Author: Joe

Chessie Depot

Richmond has a long rail history, and we actually have two historic depots in town. One has been totally restored, and the other is still standing, but in dis-repair, but it is set to be restored, as outlined in the article below. In the late 90s when I started photographing freights, they were still using the tracks behind the depot to store gondolas. When they built a new bridge on National Road the line was cut off, and it became totally abandoned. The area was finally turned over from CSX to the city recently, and will be used to connect the Cardinal Greenway walking trail to the Gorge Trail. Here are some scans from the early 2000s, after abandonment, and present day photos of the depot.

https://www.pal-item.com/story/news/local/2020/06/17/money-approved-put-new-roof-richmond-little-depot/3197636001/

https://mrlinfo.org/history/thenandnow/cclstation.htm

Benching Freights- Part 4

More recent catches rolling through Richmond, Indiana. As a young dude, the rails were my only source for seeing graffiti from all over in real life. A rolling gallery. I still love it, and there is so much more graffiti now. I do enjoy seeing fresh and new pieces, but I am always on the look-out for those crusty classics, too.

Kwiz Journey

My good friend told me there was an unearthed Kwiz piece deep in the woods. So, in January 2013, two of my friends, and myself went out on a foot journey to find it. We spent a long time searching, but we found it, and it was still pristine, considering it was from 1995! I still go check it out several times a year, and it’s still hanging on 25 years later.

Kwiz was an active Richmond, Indiana writer in the early-mid 90s. Just about every spot we would find, he would have already had a piece there.

Jasta Tags

Jasta had a few tags in town in the mid to late 90s. It was a simple tag with a nice halo over it. Some were in high traffic areas, like the one on a traffic electrical box on the westside of town in front of a grocery store, that ran for years. This one pictured was also in a high traffic area. The photo is from the early 2000s after it was buffed. It’s funny when the bare minimum is used to paint over graffiti, and it’s still recognizable.

Throw-ups & Fill-ins

Throw ups are usually done quickly with only two colors, simplified letters, and are frequently in highly visible areas. Here’s some newer ones and oldies.

  • Geo Mono, 2003
  • Dose
  • Reok
  • Djae
  • Sufr 2003
  • Nuro 2003

Benching Freights- Part 3

I still love watching trains, and I hang out trackside whenever I get a chance. Here are some recent highlights of photos of freights rolling by though Richmond, Indiana.

Gondola Crushers

A rusty Mono/Geo gondola from 2003 came back to town about 17 years later. These types of gons are typically used for track-work and get banged up and travel around to multiple states. On the other side, Geo wrote, “Listen to BPD (Boogie Down Productions)”, which is still relevant today.

Onorok Southern Waffle

This is one of my favorite photos and pieces. Also, one of the first Onorok pieces I’ve seen up close on the rails. Taken in 2000, I believe. This was before I learned to not photograph pieces at an angle. Still love this one.