Archive for February 2025
How many axles, now?
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last test which I subjected my newly solid ankle to was walking down a street covered in pavers. Many refer to this sort of street cover as ‘cobble stones,’ but that’s anachronistic and incorrect – they’re called Belgian Blocks by the traffic engineers. Suffice to say that they’re also challenging to walk on for someone regaining his feet after a long medical recovery period.
This scuttle ended up being just shy of about 7,000 steps, according to the somewhat inaccurate reporting offered by my phone. I’m happy to report that I wasn’t suffering in the manner that I was after attempting a similar path just a couple of weeks previously. Progress, lords and ladies, progress. That huge brick structure is the former terminal warehouse building which houses the brewery nearby the CSX tracks, so after a trip to the loo, logic dictates that I soon had a beer in hand and was waiting outside for the signal arms along the CSX Pittsburgh subdivision to start chiming. I didn’t have to wait long.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #3235 appeared first, hauling what looked like empty coal ‘bucket’ cars. These trains were heading ‘away from Ohio’ and ‘deep into Pennsylvania in the direction of West Virginia and Maryland.’ I’m still learning all of this train stuff, I’d remind. 3235 is an ‘GE ES44AC-H’ model locomotive, part of General Electric’s Evolution series of products.
I had ordered a pint of Stout, and it was delicious. After #3235 passed, I went into the brewery, ordered a sequel, and then paid my tab. Two are enough for me these days, I’m a lightweight these days, after not drinking a drop of alcohol during the entire ankle recovery. Last thing I needed was to add alcohol into that mix of pain killers and fog.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Regarding the title of this post, as mentioned yesterday I’ve recently added a new gizmo to my camera bag, a radio scanner which allows me to listen to the transmissions between train operators and their towers. One of the things which pops up, amongst all the squelching, is the automatic defect detector equipment which counts the number of axles that the engine is pulling or pushing. If the number suddenly changes, the operator knows there’s a problem, possibly a derailment. The train pictured above reported 318 axles at work shortly before arrival.
The 318 axle train was CSX #3184, pulling a train composed of container cars – some automotive, some cargo boxes. #3184 is a GE B23-7 model locomotive and it’s almost as old as I am.
Me? I was pleased with my day. Pain was at a minimum, I kept moving (one of my credos), and at the end of the day the memory card on my camera was nicely packed with all the images you’ve seen this week.
Back next week, hopefully, with something different 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.
Making the donuts
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Great success, for one such as myself, materialized in the form of that shot above. That radio scanner which I’ve recently acquired was on ‘scan’ mode, and despite it getting stuck on the National Weather Service channel (I really need to reread the instruction book) a few times, the thing soon locked onto a Norfolk Southern radio channel and thereby I knew this train would be crossing in front of me in advance of its arrival. YES!
Norfolk Southern #4334 was just one of several locomotive engines providing diesel power to what looked like a coal train. It was probably coal, but unless you know what something is for a fact… you always have to qualify your observations as an opinion, informed or otherwise.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T light Rail made another one of its many intrusions into frame as I scuttled along. The particular zone I was walking into should be quite familiar to long time readers by now. I’ve been attracted to this section of the Monongahela River shoreline for a bit now. Frequent rail traffic, a brewery, and out door seating? If you were trying to set a trap for me, these factors would be an irresistible bait.
Particularly right now, as the ankle has healed sufficiently for me to resume my walks but is not far enough for me to be ‘daring,’ one finds himself missing the overwhelming flatness of those concrete devastations surrounding a ribbon of municipal neglect called Newtown Creek. I need to charge back up at her font of corruption, fill my soul to the brim with the black mayonnaise and the NAPL sauce. She misses me, I can feel it.
When it warms up a bit, I think that I might go home for a visit, just me and the camera for like 72 hours or something. Maybe.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A second Norfolk Southern train appeared, this one carrying shipping containers and tankers while heading in the opposite direction of the likely coal train. My plan was now fairly simple, head over to the brewery and buy a beer, then sit down and wait for CSX to show up.
One should mention that I was actually enjoying myself, which is a rare treat these days. Exercise, photos, and fun? What’s going on here in Pittsburgh?
“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.
‘Can’t’ can’t be in my vocabulary
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This walk which I was attempting wasn’t terribly ambitious, it was more about repeating a few of the steps which had proved painful and burdensome just a couple of weeks prior, and played out over just a few miles. It’s going to take a few minutes for me to get back to proper shape and form.
After riding the T light rail to the center of all things Pittsburgh, a short walk over the Monongahela River via the Smithfield Street Bridge was on order. The T kept on popping up all afternoon, and it was incumbent on me to accept that I had to keep on photographing it every time it passed by.
