Posts Tagged ‘CSX’
Skedaddling through the sky
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A wide angle 16mm prime lens had been affixed to my camera while walking over the Birmingham Bridge, which spans the Monongahela River here in Pittsburgh, and an attempt was made to tap into the lens’ potential.
You have to be mindful, with a lens like this, of weird optical distortions.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s one of them now.
It really matters where the ‘what’ you focus on is ‘in’ the frame with this lens, due to severe barrel distortion. A hemispheric knob of glass forms the lens’ objective, rather than a flat element on the face of the thing.
I wasn’t listening to anything interesting on this walk, preferring to stay cognizant of my surroundings while moving through an area of urban density.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last shot with the wide angle lens, as I crossed over the bridge and got to the south side of the river. I sat down again, and refitted a zoom lens to the camera. Options.
I looked down and saw a set of rail tracks, thinking to myself that it would be super cool if a train came through just then.
Then I heard a train’s horn…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX was rolling through, hauling a line of mineral cars. Y’know what? It was ‘super cool.’
Sorry, but I’m going to have to say this bit again…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It looks like coal, or maybe ‘coke,’ which is cooked coal. I don’t know for sure, and long practice has taught me not to make assumptions about the things I see and photograph. I can say pretty categorically that it’s ‘minerals’ in those train cars.
This is a practice which I learned to follow on the fabulous Newtown Creek, which is that ‘unless you know for a fact what ‘something’ is, don’t try to ‘sound smart’ and guess.’ The hardest thing in the world for someone like me is to just utter the phrase ‘I don’t know.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a quick stop off at a Saloon for a rehydrating pint of Guinness, accompanied by a quick sit down and conversation with some amiable company, one set off for the final destination of the evening – a restaurant and pub which specialized in British food, of the specifically Scottish variety. Our Lady of the Pentacle is from England, so… homeland chow for her.
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.
Hey Now! Friday Edition.
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
HEY NOW! I had arrived at the Sly Fox Brewery outfit’s ‘Highline’ location, and started a tab. I’ve seen these tracks referred to as either the ‘Pittsburgh Subdivision’ or as the ‘Keystone Subdivision.’
Just as I was sitting down outside the brewery, with a lovely pint of stout, CSX #2656 thundered through while heading in a westerly direction.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now! Emanating from the west, #7411 hurtled past next. It was quite a busy afternoon, I should mention, for the employees of CSX. I was only there for about two hours, but the hits kept on coming.
I’m going out of my way not to look up the make and models of these trains, as a small section of my soul seems to die everytime I do.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now! Next up was CSX #7391. Really, it was a very busy afternoon for the CSX folks.
As I’ve been learning about rail here in Pittsburgh, one of the things I’ve gleaned is that ‘getting the shot’ is all about finding where the railroad choke points which they have to pass through are. It’s just like fishing.
Luckily, this particular choke point is found alongside a decent bar with outdoor seating.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#7391 is either brand new or it’s just been repainted. That’s one of the highest quality ‘finishes’ I’ve ever seen on a freight train. Shiny and all specular, with actual reflectivity. Wow.
I went inside to the bar and paid my tab, then headed back outside to start my journey back to HQ in Dormont.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now! The signal arms began to chime again just as I walked back outside, and this time it was CSX #7563 that was flowing towards me.
This train’s finishes were in the sort of corroded and scratched up condition which most freight trains usually are observed in.
All beat up, and quite a counterpoint to #7391.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It had been a nice day, really.
Back next week 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.
New tires? Well, sheiste…
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My car is still kind of new, and the warranty agreement with Toyota is obliged by bringing the thing into the ‘stealership’ about every 5,000 miles, to have the tires rotated and all of the vital juices and jellies in the engine and power train examined, or changed out, or replaced.
Imagine my surprise when the mechanics told me that I needed new tires, on a factory new car which I took delivery of in October of 2022 and that only has 25k miles on it. It was undeniable, they showed me the tread depth with a special PA. approved tool, and then they did the penny test as well. They told me about a sale they were having in October, but one of my tires began losing about 5 PSI of pressure every day, so I had to get the process going a lot quicker than I would have liked.
The penny thing is kind of interesting to me – from a folk knowledge POV. You take a penny coin, turn it upside down, and then insert it into one of your tire treads. If the tread isn’t touching Lincoln’s head, then you need new tires.
That’s how and why I found myself back in Homestead, in a Costco parking lot, with a couple of hours to kill while the Costco mechanics set the MOP (Mobile Oppression Platform) up with a new set of shoes. Luckily, I’m remarkably self entertaining and ‘kicking dirt’ is a specialty.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The tire guy was actually stunned that I’d gotten about 25,000 miles out of ‘OEM’ (Original Equipment Manufacturer) supplied tires, and he said that normally he sees new car owners by 15k.
