Duquesne isn’t pronounced ‘Doo-Kess-Knee’
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was a rainy sort of middle June day, but the rain was intermittent. Bands of storm clouds were racing about in the vault above, but it was one of the days which I’ve scheduled myself taking a ‘short walk.’ Desirous of taking a picture of something ‘interesting,’ the Mobile Oppression Platform was fired up and one drove about a half hour to the Great Allegheny Passage trail in Duquesne.
As described in the past, the GAP Trail involves a former rail road right of way, one which has been converted over to the usage of bike riders, joggers, and pedestrians. There’s a trail bridge spanning the very active railroad tracks which lead to the Edgar Thomson ‘Mon Valley Works’ steel plant on the opposite side of the nearby Monongahela River, pictured above. Pictured is Norfolk Southern 4234.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shot actually preceded the first one, but the first one made for a better ‘marquis image’ in todays post, so there you go.
This sort of statement is usually when one of you out there decides to take umbrage about something I did or said or didn’t do or didn’t say. Usually, it’s somebody who doesn’t do much at all who will leave me a mean spirited message, or a cutting comment castigating my points of view, or observations, or whatever. Haters gonna hate.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It started to rain heavily, so I headed back to the car the Mobile Oppression Platform. A quick drive towards where HQ is found saw me hurtling into nearby Homestead, just as the rain blew away. I decided to stop off at the Homestead Pump House to continue my exercise, and wave the camera around at something else.
Luckily, just after arriving a tow boat (which is what I’ve repeatedly been advised to call a riverine tug boat) was passing by. Call sign # WDK2256, Jennifer Ann was built in 1971 and is 42 meters long by 11 meters wide, and if you want to know more about the boat and where it might be at this very moment – check out marinetraffic.com.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a neat bit of statuary at the Homestead Pumphouse site, honoring the workers who used to occupy the place. The Homestead Works used to occupy both sides of the Monongahela River here, which was discussed in the posts offered a few weeks ago about the Carrie Furnace. This installation is called Yellow Dog.
Neat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the actual Homestead Pumphouse, which is a preserved ‘historical place.’
A difference of opinion I have with frequent commenter George the Atheist is somewhat political in nature. He has chided me for usage of the ‘commie term Robber Baron’ when discussing Andrew Carnegie and Henry Frick, preferring instead that I use what I would describe as bootlicker talk: ‘Captain of Industry.’ For my part, at least, I enjoy a debate.
Here’s the story of, and the body count of, what these captains of industry did here at Homestead in 1892.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On my way back to HQ, I steered onto a few streets that dead end at a set of rail tracks, hoping to get lucky. In the end I sort of did. At least I got start and end with a Norfolk Southern rail road.
Back 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 
We have an agreement to neither use the terms “robber” nor “captain”. Instead: “industrialist”. No?
georgetheatheist . . . shake-speare?
July 10, 2023 at 8:56 pm
This seems relevant to the naming of that sculpture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-dog_contract
dbarms8878
July 10, 2023 at 9:32 pm
Power at Odds: The 1922 National Railroad Shopmen’s Strike (Working Class in American History) https://a.co/d/cYLQ2pC
luddy83
July 12, 2023 at 5:51 pm