enjoyed tracking graffiti during the three and a half years I worked at a factory that received most of our material by rail. What started as a few casual iPhone snaps of the most interesting railcars rolling into work somehow grew into a full-blown series! Unfortunately, the series has come to an end: I was let go in a massive reduction in force on December 3rd. Narrowing the list of my favorites from January through November wasn’t easy, but here are ten standouts that helped add color to my job in 2025.
10: PaBLO
We’ll kick things off with this PaBLO car, which turned up in January and March. Repeats were rare, and I wondered where it’d been since the last time I saw it. I know how the system works and I could have found out if I wanted, but I’d rather just sit back and daydream. Something is compelling about imagining the journeys of the cars I saw again and again.
9: KESO!
I spotted this KESO! car back in January and was drawn by its sharp, contrasting color and bold lines. It looked to be a brand-new piece, which was rare among the railcars that rolled up to our yard.
8: CYBER
The greens and browns of this “CYBER” tag reminded me of old-school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures my brother and I used to pick up for three bucks at Big Lots after a long day of loading up rotten apples for a quarter per bucket.
7: Crayon
One full car-length tag ended with this cheerful crayon. Rendered in bold black and soft seafoam green, the grinning piece stopped me in my tracks. I had to get a close-up shot since a picture of the full car wouldn’t have given the crayon its due.
6: DEGO?
The bold mix of red, yellow, green, and lavender on this DEGO? piece practically leaped off this railcar. It reminds me of the cheerful colors at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I’d never heard it myself, but a quick dive into Urban Dictionary entries from ten to twenty years ago revealed that the word has been used in ways that can be offensive to some. Oh well.
5: STOP ‘N SMELL THE FLOWERS
The STOP ‘N SMELL THE FLOWERS piece felt like a collaboration across time. I got the sense that the flowers were painted first before someone came along and added the playful, all-caps reminder. It’s a simple phrase, but it’s the kind of piece that stuck with me long after the train rolled on.
4: Juice Box
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 unique and unlike anything I’d ever come across before. The sheer despair packed into it was unforgettable.
3: PENG
Here’s “PENG” in all its full-sized glory, complete with a mustachioed gangster. Something about these full-sized pieces, regardless of their intricacy (or lack thereof), always made them showstoppers.
2: “KOET?” “KOER?”
I’m glad I wasn’t given the task of decoding or translating what I spied out at the railyard. I just enjoyed documenting the pieces that catch my eye! I predicted that this one, with its striking yellow skull, might make my top ten list at the end of the year. I was right.
1: Pink Panther
I can’t make out what this one says, but there’s definitely a Pink Panther there, along with a couple of other cartoons that have faded beyond recognition. Even though I only saw it last month, it quickly became my favorite of the entire year.
I’m a little sad that my railcar-spotting chapter has ended, but I’m grateful for the way it brightened even my most stressful days. It offered me something to look forward to and a reason to pay attention! As I step into whatever comes next in my career, I’m holding onto that same instinct: notice what sparks, capture it, and follow it forward.
