When graffitti is not...

[Anonymous]

For several years (don't know when it started) some of the marks sprayed around the right of way have not been graffitti... well... in the UK at least... I imagine that you do the same.

It used to be that information was chalked or put on with a wax crayon/marker... but they didn't last.

Things that get marked... start/finish points for ballast maintenance. distances to/from. Which way to go to find something (usually by an access, maybe a number with an arrow e.g. 697-->). positions for new equipment. "TBM" = to be moved. Stripes to warn of things not to be hit by maintenance. Stripes or just lines round holes. Edges of trip hazards. Ends of rail waiting use or disposal (usually white). Sometimes direction of travel and/or abbreviation of tracks designation (UM = Up Main). If someone needs to know which way they are going to need to go in the dark or to see something hidden (maybe in the weed) or to tell someone else arriving later... a mark can be sprayed.
Overall a right mess can be left... paint (usually) takes longer to fade/wear off. So there can be several generations of marks in various stages of decay.

Do you have this in the US... more to the point... anyone got any pics?

Oh yes... Utility companies do it on sidewalks and pavement as well...

Out in the country it's sometimes useful to attach a "discreet" marker to a tree or post to indicate where to park up for an access that is otherwise invisible. Traffic cones or reflective barrier bits are quite good for this... a real pain if someone comes along and tidies the place up...

TIA[:)]

[Anonymous]

I haven't seen this much, but definitely inside Penn Station in NYC there is quite a lot of use by the LIRR of spray paint for various markings and notations.