Posts Tagged ‘Allegheny Valley RR’
White Whale Spotted
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Allegheny Valley RR’s ‘Carload Express’ locomotive #6002 pictured above, rolling through a rail trench found in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Commons Park, on the city’s ‘North Shore.’ I more commonly see Norfolk Southern and CSX traffic in Pittsburgh, as AVRR is a far smaller outfit than either of the two giants. Sightings of them are so rare, for me, that I’ve come to refer to them as the ‘White Whale.’
This park is surrounded by a historic district, and it’s also one of the places which I regularly move through in Pittsburgh which seems ‘safe as houses,’ but most of the ‘Yinzers’ tell me this area is a crime ridden cesspit. ‘You’ll get shot,’ they say.
Honestly…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The train continued on its way, crossing over the Merchant Street Bridge on its course to points eastwards of here. The first shot in today’s post was what I came to this ‘zone’ to get, and my plan for the rest of the afternoon would end with eventually riding the T back to HQ in Dormont. Saying that, I had budgeted away a few hours for ‘serendipity’ and decided to walk through a section of the area which I hadn’t formerly.
Looked over my shoulder the whole way for approaching hordes of East Asian horse archers, cannibal gangs of tooth sharpeners, and of course – Diurnal Vampires – was called for.
The way seemed clear. No feral kids in the trees firing poison darts at me, either, and most of the people I passed by seemed like I could take them in a fight – as they were either young children or quite elderly.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So, pictured is a former post office which is now part of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. A street has been pedestrianized into a plaza around it, and there were a few late 1980’s style apartment buildings surrounding the spot. A few people were walking around, moms with kids and a security guard or two.
There were no ogres, pirates, or barbarians. Just folks.
I was finishing up a relisten of an audio book offered by the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, adapting ‘The Dunwich Horror.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Practice, that’s how I got here, practice.
The rain started kicking up a bit, and thereby my pathway options began to narrow. I would be seeking ‘rain shadows’ for the rest of my scuttle.
If you spend a lot of time outside in urban spaces, rain and wind shadows can be your best friends. You see the former all the time, especially so back in NYC, where a three to four foot wide dry pavement patch around the bases of tall buildings can be observed during rain events. You also see them under elevated highway ramps and train trestles. When outside, use this unintended architectural consequence to your advantage.
Connect with whatever the environment you happen to be in is, and use its quirks to your advantage.
Back at Newtown Creek, for instance, you can pretty much pee wherever you want to, and I’d offer the advice to avoid industrial Maspeth during the summer months due to the heat island effect.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Thusly, I found myself shambling towards the ramps of the highway connections which overfly the surface streets and move towards the direction of the Allegheny and Monongahela River’s confluence. From there I’d be walking under yet another set of ramps carrying different high speed roads, on my way to a T station for my ride back to HQ.
I still haven’t taken a bus in Pittsburgh, other than a shuttle which was running when the T was under construction. One of my winter plans is to get familiar with the ‘busways’ hereabouts.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Cannot tell you what was going on here, but I did wonder if lifting that ball would summon a fireman. Most people call 911.
Back tomorrow with more.
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White whale
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Note: I screwed the pooch yesterday when talking about the Mexican War Streets here in Pittsburgh, as longtime reader ‘Liman’ pointed out. Please see comments section on yesterday’s post for suggested corrections. Appreciate the scrutiny, me. Now, on with the folderol:
While hanging around and waiting behind the driver’s wheel for something on Pittsburgh’s North Side, a humble narrator couldn’t help but record the scene. That overhang is part of a corporate campus for an aluminum company, the tall buildings are across the river in Pittsburgh’s Downtown section, and the yellow steel thing at bottom right is part of the Andy Warhol Bridge over the Allegheny River.
As a note, if you encounter somebody driving a pickup truck here in Western Pennsylvania, prepare yourself for a lot of random provocation. These people don’t know what the horizontal peddle in front of the drivers seat does, as they only recognize the accelerator and not the brake. I was sitting there with my hazard blinkers on and a pickup moved in behind me in tailgating position, which then started honking his horn for me to move, rather than just go around. They also don’t like turning the wheel. Menaces.
Just last night, for instance, I was heading home from a historic lecture at a nearby library when a pickup driver decided to play with his phone mid intersection, and was just drifting/rolling towards me. ‘My bad,’ he said.
My next stop wasn’t too far away, across the river and about a mile east in the direction of Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After parking the Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, in a paid parking lot’s spot, Our Lady and I began moving towards our destination on foot. Luckily, for me at least, the Allegheny Valley Railroad appeared as it executed a crossing of the Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge.
