Archive for March 2025
Odds and endsburgh
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As promised, a few odds and ends shots from a recent walk which didn’t quite fit into prior posts, but which I like nevertheless. That’s the T light rail, much discussed, transiting off of the Panhandle Bridge towards its temporary route through the neighborhood of Allentown.
Spring like weather is supposed to flood into Pittsburgh this week, with the chances of a 70 degree day being a real possibility mid week. I’ve got a walk that I’ve been planning on taking for a while, when the weather warmed up a bit, which will thereby likely happen on Wednesday. Cross your fingers, this will be a good one, I think.
I’ve attended a couple of lectures on the history of Pittsburgh in the last few weeks, something I’ve been avoiding since arriving here at the end of 2022. One talk discussed the Monongahela Incline, the other focused in on a new book about the City Steps of Pittsburgh. I have said book sitting on a table in my living room, and plan on devouring it one night this week.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After my stalking of the T was finished, I continued along my merry way and spotted two guys riding on a couple of those big wheel electric things. I’d break my neck in the first ten seconds on one of those gizmos.
One didn’t end his day at that nearby brewery by the train tracks, although I did hang around those particular tracks for a few minutes. Wasn’t in the mood for ‘drink’ and I decided to just head back to HQ. Splurged on a cab, a Lyft actually, and was greeted by the very first driver I’ve ever had to complain about to the service, and ‘narc’ on. What a jackass this kid was.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
From later on during the week, during my travels, I found myself up on Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill and became fascinated by an old house covered in Ivy. This is such an interesting place, Pittsburgh is…
Back tomorrow with something different, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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Subdivisions, Monongahela Style
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yes, that is a Rush reference for the title, but Mr. Peart and his fellows have no other connection with this post.
These captures are from midway along a short walk I was taking, after riding on the T light rail to the center of things. Everything just kind of lined up for me when that CSX freight train appeared, just as a T train set was transiting over the Panhandle Bridge from the South, heading toward the so called Golden Triangle of Pittsburgh.
This felt great, especially since I had taken a ten minute sit down on the Smithfield Street Bridge, after experiencing a bunch of discomfort in the healing but still quite tender ankle, and I would have missed the shot if I hadn’t needed to sit down. I’m as sick of experiencing this ankle business as I’m sure most of you are hearing about it, but this injury taken a fairly central position in, and had a substantial impact on my life for the last six months. I try to ‘keep it real’ here, and as the ankle has been and will continue to be a big part of my deal right now… Y’know…
Oww!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These are the same tracks along the Monongahela River which have become kid of regular players since I moved out here to Pittsburgh. CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivison is the official name for this infrastructure. The lead locomotive is CSX#789, and it had another ‘DPU’ (diesel power unit) in line right behind it. I had used my snazzy scanner radio to listen in on the fog of radio communications, and when I heard an automated defect detector (which is about a mile away, I reckon) describe #789 as having 335 healthy axles, I got busy figuring out the proper exposure and all the other stuff too. That’s exactly why I bought the radio, darn it!
CSX #789 was built as an ‘SD70MAC’ but was upgraded to an ‘EMD SD70MAC’ by GM’s Electro-Motive Diesel division. It’s all a bit confusing, but as far as I’ve been able to work it out, the thing was created in the 1990’s.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve got a few odds and ends from this walk which I’ll show you next week, but I’m going to end this week on the shot above. Before you ask, automobiles. That’s likely what’s in the train’s cargo cars – automobiles.
Back next week.
“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.
Penn Station, and the T
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Due to ongoing construction in various spots across the line, Pittsburgh’s ‘T’ Light Rail is once again going to its otherwise unused Penn Station stop. This station is kind of a gem, but there we are.
I’ve brought you here before, in the post ‘Hullabaloo, too.’ In reflection, the light was a lot better in May than it was on the day when these shots were gathered. I’ve read that there’s some beef between the Feds, whose white building found alongside the tracks is pictured above, and the transit people regarding use of this station and right of way. Homeland security, security risks, blah blah blah.
