Archive for the ‘Pittsburgh’ Category
To zee T
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T light rail runs directly through Pittsburgh’s Dormont section, where Newtown Pentacle HQ is found. It’s one of the reasons that Our Lady and myself decided to settle here when we relocated out of NYC. It’s awesome having a car and being able to drive all over hill and dale, but your humble narrator doesn’t always want to be burdened by having to be responsible. It also ties my hands as far as wandering about goes, since you need to loop back to where you started.
Additionally: You cant really ‘see’ things from inside a motor vehicle that you’re operating, or from a moving bike, as you’re moving too fast and are distracted by road rules and hazards. Recent endeavor, thereby, saw me scuttling up the steep hill which HQ is at the bottom of, and then up to the tracks of the T at ‘Potomac Station.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the actual T unit which I rode into town on. The system uses (amongst other fare collection methods, apps etc.) a ‘ConnectCard,’ which is either pre-loaded up with cash or connected to a credit card or bank account. You pay upon boarding, when heading into the city, and when debarking on the ‘away from Pittsburgh’ side of the station. It’s a zone system they use, for the T. You’re just sort of expected to know the way that the system works, a part of the presumed Pittsburgh ‘vernacular knowledge’ thing which I mention a lot.
These light rail units are electrically powered, by suspended catenary wires.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shot is actually from a completely different walk/day, but I wanted to show what it looks like when a Pittsburgh bound T is leaving Potomac station. Normally, I’d be on board that train, so…
Back tomorrow with where I was going – and all that – it’s photowalk time.
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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.
Six mile scuttle, fin
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I had to kill an hour or so before the next CSX train showed up, on their Pittsburgh Subdivision Tracks, but at least I had a place to sit down.
If this shot looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it dozens of times here but from a different POV. In this instance, I was high above the Sly Fox Brewery, whereas I’m normally down at ground level.
The building that the brewery is located in is a former railroad terminal and warehouse called ‘The Highline,’ by its owners. There’s a former vehicle ramp which overflies the scene below, hence ‘Highline.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I had drank a pint glass of ice water, and then two beers, while waiting. Honestly, I had given up hope and remembering the very productive day which saw trains, and a smokey incline, and then bridges and even tugboats appearing in front of the camera – I didn’t want to be a glutton.
I then headed up to the Highline, with the intention of walking back out to the street side of the property and summoning a rideshare home. Then the signal arms started chiming…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What am I supposed to do, not take pictures? Sheesh.
I was fairly tired at this point. Six miles is about all I can get out of the ankle at the moment, although my stated goal for this stage of recovery from the injury is ten miles. What can I tell you? I’ll get there when I can.
Saying that, it did pretty well when I was back in NYC in June.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As quickly as I could walk, the other side of the Highline ramp was attained, and what I would call ‘fetching shots’ of the train were captured.
Really lucky with light on this particular day. There was a not inconsiderable amount of heat distortion to deal with, but it’s summer.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The CSX train cavorted off towards Ohio, and your humble narrator officially declared his day as done.
A quick car ride saw me back at HQ, reunited with Our Lady of the Pentacle and Moe the Dog.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Glad that I decided to have a second drink, would have missed out on that last train if I hadn’t.
Back tomorrow with something different, 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 Coke Express
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The track signals told me something was heading my way, along the Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks of CSX, so a position under the Fort Pitt Bridge was taken up, and I figured out my exposure settings in advance of the subject barging through the scene..
HEY NOW, that’s CSX #3297 passing by.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Normally, it’s fairly impossible to guess where one of these trains is coming from, but given the direction it’s coming from and what it was hauling – it was either PA’s Clairton or Irvine.
That’s where you’ll find two of the three huge US Steel plants which remain in the Pittsburgh area. One is designed to manufacture coke from coal, the other to harvest the gas from the process. If I had to bet, this train is coming from the first one in Clairton.
This ended up being a great day for trains. Go, Monday!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The CSX train was heading westwards, towards… Ohio.
Funny to me is how the Pittsburgh people react when you mention Ohio, offering the same sort of reaction that a Brooklynite displays at the mention of …Staten Island… or ‘Joisey.”
That’s the West End Bridge in the distance, which I had walked over and described in posts last week. Scroll down if interested.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My audiobook listening had continued after completing “The Lurking Fear,” and I was now knee deep into “The Thing on the Doorstep,” both audiobooks based on stories by H.P. Lovecraft and read by Wayne June.
Y’know, I wonder if there’s any interest in a list of all of my fave audio books? Let me know in the comments, and if so, I’ll build a list with links to where you can find them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An almost imperceptible glimmer of black vapor was trailing out of the coke express cars. It was moving too fast for the smell of coal to permeate out, but there was still a vague petrochemical ‘taste’ in the air.
There you are.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Towboat Vulcan was spotted, heading back the other way from the direction it was traveling in when shown in an earlier post. They were also ‘sans barge’ so it must have been delivered to a nearby customer. My guess would be one of the two concrete plants on the western side of the Birmingham Bridge.
Back tomorrow, with even more trains. I know…
“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.
Six mile scuttle continues on, and on
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As one may recall from last week’s mishegoss, your humble narrator took a lovely walk in Pittsburgh on a summer day and saw lots of cool things. Many photographs were collected along the way, and now you’re all caught up.
The Duquesne Incline is pictured above, descending from the heights of Mount Washington to its lower station. I refer to this incline as ‘the red one,’ as there’s also a ‘yellow one.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Whilst picking my way along the shoreline, the sound of rock being cut or drilled into began to echo. A cloud of white smokey dust began to billow from beneath the incline’s tracks, and then the incline was being run right through it. Neat!
There weren’t any fire people or cops running around, so I figured that there was no reason to panic. Atmospheric!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I felt obligated to crack out a few shots of this scene, with the one above being my favorite. Glad that I had outfitted the camera with the ‘all in one’ Zoom lens that has a range of 24-240mm. Long reach, that.
This was roughly the half way point on this scuttle, which started on Pittsburgh’s North Side at the terminal stop of the T light rail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Towboat Vulcan appeared, towing a very low in the water barge.
In the background is the Allegheny River, and the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Fort Pitt Bridge would be where I next ‘took up station,’ but I mean beneath it not above. Troll, me. Under bridges, that’s where I can be found. Really, it’s also quite shady down there.
The signals over the rail tracks indicated that something was coming towards me, and there’s a spot I like under the bridge for rail photos, so I walked as fast as I could to it. Post broken ankle, I still can’t run, so I started heading towards that spot as fast as I could manage.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A tourist boat, The Gateway Clipper, gave me something to point the camera at while I was waiting for the next train to arrive. It navigated under the Fort Pitt Bridge and away.
Back tomorrow with more from the Paris of Appalachia – 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.
Cooling my heels, waiting for a train
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.
“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 