Boss… ze train, ze train
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s Norfolk Southern’s Locomotive #1825 pictured above, and below, hurtling through Pittsburgh on the south side of the city. The unit came online in 1993 as NS #2507, an EMD SD70 model. #2507 was rebuilt in 2019 and the upgraded engine is now an SD70ACC model. The tracks it’s riding on are the ‘Mon Line,’ which was formerly owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. As far as I can discern, other than an upgrade of certain mechanical drive and braking systems, the difference between the two models revolves around the operator’s cabin and the electronics found therein.
I know people who keep this sort of information in their head, all the time. This post was actuated as a response to one of these fellows, a friend of mine and whom I consider to be my ‘go-to’ or ‘rabbi’ for understanding how the insanely complicated world of Choo-Choo trains works. Like all my friends, he likes telling me what I haven’t done.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I had sent this particular fellow a link to a few prior Newtown Pentacle posts which featured another train line here in Pittsburgh, that the CSX outfit operates on. An offered critique was that ‘I had mastered the flying wedge photo alright, but I needed to start getting to “rail photos level 2”…’ Grrrr, thought I.
So… after scuttling down Arlington Avenue – as described in the two posts directly preceding this one (here and here) – one proceeded to the PJ McArdle Roadway where I knew a ‘POV’ for the Mon Line tracks awaited a humble narrator. Grrrr. Level 2, my ass.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One had to hang around for a bit, and I used the time to call my old pal Armstrong back in Brooklyn and check in with her. While chatting about the news of the day and hearing about the old neighborhood, #1825 rounded a corner and appeared in the distance. Gotta go, said I.
I had already figured out the camera’s exposure triangle, but it needed a bit of fine tuning. The shot above is zoomed out at 300mm, so atmospheric heat distortion manifested itself.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The train got closer, and I kept on shooting.
My big news for this day’s walk was that for the first time in literally years, I was using my headphones and listening to one of my beloved Lovecraft audio books. This particular entertainment was a ‘radio drama’ performed by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s “Dark Adventure Radio Theater” company, a dramatic adaptation of ‘At the Mountains of Madness.’
As mentioned several times, ever since Covid appeared and the streets got weird, I’ve been avoiding the use of headphones while out walking. This habit started in NYC, and whereas I’ve continued it in Pittsburgh, I needed to let a different set of voices talk in my head for a change, and listen to something other than my horrific inner voice, which is impossible to tune out.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve actually been listening to some music, as well, other than the tried and true playlist which I refer to as my theme music. That inner voice of mine, with its paranoid imaginings and cruel replays of past failures and or embarrassments, has really been getting old and tiresome lately. Best to drown the intrusive thoughts, and fill my head with music, podcasts, or fiction instead – at least while I’m awake.
I know that I’m more than 20 years out of date on a lot of music, but I’m particularly enamored with this 2001 song at the moment – which quite fits my current mood. That’s a real cracker of a rock video too, if you ask me.
One was standing on a bridge while shooting these, a cantilevered span which carries a fairly high speed road, and one whose designers didn’t anticipate camera toting pedestrians running across the travel lanes in pursuit of a photograph. That would have been a very bad idea.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Thereby, the lens was extended out into its zoom range again for this final shot of NS #1825 heading eastwards. As a note, remember when I mentioned rock slides further up the Monongahela Valley? Turns out that a landslide in 2018 just a half mile west of here and which damaged the Mon Line tracks caused a Norfolk Southern derailment, which created no small amount of chaos and damage. Wow.
Level 2… grrr…
Back next week with something different, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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Arlington Avenue is boss
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, my curiosity carried me over to the Allentown section of Pittsburgh, and a long scuttle down the face of Mount Washington’s Arlington Avenue. Truly spectacular set of views greeted a humble narrator on this walk. Whenever I hit a break in the tree line, along the steep slope overlooking the Monongahela River about a 1,000 feet below, the center of Pittsburgh just popped up and said ‘take my picture.’
Having lived my entire life in NYC, it’s fairly inconceivable to me that the local real estate people haven’t filled in every single inch of this location with gentrifier condominiums, privatizing these views.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What you see, as far as residential housing stock goes in this area, are mainly one and two family dwellings whose entrances and parking spots are on the Avenue, but the actual buildings are found twenty feet down on terraced plots of land as seen above. There were a decent number of unoccupied or abandoned homes as well. Fascinating.
My desire is to live in a low density area during my dotage, and in the case of the current domicile (which is less than 5 miles from the spot pictured above), that’s what I’ve got. A friend who visited me over the summer said “Pittsburgh is crazy, it’s like you’re in Manhattan and then after you drive through one of those tunnels, it drops you immediately into White Plains style suburbia without any in between.”
