Operation Takhafeef Istadilal
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yup, that was me, still standing there under Pittsburgh’s Merchant Street Bridge, while watching a train roll past. That’s how I spend my time these days.
The bridge itself is the gray steel trestle section, whereas the yellow bar is there to keep people from wedging their trucks under it.
As described yesterday, this was a short walk perpetrated on the first real ‘melt day’ experienced after weeks of single digit temperatures. The goal was to catch a bit of exercise, this was a ‘photowalk’ not a ‘photostand.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The steel plating above the roadway does little to absorb the sound of the freight train transiting above, one should mention. In fact, the entire roof system under there acts in the manner of a drum kit’s cymbals as it vibrates loudly underneath the passing freight train.
Very exciting, really.
One leaned into it and pushed forward.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Couldn’t help but get a few shots of the rest of that train passing by, from the other side of Merchant Street Bridge, me. Serendipity, yo.
The locomotive engines in the middle of the train are doing duty as ‘DPU’s’ or Diesel Power Units. I’m told that their ‘works’ are governed from the operators cabin at the head of this steel snake.
I had walked a similarly icy route just a week earlier, so the path this day would involve hanging a right at an unfamiliar corner.
‘Let’s go see what’s over there…’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has become somewhat familiar with this particular corridor, due to regular visits, but less so with the section of the entirety of the park complex and historic district it’s found within. This ‘zone’ used to be part of, and the ‘ritual center’ of, a separate municipality called ‘Allegheny City’ which Pittsburgh annexed back in 1907.
A ruinous amount of ‘urban renewal’ has occurred nearby, especially so with a 1950’s spawned project called ‘Allegheny Center.’
LeCorbusier strikes again.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Surviving structures around the Allegheny Commons Park, which thankfully survived the ‘improvements,’ include great examples of the sort of residential multi unit buildings styles which were constructed before the age of air conditioning or the automobile here in Pittsburgh. Notice those terraces!
The area surrounding this spot, safety wise, is what the old Sicilians back in Brooklyn’s Canarsie would have described as ‘mesa mesa.’ I don’t know if that’s exactly how you spell it, but that’s what they’d say while gesturing with a flat hand that gets rotated from side to side at the wrist.
A bit ‘crimey,’ nothing crazy, but there’s a population of truly annoying junkies who hang around a nearby 711 whom you’d like to not have to interact with. I don’t feel threatened here, but then again I’m calloused.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Allegheny Elks #339 building caught my eye, right there.
Interesting stories about the group’s history and mission, and the building they’ve inhabited for more than a century, can be found at their website.
Back tomorrow with more.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Operation Run, gun, and Hey Now
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It had been about three weeks since a ‘big’ winter storm had blanketed Pittsburgh in about a foot and half of snow, and that weather event also accomplished the arrival of arctic air, here in the Paris of Appalachia. Said atmospheric incursion installed frigid conditions which persisted for the better part of a month.
The shots in today’s post (and in several subsequent ones) were gathered during a short scuttle on February the 10th of 2026. As you might discern, my efforts at maintaining ‘lead time,’ as far as when these posts publish in relationship to when the photos were actually shot is currently well ahead of schedule and working out. One less thing to worry about, for me.
Of course, it’s likely that early spring has started in the northeast, as you’re reading this, and here I am reminding you of a hard winter. I’ve always offered others a glimmer of darkness, just as the sun begins to rise. I’m like a dark cloud on a sunny day, or an irregularly shaped mole on someone’s ass which suddenly starts to bleed. This is part of why everyone hates me. Pariah.
This was kind of a short walk, and ‘the path’ was governed by endemic ice and snow conditions, and the frosty horror was adhering to sidewalks and roadways. My ‘way’ was decided for me, in many cases, by these frozen accretions and the paths around them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After debarking the T Light Rail service, which had carried my pre-corpse into town from Dormont, one set upon a northwards path.
Whereas the air temperature on this particular day was measured as being in the high 30’s, the ground temperature was still sub zero after long intervals of single digit and below zero temperatures. Any melt water coming off the snow pack instantly froze onto any concrete or masonry it touched, forming sheens of fresh and super slippery ice.
‘It was slippy aht,’ as the local Yinzers might offer, in the regional dialect.
I didn’t really have a set goal for the day, as you really can’t plan around finding out a four to five foot tall wall of plowed snow is blocking your path, in random places. One followed his nose, thereby.
It was really all about movement, and staying in it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The first area I scuttled through was right next to what I’ve learned to be the former ‘Clark Bar’ candy factory, of the D.L. Clark outfit. There’s a rail bridge back here, one which I’ve had my eye on for a bit, so I figured…
Hey Now?
Well… the sidewalks were clear at least…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now indeed!
