Ole Faithful
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A serious state of ‘faklempt’ had set in during the second half of a ‘longish’ walk, detailed in last week’s postings, and in order to satiate this lack of internal humidity your humble narrator decided to quaff a strictly medicinal pint of lager, attained at Pittsburgh’s Sly Fox Brewery.
Your humble narrator settled down at an outdoor table, which is directly neighbored by CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivision track. One grew giddy when the alarm bells of the trackage’s signal arms began to chime. Train horns were activated, the rumbling and the rhythmic sounds of the locomotive were felt as well as heard. Choo-Choo.
CSX #4723 then appeared, heading westwards. ‘Hey Now.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The locomotive itself seems to be one of the variants of the EMD SD70 model, or so I’m told.
It’s funny, the people here in Pittsburgh are so used to seeing this sort of thing they find my enthusiasm about the matter somewhat curious. It was the same way back in NYC, where people were so used to seeing tugboats moving about the harbor they barely noticed them, and certainly didn’t comment about it. Since I used to be the guy who took pictures of subway trains coming and going while commuting… Sorry, but – to me – locomotives passing by within twenty to thirty feet of the lens, while I’m having a beer – is pure awesome sauce.
It’s the little things I love, which admittedly are sometimes quite gigantic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After the train passed, a concrete truck which had been trapped by the signals crossed over the tracks. Couldn’t resist.
This walk felt particularly good. The ankle performed well and there was little in the way of pain, but alternately it was a bit stiff, so I returned the glass to the bar and limped away back to HQ.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 
How come the windows are cockeyed on that diagonal thing above the concrete truck?
georgetheatheist . . . what's up?
May 20, 2025 at 4:25 pm
As far as I can tell the diagonal thingie is a conveyor belt from the factory side to the ‘load the trucks’ side for stones and ballast and such. Why the windows are set at the angle, or why there’s windows at all, is another question.
Mitch Waxman
May 20, 2025 at 4:57 pm