MBTA Crew Gets Graffiti-Covered Trolleys Squeaky Clean

It took an entire night, boxes of rubber gloves, and some serious scrubbing, but a six-person crew managed to get rid of all the graffiti someone spray-painted onto two old trolleys at the Boylston Street station earlier this week.

From 11 p.m. Wednesday night, until around 5 a.m. Thursday morning, a group of T employees blasted the historic trolley cars, which were defaced by graffiti artists, until all of the paint was removed.

T officials said they are still trying to figure out who snuck into the Boylston Street stop between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, and tagged the vehicles on display with the words “FUGUE” and “CIGA.”

One of the trolleys required a little extra attention when workers blasted it with a high-pressure cleaner and other specialized equipment because the side of the vehicle was nearly covered in black-and-white paint.

The trolleys are owned by the MBTA, and the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine. The trolley with the most damage, Car No. 3295, a PCC 3295, dates back to the 1950s. The second vehicle, the No. 5734 trolley, a Type 5 car, which was hit with just a few white-lettered tags, was built specifically for Boston’s subway system by the Brill Car Company in 1924.

Transit Police have turned to video surveillance to help further their investigation. Officials wouldn’t say how the culprits gained access to the trolleys on display, which are guarded by a black fence.

Photos By Rico Gomes, MBTA