Luckily for me, Norfolk Southern’s #4430 showed up just as I arrived. It’s a rebuilt GE AC44C6M model locomotive, which I’m told was originally christened as NS #9212 when it first rolled out of the RR factory in 1998.
It was hauling some sort of black mineral. Likely coal or coke, but unless you know something for sure… don’t guess.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This span (the Merchant Street Bridge) connects to a rail trench which then flows northwards through Allegheny Commons Park, a spot which I’ve visited fairly regularly. These tracks then follow the Allegheny River for a spell. There’s a branch off spur which allows cross river rail connection over the Allegheny at the Fort Wayne Rail Bridge, and then also at the 33rd st. bridge. There’s other rail trestles upriver, and downriver, obviously, but I haven’t shot them all… quite yet.
Hey Now!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yes, I’m completely aware that I’ve been moving through this area quite a bit in recent weeks.
Here’s why: I can get here pretty easily during inclement weather using mass transit, and given the presence of large institutions like the stadiums, parks, and hospitals found in this ‘zone,’ better odds of encountering pavement where the snow had been cleared exist. Theoretically, at least.
Saying that, Pittsburgh absolutely faceplanted on snow clearance during this season. I don’t think I need to mention the ‘orthopedic incident’ as being psychologically omnipresent while negotiating ice and snow.
Back tomorrow with more.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Kurz-Bricht von da Lag
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This post wraps up the tale of a short walk in a wintry Pittsburgh, with its frozen over rivers and endemic ice and snow. One had used mass transit to get here from HQ in Dormont, and that’s how I planned on getting back.
Thankfully, now that the orthopedic incident recedes into ‘something that happened,’ I no longer have to rely on expensive ride shares to get around when I don’t want to drive. The T light rail was my next goal.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
People here don’t understand it… You’ve got a car in your driveway, why would you…
What can I say, I’m still a New Yorker at heart and unless you ‘need’ to drive somewhere why would you? Part of my allergy to using the car as my sole form of transportation revolves around having to get back to wherever it is that I parked the thing after walking miles and miles. Additionally, as I often opine: you can’t really see anything from a car or a bike as you’re moving too quickly.
I sometimes like stopping off at a bar to grab a drink after a walk, too. Can’t do that if you drove.
Famously, that brewery where I shoot all the CSX trains is a good example of that. Couldn’t engage with pints of beer with the car in tow. Basically, I don’t want to be bothered, and prefer leaving my options open for serendipity. Having to loop back to wherever I parked the car also creates a limitation on my wanderings.
Ultimately, I enjoy riding the trains.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You have to plunge through ‘the cultural district’ to get to the T Station I was aiming for. There’s a theatre or two here, and a few restaurants and bars, with the convention center a couple of blocks east of this spot.
The ‘culture’ they mention in the designation is for the ‘upper class’ version of culture – theatre, and ballets, and opera. Unless you’ve got a ticket for one of these things, the culture you’ll actually observe hereabouts is one that proudly exhorts: ‘Opioids are great, and so are amphetamines.’ A lot of people you’ll meet hereabouts, on the street, will loudly proclaim ‘I don’t give a ‘eff,’ about a broad range of subjects.
The older I’ve gotten the more I’ve realized that you should give as many ‘effs as you’ve got. Life’s like that.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I made it to the T’s Wood Street station, and then entered the facility.
A Red Line T soon arrived and thusly I was heading back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s what it looks like onboard, if anyone is curious, while riding the T light rail away from Pittsburgh.
Soon, I was back in Dormont and uncomfortably slushing my feet through the snow, back towards home. Maybe four to five miles worth of walking this time around, all told and door to door.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Couldn’t help but get a shot of this enigmatic snowman for my last shot of the day. It was a frustrating walk, this one, but I’ve got to keep moving or I’ll stop moving so there we are.
Back tomorrow with something different.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Flumen frigus Friday
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the things that drew me out of HQ and to Downtown Pittsburgh on this wintry day involved gathering a few shots of the frozen over rivers from those pedestrian paths offered by this city’s many bridges. After wandering about in the Viking apocalypse for a bit, I set about doing just that thing.
I had a few blocks to cross, though, and the going was difficult due to the amount of ice and snow clinging to the pavement. It’s been so cold here that any water which might hit the concretized ground instantly freezes into a plate of mirror ice.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is a big part of why I haven’t been driving around, unless absolutely necessary, for the last few weeks.
Hell… we just paid off the loan on the car. Last thing I want to risk is the single largest investment in ‘tech’ that I’ve ever made. I’ve had lots of expensive computers and cameras and gadgets over the years, but buying a new car in 2022… luckily, I made the purchase before interest rates exploded and I was locked in at 2.9%.
Above, and boy oh boy do I love a good ramp, that’s an entrance ramp from Route 28 onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The path was followed to the Andy Warhol 7th street bridge. This is part of a trio of identical bridges referred to as ‘The Three Sisters.’ It was freaking cold, yo. The radiant cold of that frozen river’s ice, coupled with a steady wind… brrr.
