The Newtown Pentacle

Friday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

While crossing the West End Bridge, here in Pittsburgh, your humble narrator was keeping his eye on a static CSX train set. It was being held in place by signals, which – as I’ve learned – means that somewhere down the line another train is coming, and its scheduling is tighter than the one being held so they clear the path. Knowing this, I took up station at an opportune POV, and waited for the action to occur.

This spot overlooks the headwaters of the Ohio River, formed by the mixture of the Allegheny River (to the north or left of the city, in the shot above) and the Monongahela River (on the south or right side).

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The big arch bridge in the middle of the shot is the Fort Pitt Bridge, and it… it… wait…

HEY NOW!

There it is, the west bound CSX train set, it just appeared around that bend, snaking around the other train which had been held static by signals.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Ever been inside the operators cabin of a locomotive? I have.

It’s surprisingly comfortable in there, but the person driving the train isn’t looking out the front window, that’s somebody else’s job. Remember that, if you’re trying to outrace a train at a crossing. I looked around for a set of numbers, related to the number of deaths in Allegheny County which involve getting shmushed by a train, but the government types apparently hold that information fairly close to their vest.

From Google’s AI:

Several factors contribute to fatal train accidents in Allegheny County, including both human error and infrastructure issues

• Human error is a significant factor, potentially involving negligence on the part of train operators (such as fatigue, distraction, speeding, or failing to sound the horn), or pedestrians and drivers exhibiting recklessness or failing to adhere to safety precautions around railroad tracks.
• Track malfunctions, including defects like broken switches, misaligned tracks, or issues with rail integrity, can also lead to fatal incidents.
• Mechanical failures related to train equipment, such as faulty brakes or other essential components, can also contribute to accidents and derailments.
• Signal malfunctions at crossings, such as non-functional gates or lights, increase the risk of collisions between trains and vehicles or pedestrians. 

While train accidents are less frequent than other types of accidents, their consequences can be particularly devastating due to the immense force involved. 

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Happy day!

#3171 was at the front, leading the way and all that. It was hauling a mixed up combination of cars – cargo boxes mainly, but there were a few tanker cars in there as well.

Did you know that the age of containerization and cargo boxes got its modern start on Staten Island, and at Port Elizabeth-Newark?

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Both trains were moving at this point, and your humble narrator thereby felt satisfied and happy with himself for a moment. It was time to get moving again, however. I headed towards the Monongahela Shoreline, and the set of steps which would offer egress from West End Bridge.

The West End bridge feeds out onto an actual highway, and a de facto highway as well. The latter is a local street, with local street rules, but people drive on it like it’s an interstate. You have to speed when driving here, in order to not be an obstacle for some junior high school drop out driving a pickup at 80mph towards a screeching stop at a red light while not looking up from their phone – if they decide to stop at all.

Going back to the number of people in Allegheny County who get hit by trains… it’s a fairly obtuse number to find. In 2024, there were 10,218 motor vehicle crashes in Allegheny County, which is a fairly easy number to find. So many ways to die…

Here’s a few of the most likely ways to die in Pittsburgh, according to Google’s AI:

1. Drug overdoses

• Accidental overdose deaths remain a significant concern, particularly in the Black community, where the death rate is three times higher than among White residents. This disparity is attributed to factors like reduced access to treatment, naloxone, and other harm reduction resources.
• Fentanyl continues to be the primary drug involved in overdose deaths, although the presence of xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, is rising and complicates the reversal process with naloxone. The county is actively working to address this issue through expanded access to treatment and awareness campaigns.
• Black residents are dying from overdoses at a rate more than three times that of white residents. The 2023 data show the overdose death rate for Black individuals was 141 deaths per 100,000 (232 deaths) compared to 43 deaths per 100,000 for white individuals (428 deaths), according to Allegheny County. 

2. Traffic-related accidents

• Fatal Crashes: While traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania generally declined in 2024, reversing previous trends, there were still numerous deaths in Allegheny County.
• Contributing factors: Speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and lack of seatbelt use remain major contributors to crashes and fatalities, according to Rosenbaum Injury Law.
• Vulnerable road users: Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists, were involved in a notable number of fatal crashes, though the number of crashes involving them declined from 2023 to 2024.
• Specific Incident: One tragic incident involved a bicyclist who died after colliding with downed power lines in North Park. 

3. Other causes

• Explosions: A massive explosion in Crescent Township resulted in the deaths of two individuals and the destruction of a house.
• Child fatality: An 8-year-old child died due to complications from drowning, with the investigation revealing inadequate supervision by a babysitter.
• Child Ingestions: Unintentional drug ingestions, particularly involving opioids, are a growing cause of child fatalities and near fatalities, especially among children under three.
• Air Pollution: Despite improvements in air quality, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution continues to contribute to an estimated 640-1373 deaths annually in Allegheny County between 2020 and 2022. 

– photo by Mitch Waxman

These stairs suck, I should mention. Painted on top of the runs, rather than having any sort of friction pad, the rises are also uneven between the different sets of stairs which wind down from the bridge.

Also, I’m just plain chickenshit about walking down stairs, post ‘brankle.’ That’s what I call the now partially healed but broken ankle – ‘brankle.’

I visualized it all. Me, stumbling, tumbling, cracking against the steel landing below. My pelvis shoots out and gets crushed by a passing truck, and I’m internally decapitated so I can still see everything that’s happening. My arms break off during the fall and they are carried away by raccoons. The legs get run over repeatedly by a cadre of competitive bicycle racers, then a seagull improbably appears and starts pecking at my generals, and finally a junkie shows up and boils down what’s left of me for the elements, to sell…

PTSD sucks.

Also from Google’s AI:

Pinpointing the exact number of people who died from falling down a flight of stairs in Allegheny County in 2024 is difficult with publicly available information. While there was a report of a man dying after falling down a stairwell in a Downtown Pittsburgh apartment building in June 2025

It is challenging to find specific statistics for the entire county. 

Detailed accidental death data, broken down by specific causes like falling down stairs, is usually compiled by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. These reports are often released annually and may not be readily available in daily news reports or generalized accident statistics. 

However, several other causes of accidental death in Allegheny County, such as drug overdoses and traffic-related accidents, are more frequently reported.

Back next week with more.

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