"Southern Serves the South"

[Murphy Siding]

I saw a boxcar with this slogan still on the side. What would that be? 25 years old? I wi***here were still boxcars & railcars in general that big,bold slogans on them.[:)]

[bobwilcox]

The Southern was using this slogan in the early 1960s.

[David_Telesha]

Did it look like this?

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?2006040415260227392.jpg

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by David_Telesha

Did it look like this?

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?2006040415260227392.jpg

Now I'll have to go back and look at it again. It had a lot of graffiti on the door, and might be the same car.[(-D]

[garr]

Murphy Siding,

With standards of society today, the big, bold slogans would only get covered with graffiti, so why bother. To show how fast graffiti has become prevelant, look back to the issue that Trains did on the UP in, I believe, 1995, none of the cars in the fold-out photo of a complete mixed freight train had graffiti. Today, the same photo would look like a mosaic.

BTW, I have never understood why someone would spend their own time and own money to basicly give the railroads free paint jobs.

Jay

[CSXrules4eva]

I have seen some coal gons come through on NS's Harrisburg Division here in PA, that have the old Southern's slogan. I think it's pretty neat. The slogans I've seen on the boxcars were mostly graffitied up.

Garr, I agree with you why would you want to give the railroad a free paint job ya know? I guess some of these people don't know that "marking their territory" on a freight car is rather pointless when you think about it, that car is most likely never going to be in that location again for a real long time. Some of these graffiti artists miss out on showing off their work. Oh what a shame [:(] NOT!!![:D]

[Anonymous]

I saw one of the "Southern Serves the South" boxcars here in NYC just a month or so ago. [after looking at the pic...it may be the same one! That's about when it came through here...]

I ride the 7 Train here in queens almost everyday, and if you look at this picture
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=132262
on the far left, just on the other side of the blue canopy there is a business that deals in construction supplies...they get a few centerbeams, a tank car or two and 1-3 box cars every week or so as far as I can tell. Usually CSX or UP cars...there was a....I want to say northern pacific car in there once too...crazy stuff, and that's here on the island!

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by garr

Murphy Siding,

With standards of society today, the big, bold slogans would only get covered with graffiti, so why bother. To show how fast graffiti has become prevelant, look back to the issue that Trains did on the UP in, I believe, 1995, none of the cars in the fold-out photo of a complete mixed freight train had graffiti. Today, the same photo would look like a mosaic.

BTW, I have never understood why someone would spend their own time and own money to basicly give the railroads free paint jobs.

Jay

What I find interesting, is that the trucking industry is painting more and more vans into rolling billboards. Railroads are content with little-bitty letters and "swooshes".[B)]

[MP173]

I sell large scale graphics to both the trucking and railroad industries. The trucking companies look at the graphics as "marketing" and if it is a consumer brand product will think nothing of spending several thousands of dollars promoting their product.

My rail customers are different. There are regulations regarding what they can and cannot do on the sides of railcars. Plus, there is considerable amount of required information on the sides of railcars such as reporting marks, car numbers, load limits, light weights, commodities, etc.

Plus there is the graffi issue.

I really dont blame the rails for not putting more "graphics" on the sides of their cars. Many private fleets do put their logos, which is about all they can do.

My business is split about 40% rail, 60% trucking and both groups are interesting to do business with.

ed

[Murphy Siding]

Ed: You know exactly what I'm talking about then. Maybe the answer is some railcar graphics that are above the height of a graffitiest's step ladder? The BNSF tall refridgerator cars with the waves on top come to mind.[8D]

[samfp1943]

QUOTE: Originally posted by David_Telesha

Did it look like this?

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?2006040415260227392.jpg

.
This logo is a more recent, Originally, the "O" in Southern had a green center,hence the Southern really did give a green light to innovation!
. Also the slogan "Southern serves the South was another one that graced many of their cars.
As was mentioned elsewhere, this day and time, it is a wonder you can see any lettering on a car with the massive graffetti projects on some of the cars today.
In the days when a boxcar was just a red colored box, there were all kinds of sloganeering done on them, Burlington's "way of the zephyr's". Santa Fe's ads for all their passenger trains. The NYC was a leader when they repainted some cars in a red and silver paint job to advertise their "Pacemaker Service"
[Don't want to turn this into a debate over boxcar "art"]
Sam

[MP173]

I think we did the ice on the BN refer cars.

A little more expounding on the graphics market.

Trucking companies per se, such as UPS, Yellow, etc. basically "identify" their trailers as a form of branding. Sometimes it doesnt really involve graphics (Schneider and the old UPS brown...although brown now uses graphics).

The private fleets, such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, in fact any beverage company such as beer, water, etc. will use extensive graphics on their vehicles. It is part of the marketing budget.

I worked with major railcar manufacturers about 15 years ago in order to convert the many markings from paint stencil to decal. It took awhile, but all new cars are now decals.