I don’t know enough about the situation to have an opinion, truth be told.
After riding into town on one of these T train sets, your humble narrator decided to stick around a few minutes and get a few shots of the milieu.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
They were coming and going, I tell’s ya. A bus shuttle would bridge over the construction work underground, whereupon another T journey to the end of the line could start. Me? I decided to debark the thing and then start walking towards the Monongahela River and cross the waterbody on the Smithfield Street Bridge.
The ankle was giving me problems. The latest wrinkle involves it ‘clicking’ into a posture which is uncomfortable or just somewhat painful, resulting in limping or foot dragging going on. I’ve got instructions from the Doc for this sort of thing, which involves ‘sitting down.’ I’d be able to safely do that about a mile away, and just had to deal with the discomfort while getting there. This section is part of the zone occupied by a crowd of junkies, so any public seating that could be utilized for a sit down has been removed. The Docs have trained me to walk a certain way during these intervals, which involving comically and consciously shooting my left knee upwards during strides. Sigh… my life…
It looks like I’m practicing to be in a marching band, but it works and resets the ankle back to its proper position. A big part of my injury was that I didn’t just break my ankle in three places, I also dislocated my left foot off of the leg assembly. It was just hanging there, all loose.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’d spent a good amount of time under the panopticon of cameras mounted to the Federal Building (there’s a couple of other Fed office building properties nearby, State, FBI, Homeland Security, and Immigration are all in this neighborhood) but there’s likely other agencies based here. There’s also a giant post office nearby, I’m told. I began painfully scuttling towards a known ‘sit down’ spot.
Downtown, yo.
Back tomorrow, at this – 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.
Rando shutterburgh
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, your humble narrator dragged his broken ankled butt up the hill he lives at the bottom of, to the light rail station (said light rail is dubbed ‘The T’), and boarded a train set that was headed into Pittsburgh from the Borough of Dormont, wherein HQ is found. Pictured above is the onboard milieu, a graphical representation of the perspective one enjoys while riding the service. I decided to do one of my ‘random shots through the window’ sessions while onboard, to pass the time.
The trick with doing this sort of thing is to not let any part of the camera touch the window glass, as vibration would transfer thusly. The other is to barely look at the camera while triggering the shutter. The exposure triangle is ridiculous seeming; daylight shooting at f8, ISO 6400, and about 1/3000th of a second. You lock your body up as a support for the camera, put your thumb on the shutter button, and turn your head. Click, click, click until your arms get tired. It’s digital, so keep shooting. There’s a high failure rate in this sort of pursuit. Who cares? It’s digital, keep shooting.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Most of the people I know who pronounce the word ‘film’ with two syllables (fillumm) treat those happy moments when they commit to an exposure as a moment of somewhat divine revelation. More often than not, it ain’t. I’ve always liked the ‘street photography’ mentality, and the credo that you shouldn’t stage or otherwise ‘improve’ the subject of a composition and should instead take what you find. I’ve seen and shot some beautiful illegal dumping over the years, and might have uncovered a serial killer back in Queens after noticing single shoes all over Newtown Creek’s streets.
I’m not implying the shots in today’s post should be considered ‘photographs’ which belong in a frame, but I do enjoy the unplanned randomness of what can only be called ‘snapshots.’ I did something very similar to this while riding Amtrak a few years ago. Ain’t I just special?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s been a heck of a six months for your humble narrator. I’ve graduated from PT, or ‘Physical Therapy’ for the ankle situation. It still hurts, but there we are. Probably for the next year, they said. I waited until the last possible moment in the PT process, and asked the question I’d been keeping in for the entire treatment period: Doc, will I be able to play the violin? The Doc is about 30, I’d guess, and didn’t get the reference.