The weather situation has improved somewhat, but it’s still damned cold here. We haven’t seen meaningful snow in a bit, but you can smell it on the wind. This cold winter isn’t over yet.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After crossing the river, my plan was to hang a left and look for some freight trains that I might be able to photograph. A new purchase has been made, and I’ve got one of those radio scanner things now. I have no real idea how to use it, but I was able to listen in to an approaching Norfolk Southern train for a minute. Really have to read the instruction manual again, me.
Happy to report that the ankle was functioning within normal parameters. Here’s the weird thing – it’s not really my good ‘ole ankle anymore due to the screws and hardware which were inserted during the surgery, or at least the joint is quite a bit different than it used to be. Not better, not worse, just different. Weird.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned, each and every time I saw the T… this time one of their train sets was headed into the transit only tunnel which allows it to travel beneath Mount Washington.
This particular scuttle was instituted in response to a walk from a couple of weeks ago which caused no small amount of discomfort, which caused the thought ‘I can’t do this’ to intrude into my thoughts several times.
Nothing but nothing motivates your humble narrator more than hearing, even from himself, that he can’t do a thing. 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.
Island effect
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the things that always amazes me about Pittsburgh’s T system are the absence of ‘economic islands’ centered around the stations and stops. There’s office buildings and government offices nearby – literally across the street from the POV pictured in this post. My frame of reference is ‘back home’ of course, where bus and subway stops almost always draw Bodegas, Pizza joints, and shops to them which capitalize on the foot traffic. The transit stop itself is a de facto socio economic magnet, and retail usually sets itself up nearby to handle the transient’s needs and sell overpriced fruit.
Subway stops usually bring bars and restaurants to their environs, in my observation, which is a ‘level up’ in terms of the economic island effect of transit in NYC. Foot traffic, all that. You see this phenomena in Philly, Boston, Chicago – wherever mass transit exists.
Pittsburgh doesn’t seem to get the same bang out of its transit buck, regarding this corollary that other cities do. I wonder why.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s an inviting street scape, no? There’s also a lot of criminal justice world (jail, courts, etc.) stuff down here, maybe that’s why this zone is so desolate. For reference, this is basically downtown Pittsburgh, right about here. That scene above isn’t caused by people working from home. That’s landlord propaganda. As a rule, do not trust what realtors say about anything. That includes former real estate people, like the fellow in the White House.
The economic islands observation came out of an argument I once started with the MTA, when they first started talking about the Queens Bus Redesign Plan and I was on the community board in Astoria. I was trying to argue that the redesign would have broad economic consequence beyond them managing to shave a minute or two off the route of the Q103. The MTA guys got snarky, I received a talking to by the higher ups, and then COVID happened and the next time anyone saw that plan again was long after I had beat the retreat to Appalachia. Luckily, it’s someone else’s problem now.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was shot on a Saturday, I should mention, but the day of the week doesn’t have anything to do with street level retail. This corridor is so noticeably blighted that it doesn’t make sense to me.
At any rate, this was a ‘walk’ day, not a ‘stand around and wonder’ one, so I leaned forward into the 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.
Short walk, long pier, please
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As you may recall, last week’s postings involved your humble narrator beginning one of his ‘photowalks’ in the community of Beechview, whereupon a T light Rail car was boarded. Said T light rail service deposited me at the First Avenue Station, here in Pittsburgh’s Downtown section. This is where the Panhandle Bridge (pictured above), which carries the T’s tracks across the Monongahela River, connects to the central triangle of downtown.
There was a terrific amount of maintenance work underway on this particular day, as we riders were made to understand, and were my intentions to continue along the route then a transfer to a shuttle bus would be required. This wasn’t my plan, however, as I needed to walk and thereby exercise the recovering ankle and the rest of my roadway interface.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
First Avenue Station is where the T switches away from operating an above ground service running along bridges and streets, and instead becomes a subway for about three stops in the downtown area. This section is also within the ‘free zone’ and no fare is required. Because of the work underway, the T’s were stacking up at First Avenue Station so I decided to hang around a few minutes and get some shots of all the coming and going.
The ankle is coming along, and on this walk it was rather less noisome than the last time I tried something similar. What’s bugging me right now is the atrophy experienced during the recovery interval, which seems to have really ‘done a job’ on my upper thighs and hips. Strength training is now on my bingo card for late winter and spring, I guess.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As intoned, I hung around First Avenue Station for a few minutes to record the scene, and then set out looking for an elevator. There’s fantastically long sets of stairs found here which lead down to the street, but frankly – I’m not ready to commit to that sort of effort yet. On my way, I found a public bathroom and after taking care of business set off on my way towards the elevators.
This walk, as a note, stuck pretty close to the T throughout its length. This was entirely by design, an ‘out’ in case my ankle started acting up and I needed to abort the mission and get back home quick.
Back tomorrow with more, at your Newtown Pentacle.
“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 