It really bothers me to see a relatively new car, with a great paint job and darned good looking graphics that are painted over. That just isnt right.

ed

[Anonymous]

Occasionally you can still find some of those "Southern Serves the South" boxcars around. Last summer I saw one sitting over in Youngwood, PA. Even though I don't model Norfolk Southern or Southern I want to get one of those boxcars for my train layout.

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MP173

I think we did the ice on the BN refer cars.

Those are real eye-catchers. They also make you immediately notice that they're extra tall.

QUOTE:
The private fleets, such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, in fact any beverage company such as beer, water, etc. will use extensive graphics on their vehicles. It is part of the marketing budget.
ed

Most familiar in my line of work is the window companies. You generally know whose windows are in a van on the highway.[:)]

[MP173]

I have "done windows".

The industry is a big user of graphics, as is furniture, plumbing fixtures, food products, automobiles...the list goes on and on.

ed

[fuzzybroken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MP173

I worked with major railcar manufacturers about 15 years ago in order to convert the many markings from paint stencil to decal. It took awhile, but all new cars are now decals.

Life imitates art? I always thought it was funny to see a freight car with its decal lettering peeling off... gotta use more Solvaset!

QUOTE: It really bothers me to see a relatively new car, with a great paint job and darned good looking graphics that are painted over. That just isnt right.

ed

Agreed, and it's no wonder we still see lots of freight cars in ancient, battered paint schemes. The new shiny ones seem to attract the taggers, that's a shame.

[MP173]

Today's decal material works quite well, even on freshly painted cars. There was a learning curve in which different materials were approved by the AAR for use.

I used to hear that comment a lot (decals falling off) as an excuse not to switch until I pointed out the stencilled paint which had faded away.

ed

[Anonymous]

I see those Southern boxcars through here sometimes. Every once in a while a black NW box car will come through also.

[chad thomas]

Hey Ed, There was an interesting article in the UP Streamliner about UP and scotchlite. Acording to the article UP was the motivating force behind 3M inventing it. Though you might be interested, then again being in the biz you probably know all about it.

[MP173]

Chad:

What is the UP Streamliner? Is that a company magazine? If it is on line give me a reference and i will check it out.

ed

[chad thomas]

Ed, The UP Streamliner is the UP historical society publication. It's a quarterly mag I picked up at the hobby shop. Here is the UPHS website but I doubt you'll find the article (I couldn't) as they get revenue from mag sales.

http://www.uphs.org/

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

Ed: You know exactly what I'm talking about then. Maybe the answer is some railcar graphics that are above the height of a graffitiest's step ladder? The BNSF tall refridgerator cars with the waves on top come to mind.[8D]

Won't work - I saw a bi-level auto carrier that had been painted from the frame to the roof. Wish I'd taken a picture of it. If they want to tag (although that one qualified as a mural) they'll tag.

[Murphy Siding]

Hey Larry.....Can I borrow your extention ladder?

[Anonymous]

"I agree with you why would you want to give the railroad a free paint job ya know? I guess some of these people don't know that "marking their territory" on a freight car is rather pointless when you think about it, that car is most likely never going to be in that location again for a real long time. Some of these graffiti artists miss out on showing off their work"

i would imagine that the appeal would be that you have a moving art gallery, far from pointless and the art is showing for years after the artist has done it. you can paint a train in the midwest one day, and have it across the country a few days later, what other artist gets exposure like that?

[waltersrails]

dittio to nsrailfan and the slogan has been around for a long time.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by railrover

"I agree with you why would you want to give the railroad a free paint job ya know? I guess some of these people don't know that "marking their territory" on a freight car is rather pointless when you think about it, that car is most likely never going to be in that location again for a real long time. Some of these graffiti artists miss out on showing off their work"

i would imagine that the appeal would be that you have a moving art gallery, far from pointless and the art is showing for years after the artist has done it. you can paint a train in the midwest one day, and have it across the country a few days later, what other artist gets exposure like that?

Well there's a couple different schools of thought on graffiti. Some of them do it just because in their own warped imagination wrecking other people's property is funny. Some of the "artist" types see a train car as a moving mural. Why they can't confine their creativity to a piece of paper instead of other people's property is beyond me.

Gang members tag anything that enters their turf as a sign of pride. As if to say that train went through their turf or that they were there. Like The Crips or FTRA.

Some use it to send political messages like "WHITE POWER", "IMPEACH BUSH",or whatever. These deluded boobs probably read NO LOGO or visited ADBUSTERS.org and believe they are engaged in some kind of delusional campaign of culture jamming or sticking it to big business. Since train cars are big and easily noticeable and travel cross country what better platform to spread your message. Almost like a rolling billboard.

[Anonymous]

"Why they can't confine their creativity to a piece of paper instead of other people's property is beyond me"
"Since train cars are big and easily noticeable and travel cross country what better platform to spread your message. Almost like a rolling billboard."

looks like you aswered your own question.

[stuart olson]

somewhere out there there is a milwaukee fan with a spray can ive see a few card with the milwaukee logo grafited on always off the door and off the reporting marks

[samfp1943]

I liked car grafetti when it was in chalk only, I cannot deal very well with the spray paint.
Sam