I refer to AVRR as the ‘white whale’ as I so seldom see them, as opposed to the more frequent Norfolk Southern and CSX rail traffic which has become familiar photo fodder here. The latter two are giants, it should be mentioned, and AVRR is a short line sort of local operation.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I have got to figure out how to connive a way to convince the convention center people into allowing me access to that roof of theirs. Dag.
I’m told there’s a green roof build out up there, which I’d like to see for its own sake, but man – the views of trains coming off that bridge must be absolutely wicked from up there. Me want.
Back tomorrow.
“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.
Hazelwood, too
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s an Allegheny Valley RR freight train pictured above, sitting pretty in CSX’s Glenwood Yard, alongside the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood section. This time around, your humble narrator was out scouting while behind the steering wheel of the Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota. I pulled over right next to the ‘No Trespassing’ signage for the rail yard, btw. Rules.
As mentioned last week, Hazelwood is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh which is regarded as having a ferocious reputation by the locals. The ‘Yinzers’ react to the statement ‘I’m going to Hazelwood’ with the same worried intensity that you’d get from a New Yorker if you said ‘I’m going to walk around East New York with a camera today.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The St. Stephen Catholic Church building, above, caught my eye and caused me to wonder about all of the tan colored bricks that I’ve observed around the city. They’re ubiquitous, thereby most probably locally produced and budget friendly at the time… There’s always something new/old to learn. Look at the revelations offered by a bit of research back in Astoria that was aimed at the sort of bricks used to construct the ‘Matthew’s Model Flat’ residential blocks.
This is Pittsburgh’s ‘Second Avenue,’ as a note, heading roughly southeast and along the northern shore of the Monongahela, moving away from the so called ‘Golden Triangle’ of the downtown business and political center.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The steel and coke mills are long gone. Pittsburgh’s showrunners in City Hall have arranged a development scheme along the 150 and change waterfront acres here, one which has been decades in the making. Soil remediation is meant to be completed, and ‘affordable housing’ is on the way – which will bring hundreds of jobs and solve all of Hazelwood’s problems virtually overnight. Just ask the Politicians and the landlords, they’ll tell you so.
A rise in Real Estate valuations fixes all of America’s problems.
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.
Direct or suffused
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A humble narrator needs a break right about now, which is why single image posts depicting rail traffic observed in the greater Pittsburgh metro area will be greeting you all week.
Above is an Allegheny Valley Railroad train moving through a trenched set of tracks on Pittsburgh’s north side.
“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.
No scuttle, no peace
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Pictured above is an Allegheny Valley Railroad train set negotiating itself over the Fort Wayne railroad bridge, which spans the Allegheny River and the train is heading towards Downtown Pittsburgh. This bridge, and the particular direction that the AVRR train is heading, lead to a set of tracks in the center of the city which Amtrak and Norfolk Southern also use to head eastwards.
As mentioned a few times in this story, this scuttle was playing out on a warm day, and a humble narrator had spent the couple of weeks prior sitting on his butt at home. I was not enjoying the humidity or warmth as I haven’t fully acclimated away from winter yet, and in my defense it was forty degrees not two days before these shots were gathered. I was thereby in a full sweat, and every step was increasingly an act of will even though the first mile of my intentions had barely been expressed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One was scuttling along the section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail which is found on the north shore of the Allegheny River. It’s not exactly a demanding route, given that it’s graded and paved, but after my long somnolent period – agony. My back hurt, and so did my butt. I was sweating profusely and not feeling so great. The drill is to lean into it, tough it out, and get past thoughts of discomfort though. You can sit and whine about it at home later, I told myself. It’s not like you have a choice about exercise, it’s a requirement.
While pedantically negotiating with my lizard brain, I couldn’t help but notice a little blue house which seemed to be the sole survivor of a lost civilization, nearby the former Heinz Factory.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trail is well wooded, and there are long intervals during which you’re marching through a tunnel of trees and vegetation. That’s nice.
Last time that I scuttled through here during the early winter, there were dozens of homeless encampments observed along the path – tents and lean to’s surrounded by middens of garbage. I’ve heard that the gendarmes were sent in to clear the area of such habitations, and the effort seems to have been successful at accomplishing its stated goal. I do wonder where all the street people have moved on to, though.
Right about when I was shooting the photo above at a clearing in the wall of vegetation, of a tug and barge doing some sort of construction duty with a ‘Dick’s Sporting Goods’ advertising blimp overhead, that’s when I really started craving some sort of hydration. I seldom carry a water bottle with me, and my NYC born habit always involves the statement that ‘I’d stop at a bodega somewhere and grab a Gatorade or something.’
The problem with Pittsburgh, as I’ve discovered, is they ain’t got no bodegas out here. It’s ‘car country’ and the best you’re going to do is find a gas station with a convenience store attached to it or happen across some random 711 or McDonald’s, but those are far and few between.
Back tomorrow.
“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 