Archive for June 2024
More, more, more…
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After witnessing four trains in a row, at the end of a long walk, I felt pretty sated and started heading for the T light Rail station which would carry me from the center of Pittsburgh back to HQ about five miles distant. It had been a fairly good day.
That’s when the start of this show made an encore appearance.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just as I was leaving the waterfront trail and reentering the street ‘grid,’ the Miss Ivy Brynne Towboat shown in Monday’s post reappeared and was entering the maritime channel which would allow passage under the Smithfield Street Bridge.
Truth be told, I almost didn’t shoot these as I was quite pleased with myself and the day’s effort at this point, but did so anyway.
I had walked about eight and change miles, a distance which included multiple bridges and two rivers.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the end of the story for this series of posts.
Next week, a return to Carrie Furnace, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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“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.
Train, three
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wow, what a scuttle I was experiencing.
A third CSX train entered the frame while I was walking along, heading westwards, CSX #7504. As mentioned a couple of days ago, I’ve spent as long as two hours waiting for something – anything – to appear on these tracks in Pittsburgh in the past and ‘nada.’
In the interval of about thirty minutes, one observed a Towboat maneuvering fifteen mineral barges, two CSX trains, and then a second Towboat at work. Sometimes you get lucky. Most of the time, I don’t.
There’s a reason I don’t buy lotto tickets.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
# 7504 screamed past me, and in the distance, I saw a plume of exhaust shoot up out of the CSX # 7289 unit, which had been sitting inert while these other two westerly trains passed through.
A shooting position was taken up, and another lens change iniated.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Fort Pitt bridge framing the shot above, and which I was standing in the shadow of. It was a bright and sunny day, and a bit of cover was required at this point, as I was beginning to feel the effect of having been exposed to the radiates of the Burning Thermonuclear Eye of God itself for several hours at this point.
My day wasn’t actually finished yet, I’ll point out. I was already an hour late in terms of a social engagement later in the evening, but when the universe is sending this much in the way of cool stuff your way – you keep shooting until the show is over.
Back tomorrow with even more.
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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.
Train, too
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While walking a waterfront trail, found along the south bank of the Monongahela River here in Pittsburgh, one had spotted a train sitting entirely still while pointed eastwards (described yesterday). The signal boards which govern the movement of such transportation units indicated that ‘something’ was likely going to be heading westwards shortly.
CSX #1899 ending being one of the somethings, but it ended up not being the only something. Such occurrences bring joy to one such as myself.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the actual river bank found on the other side of the tracks, a towboat was tying up to a series of mineral barges. Most of the time, nothing happens when passing through here. When something is happening, a lot of other things seem to also be happening. This is sort of ‘the way of things’ when you’re in the habit of following a camera around.
This spot is right about the point where the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh commingle, and form the headwaters of the Ohio River.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #1899 is what’s known as a heritage unit, painted up all ‘old timey’ special and it’s christened as the ‘Pere Marquette.’ Read all about it here.
Were I a railfan rather than just some ‘icehole who likes taking pictures of trains,’ I’d likely be jumping up and down with joy at this capture, but that would puncture the numbed down and dire outlook on life which I pride myself on. Nothing matters, and nobody cares, after all.
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.
Train, one
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After witnessing a Towboat maneuvering an amazing fifteen mineral barges, while walking over the West End Bridge (discussed yesterday), my scuttling path saw a humble narrator encountering a series of CSX trains along the Monongahela River, here in the heart of Pittsburgh.
I’ve experienced multiple hour long intervals where there isn’t a hint of activity along these tracks, but this time around I got lucky.
CSX #7289 was just idling there, held up by signals, on my left.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On my right, as the Monongahela Incline was rising up towards the summit of Mount Washington, and a Norfolk Southern train was transiting under its cantilevered trackway.
On did a humble narrator scuttle.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #7289 is a bit of mystery to me, although a bit of googling suggests that it had recently been renumbered from an earlier classification. It was sitting there at a dead standstill, and a glance down the tracks revealed that the signal boards for this track were red in coloration, whereas the second track’s signals revealed a yellow light.
Another lens change ensued, as I guessed that the yellow light meant something was coming my way and heading west.
More on 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.
Fifteen barges? C’mon…
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described last week, a humble narrator was recently engaged in a longish walk around the center of Pittsburgh on a pleasant spring afternoon.
My footsteps carried me over towards the West End Bridge (spanning the headwaters of the Ohio River) in pursuance of accessing one of the many waterfront trails found here, in the Paris of Appalachia. The particular trail I was heading towards leads back to a light rail station which would be my day’s penultimate destination, on the way back to HQ some five miles distant. It was late in the afternoon – rush hour time.
Choosing this path ended up being a fortuitous decision, and for the next hour or so Pittsburgh offered quite a show for the wandering photographer to record.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Midway across the bridge, a towing vessel was noticed approaching the span. The boat was handling what seemed like an impossible number of minerals barges. The Towboat was heading eastwards along the Ohio River, towards the confluence of Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers which mingle and form up the Ohio.
One got into position, chose an appropriate lens from my ‘bag of primes,’ and worked out the correct suite of settings for the camera.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Fifteen barges of what looked like coal were being towed directly beneath the West End Bridge where I was standing. The towboat is called ‘Miss Ivy Brynne,’ which was built in 1974 and offers its crew some 3,800 HP worth of motive force to work with. The boat is currently flagged out of Belle Vernon, PA.
Read more about Miss Ivy Brynne here, at tugboatinformation.com.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As the Towboat moved along, so did I, trying to find different perspectives. There must be a speed restriction under the West End Bridge, as the boat was moving at a snails pace.
My guess is that its ultimate destination was going to be one of the two U.S. Steel plants found up river along the Monongahela – either Clairton, or the Mon Valley Works. Given that it was traveling west along the Ohio River, it must have negotiated the lock and dam systems operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers found downriver.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A lens swap occurred, as my footsteps carried the camera away from the middle of the West End Bridge. I needed a bit more ‘reach,’ so the 85mm was affixed to the camera.
Right about here is when the towboat’s wheelhouse ‘gunned’ its engines and the vessel began picking up speed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above was captured just as a humble narrator got to the southern extant of the West End Bridge, while also passing over a towing company’s docks that were hosting several other mineral barges.
This was just the start of a heavy industrial show, one which I was privileged to witness on the back end of my scuttle.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 