For those of you too young to have developed a proper sense of humor, the joke goes: Doctor, one question, will I be able to play the violin? Doctor says ‘there’s no reason why you can’t play the violin.’ Patient says ‘that’s great, I never could play it before.’ I blame the corporations for taking Bugs Bunny off of children’s television in the 1990’s for why the youngsters don’t know how to laugh.
There’s construction along the T’s route, specifically the transit tunnel which is shared by the T with several bus lines. Going to last for months. The folks who operate the T, dubbed the PRT, have activated an otherwise unused set of backup tracks and created a temporary stop in Pittsburgh’s Allentown, thereby.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve walked this path several times last summer. Over that wall is the South Side Slopes neighborhood, and the roadways here are set at steep curves against the cliff like terrain. There isn’t a single spot in this area which could be called ‘easy driving,’ with its narrow streets and hairpin turns.
During this period of construction, scheduled to last until October, the T will run along these tracks. Looking forward to many rides through here in the next several months. Heck, I’m just looking forward to not being trapped in the house and sitting in a wheelchair.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Near the bottom of the hill, at what is already a very busy vehicular intersection leading to both the Liberty Bridge and Tunnel, is where you’ll notice the T’s tracks leading to an approach to the Panhandle Bridge, which spans the Monongahela River. This shot looks through the windshield of the T unit I was riding in, towards another train set which was moving away from Pittsburgh.
After the other T cleared away, our driver began moving towards the bridge approach. I must admit that the sound which the rails made when the T sat down on them wasn’t exactly the sort of thing you want to hear.
A loud pop, a squeal, steel on steel making an ‘urrrrrnnnnnnn’ sound.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Of course, I was shooting the whole way. Hell, if this thing is going to go down when I’m onboard, I’m going to get shots of it for the coroners to find on my camera’s memory cards. As we made the turn towards the bridge, the T passed over the busy Norfolk Southern tracks found on this side of the river, and the truss of the Liberty Bridge.
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 simplest of plans…
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
First things first, and first thing involved walking up this hill.
Normally: not a problem, currently: my ankle was pissed off by the time I hit that next corner, which happens to be midway along another somewhat shallower hill. This is my neighborhood pictured above, by the way, in Pittsburgh’s Borough of Dormont. People still ask me why I left NYC, in response I will point out the near total absence of litter, passed out inebriates, or random emergencies midway through occurring in the shot above. Five miles from the center of things, this is.
It was a warm day in Pittsburgh, given the time of the year, and your humble narrator had a plan. I’d walk to the T light rail station, and board a Pittsburgh bound train set. There’s a major construction project underway involving the service, meaning that the route is significantly altered. Street running light rail moving through a series of interesting areas? Heck yeah! I’m in.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Of course, just as I got there, a Pittsburgh bound T was leaving the station. This ensured that I’d enjoy the maximum wait time until the next one arrived, which was somehow comforting. Who likes to rush?
Your humble narrator was appointed in his usual style, with the filthy black raincoat and a knapsack full of camera gear on his back. The camera was wearing its 24-240mm superzoom lens, if you’re curious. It’s strictly a ‘daylight’ lens, that one. Not the best glass I own, but its range makes it invaluable when out on a day time photowalk in a feature rich environment.
As far as my plan for the day went, the intention was to ride into the city, where the T was servicing a normally unused station due to the construction project(s) occurring along the line, where I’d catch a few shots of the thing coming and going and then scuttle along on my merry way. Then, I’d cross the Monongahela River on a bridge, and hunt around for any passing rail traffic. Lots of room for serendipity.
It ended up being about a nine and a half thousand step day, which is a new record for me in this post broken ankle period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying all that, since I had to wait the maximum amount of time between Pittsburgh bound T’s, I occupied myself by focusing in on a T train set, which was heading away from Pittsburgh, and towards its eventual terminal stop at South Hills Village. Love the web of catenary wires over these tracks, I do.
Back tomorrow with more, at this – 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 