Me? I’ve got Deer, Chipmunks, Ground Hogs and possibly a Raccoon more or less living in my yard – 4.6 miles from this spot on the other side of Mount Washington in the ‘South Hills’ section. I’ve also got a dedicated parking spot in a driveway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It would be amazing to have an aerie style view of the Monongahela Valley from up here, I’ll admit. Saying that, it’s not what I want, which is an abundance of ‘easy.’
The big issue hereabouts, other than what the newspapers and TV news people would suggest as being an endemic crime wave driven by teenaged madmen, would be the existential reality of toting bags of groceries up sets of stairs like the one pictured above. Taking out the trash would likely be a monumental task. Saying all that, the building above was obviously designed with Zombies in mind. The Pittsburgh Incident of 1968 has had lasting effect on the local mindset.
Back tomorrow, lords and ladies, with some ‘Choo Choo’ action.
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Not the place in the Billy Joel song
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Pittsburgh’s Allentown section is embedded into the steep slopes of Mount Washington. Recent endeavor found a humble narrator leaving the car back at HQ in Dormont and using a Lyft ride share to get over to this section, a short ride that cost me about $12. I had the driver drop me off at the former location of an incline/funicular called the Knoxville station (which is a modern day convenience store) found at the apex of a street called Arlington Avenue. There used to be T light rail line regular service here (Brown Line), but for a variety of pedantic reasons this line isn’t serviced anymore. The tracks and catenary wires are still present, and the T people will use the Arlington Avenue tracks if there’s a problem with, or maintenance is underway, at the transit only tunnel nearby the Station Square stop about a mile and half across and 1,000 feet down from where the above photo was captured.
Behind me, on top of the prominence, is a Pittsburgh neighborhood with a ferocious reputation that’s called Beltzhoover. I’m a newbie, still, but as a former New Yorker I’m continually amazed at what’s considered “The Hood” here. I’m picturing 1980’s and the blasted out brick lots of Bushwick, South Bronx, or East New York when that term is used, but what you see in Pittsburgh’s ‘hoods’ are detached one and two family houses, with an occasional multi unit building that you might describe as being an ‘apartment building,’ but would be more accurately described to a New Yorker as being a ‘garden apartments complex.’ Not saying they haven’t got the toxic mix of poverty and crime, but it doesn’t ‘look’ all that awful.
Sensationalist news reports gleefully propagate stories about criminal and gang activity in these sorts of neighborhoods, tarnishing their reputations to the surrounding metro area and promulgating a sense of imminent peril that if were you to get out of your car…
If it bleeds, it leads, as the news people say.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described above, the T infrastructure is still quite present, but the regional transit people have decided to run buses here instead of the light rail. A humble narrator became intrigued by this locale on one of those days when maintenance work on the South Hills Transit Tunnel was underway, and the T train set I was riding on was diverted through here. This is definitely a pathway you want to descend, rather than walk upwards on. I seemed to be the only pedestrian, but there were a few bike riders as well.
Arlington Avenue is a very, very interesting corridor. There were three basic types of residential buildings I passed by. Small houses with entrances on the street level leading downhill to the actual dwelling, large houses of obviously modern design that were built with modern security concerns in mind, and fairly old mansion sized homes which seem to have been subdivided for the rental market.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m told that at least a part of the section I was walking through is called the South Side Slopes, but I’m not sure if that’s an actual municipal designation or it’s a colloquial cognomen for a certain region of the metro area. The path down Arlington Avenue is fairly well wooded, but every now and then, there’s a break in the tree line and commanding views of the City center are on offer.
One was heading, ultimately, down to the South Side Flats section where I would pick up a ride on the T light rail back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Fascinating place Pittsburgh is, ain’t it? Look at that hill those houses are set into. Jeez. Crazy pants, that.
Imagine being a kid and chasing after a ball as it rolled and bounced down that road. Yikes. Even worse, imagine walking up that hill during inclement weather.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the South Side Flats area, from up high, pictured above. Very interesting spot, as far as building stock goes, but not the sort of place I’d want to live at my age. If I was still in my 20’s, partying regularly and staying out late with a crew of boozehounds – it’s absolutely where I’d want to be.
There’s a population of rather tragic junkies who have installed themselves down there, and it’s also a bit of a nightlife center which draws in a lot of thirsty kids who like the liquor. There’s all kinds of wicked stories about what goes on there on weekend nights. Shootings over perceived slights, arguing and fighting over women, that sort of kid stuff regularly makes the news in Pittsburgh.