Was almost as bad as that time at Dutch Kills when I caught some frostbite, but this time around I didn’t need to hang around waiting for the rising sun to shine on a certain spot.
I’ve just received word that my ‘tree of hope’ at Dutch Kills has been annihilated. Newtown Creek is death hungry, life cannot prevail against her.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Again, slightly underexposed to reveal the spectacular nature of the sky.
Saying that, it was mid afternoon and the light really wasn’t ‘on my side.’ This is the Allegheny River, looking more or less south. That bridge in the shot is one of the three sisters, the 6th street Roberto Clemente Bridge. It’s the one that had the Ferris wheel set up on it during the early autumn.
At any rate, I was here for the icy waters.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s been all over the TV news: ‘Don’t walk on the river ice, we won’t be able to save you,’ or so says Pittsburgh’s emergency response coordinator, as well as any paramedic or fireman you might ask. There were footprints – nevertheless – in the ice and snow on the river. Adult and child.
Somebody actually drove off the side of a highway and into a river recently, which resulted in their death. On the subject of the dangerous kind of road ragey driving behavior you’ll encounter here in Pittsburgh – this deadly 18 vehicle crash happened recently as well.
Tail gating is epidemic and endemic on Pittsburgh’s high speed roads. They don’t slow down for ice and snow, the Yinzers. I saw a debate on Reddit recently wherein a group of ‘lifelongs’ were arguing that you should – in fact – drive faster than normal in the snow as it’s safer that way.
And y’all wonder why I’ve been leaving the car back home in the driveway…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One continued on his lonely way. The toes were beginning to numb, whereas the fingers had long ago been rendered bloodless. I prefer not wearing gloves if I don’t really have to. My trusty go to sweatshirts have long cuffs on them with thumb holes cut out, so I can usually cover the top and palm of the hand that way. The gloves get in the way of operating the discrete controls of the camera.
Back next week with more.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Tē pudeat, tē pudeat, tē pudeat!
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
See that pathway through the snow? That’s a fantastic and completed job of snow removal by a commercial business building, by the standards of Pittsburgh, in the tourist areas surrounding the stadiums.
Shame. Shame. Shame.
I think that shame gets a bad rap these days. Look in the mirror every now and then, huh?
‘Aren’t you ashamed of yourself’ doesn’t seem to be something people consider these days. As I’ve mentioned several times over the years, the specific way that my own brain operates involves sloughing off successes and victories – that’s what was supposed to happen – and hard coding failure, embarrassment, and shame into active memory.
Keeps me honest, and up at night, this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey Now! That’s the ‘white whale,’ an Allegheny Valley Railroad unit moving along a Norfolk Southern trestle. Sweet serendipitous victory! Already forgotten, that.
Almost slipping on a patch of wet ice? I’ll remember that one forever.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The path I was following was a bit of a loop. I’d be roaming around in the end for a little over 90 minutes, then heading back to the T. It was about twenty degrees out, and a bit windy. One was warmly dressed, but…
There’s a lot on my mind these days. No better time to think through things than when walking. Something biochemical goes on. There’s studies which suggest that some of the neurological decline of aging can be attenuated by taking long walks. Maybe it’s the meditative solitude.
As I always say: if I stop moving, I’ll stop moving…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I underexposed this one a bit to bring the sky closer into accord with the broader range of human vision. You can just see the sun peeking through, slightly above the center point of the shot.
Couldn’t feel its warmth, at all.
Things got weird here. Long blocks surrounding Allegheny Commons Park, nearby the National Aviary and several schools, had zero attention paid to their cross walks. I had to walk around a half mile before encountering a safe place to cross the street. This was annoying.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The plows had more or less cleared the roads, but they left behind ice walls of up to three and change feet high along the curbs. Pedestrians can go jump in a lake, I guess. Thankfully, the bike lanes were clear because – let’s face it – that’s the number one priority for urban planning.
Notice any bicycles in the shot above? Didn’t see one rider the whole time I was out. Lots of people walking about, though. As long as the bike lanes are available, life can persist and the Republic continues, I guess.
Watch words and phrases to listen for inclusion of, if you think your politician is going all bike laney are ‘Strong Towns,’ ‘War on Cars,’ Safe Streets,’ and ‘traffic calming.’ Should your politician start using these words, an intervention is called for. Treat this sort of thing in the same manner you would after finding drugs in your kid’s bedroom, as early intervention during bicycle lobby conversion is critical.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Bah!
I swung by the rail trench in the park, but nothing was happening there, and it was too cold to just stand around and wait for a train. My toes were thereby pointed towards the direction of a T station a couple of miles away where I’d catch my ride home.
Wasn’t done shooting, though.
More on all that tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 