Again – if it bleeds, it leads.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One was tempted to experience this set of municipal steps to get to my next destination. Pittsburgh has hundreds of examples of this sort of pedestrian infrastructure all around the City. Not this time, though.
The spot I was heading for, however, was in response to a comment one of my railfan friends offered me about some recent locomotive shots I’ve displayed here. The comment was phrased in the manner of a challenge, or at least that’s how I received it. It brought out a part of me that’s normally suppressed, and is best described as reminiscent of Terrance Stamp’s swaggering performance as General Zod in the Superman 2 movie back in 1980.
More on that tomorrow…
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Allegheny, north shore
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After having woken up prior to sunrise and popping off a few shots from the West End Overlook, a humble narrator was hoping to visit the Mr. Rogers monument along the Allegheny River on Pittsburgh’s north side. Unfortunately, a crew of laborers were performing some sort of maintenance there and the thing was roped off. I had already fed the parking meter, so the Mobile Oppression Platform was happily ensconced and thereby I set off along the river trail.
That’s the Fort Duquesne Bridge, Pittsburgh’s famous ‘bridge to nowhere’ pictured above, with the office buildings of downtown Pittsburgh behind it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There seems to be a whole ‘scene’ here, revolving around pleasure boats navigating down the rivers and tying off along the waterfront. I’m sure there’s some form of governance, fees, all that. Saying that, boats can tie up to cleats and bollards and people overnight on them. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.
It’s nice to live in a place where such things are ‘normal,’ and treated in a business like fashion. NYC identifies things people like to do, and then taxes the activity into oblivion and or criminalizes it. Can’t leave your house or attend a gathering without the ‘Reverend in Blue’ administering every single human interaction there, or having some bureaucratic entity doing its best to monetize you.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This odd thing caught my eye. Theory #1 is that somebody found these keys and automobile ‘FOB’ on the sidewalk and stuck them into the tree to help out whomever lost it. Theory #2 is that some drunk tried to start up or unlock a tree. This spot was equidistant between the Steelers and the Pirates sports ball stadiums, and there’s a LOT of bars found between them, so I thereby lean towards Theory #2.
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.
A better morning
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a disappointing sunset photo session at West End Overlook Park here in Pittsburgh, described in last Friday’s post, a humble but quite frustrated narrator set an early alarm the next morning and set out to see if sunrise would provide me with better results from both effort and location.
I ran into that deer again, incidentally.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, there were banks of clouds rolling around the heavenly vault, and there was also a bit of morning fog. Both atmospheric conditions allowed for the light to carry and push a bunch of color about, so I got busy.
Learning how Pittsburgh’s light behaves has been an adventure, I tell you. This is very much a ‘morning’ sort of place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Down on the Ohio River, a towing company was moving barges about. There was also quite a bit of automotive traffic rolling about, as you’d imagine on a week day morning. I arrived at this location before the Spotted Lantern Flies woke up. Pittsburgh is infested with these things, and Moe the Dog eats so many of them every day that it’s become part of the little goblin’s diet.
The other day, Moe stood up on his hind legs with his hands on a deck rail/bannister, while attempting to spy out where his next lanternfly snack was hiding. I called out to him, and when he looked over his shoulder at me it was a freakishly horrific sight which reminded me of something from a Tolkien story. Two legs bad, four legs good.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking towards the Allegheny River’s North Shore in this shot.
A humble narrator has always been an ‘owl’ rather than a ‘lark,’ as far as wakefulness goes, and have always been conspicuously awake late into the night. At the moment, I’m trying to unspool the habits of a lifetime lived in a City that never slept but enjoyed the odd nap, and am attempting to get into step with a City which wakes up early and watches the sun come up over coffees.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has repeatedly found himself setting an alarm for 4:30 or 5 in the morning, showering while the water is boiling up for the morning ‘cuppa,’ and jetting out of HQ to get some exercise or wave the camera around at something. The quality of light seems to be better at dawn than at dusk, and mid day is nothing but harsh shadows and blown out highlights. I plan on figuring out night shooting here during the cold months.
This shot overlooks the so called ‘North side.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The deer didn’t seem at all worried about me being there while it was eating breakfast. After the burning thermonuclear eye of God itself had risen in the sky, any desire I had to shoot from West End Overlook dissipated as I was staring directly into the radioactive fireball.
I packed up my gear and hopped back into the Mobile Oppression Platform, and then drove over to the North Side water front which is pictured above. More on that tomorrow…
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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The Newtown Pentacle 