It was implied that the same tire molds were used for the supplied tires as the commercial model, but different materials were used to manufacture the things which aren’t as robust as the commercially available and consumer facing products. The OEM tires are sold to the manufacturer at a loss, with the inherent gamble that the end customer is likely to just buy a set of the exact same tires as replacements. Grrr.
This banged me out for just under a thousand bucks, in the end.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Time to kill, nowhere to go, God’s lonely man… all that.
I headed towards the walkway leading to the off ramp of the Homestead Gray’s Bridge, connecting Homestead across the Monongahela River with Squirrel Hill, and other residential neighborhoods on the other side. It is set fairly high up, the bridge, and provides interesting views.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This POV looks roughly south, towards the community of Homestead.
I’m told things get pretty wild up in those hills at night, but until I’ve witnessed something personally it’s just heresay. Especially so, now. Don’t believe anything that you don’t personally observe, these days. All is false, lies, and deceptions. Pay no attention to the men behind the curtain.
Luckily, there are multiple lines of railroad tracks which are leave behinds from the age of steel found here. Lots and lots of railroad tracks, in fact.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #6025 appeared. It was heading southeast.
Vehicle traffic was unusually heavy on the bridge, due to a cataclysmic fire in Squirrel Hill that decimated a high occupancy apartment building found fairly close to the entrance of the interstate. That exit was closed, and detours were sending all of that traffic towards Homestead. Yikes.
I decided on Costco for the tire replacement, incidentally, for a combination of their warrantees and price on the job. It was also convenient, which is always a factor that I ‘price in.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On my looping path back to the tire center at Costco, I spotted a Norfolk Southern locomotive just sitting there, idling. The pickup sitting next to the train indicates that there was likely a crew change or something ‘official’ going on.
No trip to Costco is complete without a foot long hot dog, so I scratched that off the list while waiting for the text that my car was ready.
I ended up buying Michelin Cross Climate 2’s. All season tires, warranteed to 40,000 miles, and their unique tread pattern qualifies the things to be embossed with a snow tire seal. Haven’t taken much of a hit on mileage yet, so seemingly a ‘win.’
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.
Going to and coming from…
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After executing a fairly long scuttle, along the Great Allegheny Passage Trail between Homestead and the South Side Flats section of Pittsburgh, just as I was arriving at the Sly Fox brewery for a rehydration session with a coy-Le of lovely pints of Stout, the train tracks signal arms lowered and the alarm bells started ringing.
A train was a-coming. HEY NOW!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#3418 was heading westerly, towards Ohio. It was hauling cargo boxes and tanker cars. A ‘GE ET44AH’ model locomotive, its fairly modern by CSX standard, having been built just during the last twenty or so years.
‘Grade crossings,’ as in when a vehicle/pedestrian path is interrupted to allow train egress, are pretty rare back in NYC.
Apparently, Robert Moses made it one of his missions in life to eliminate as many of NYC’s grade crossings as possible, except at Newtown Creek. Here’s one in Blissville, one in Maspeth, there’s LIRR in DUPBO, and one that’s from East Williamsburg.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The spot I was standing on was once part of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie rail yard back in the days of steel, and the brewery I was headed to is sited in a building that used to serve as a rail yard warehousing and intermodal operation. Railroad tracks were here first, so everything else has to wait when a train comes through. Saying that, I see people racing against oncoming trains all the time. It’s only a matter of time before I photograph something horrible happening.
Hey now?
They don’t do Guinness at this establishment, but they do offer a couple of other choices in the ‘Stout’ category which I’d describe as ‘salubrious.’ After a quick visit to the porcelain within, and then to the bar, your humble narrator soon sat down for the first time in a few hours, and slurped on a pint of grog while hoping for the next train to arrive.
Vainglorious hope, and after an hour I paid my tab and started moving again. There’s an elevated truck ramp that overflies this familiar spot, which the current owners of the property have fashioned as ‘The Highline.’ I headed up there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just as I got to the ‘top,’ the signal arms began to chime and another train appeared, this one heading south easterly and away from Ohio.
CSX #3200, its a GE ES44AC-H model locomotive. Same basic design as #3418, I’m led to believe, but equipped with different electrical gear and traction controls.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You have to respect ‘nerdom’ and all the facets it may take.
There’s comics people, music people, sci-fi people, philatelists, sports people. Uncredentialed experts in their fields of study, these people nevertheless are amazing fonts of knowledge about esoteric things. Like railfans are. Respect.
As stated a hundred times: I’m not a ‘railfan,’ in terms of understanding all the nuance and detail that’s rolling past the lens. I just like taking pictures of trains, an activity which I find kind of challenging.
I’m a photo nerd, these days.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After the train passed, it was time to head back to HQ and I opted for the lazy solution to getting home – calling a ride share. It’s about $12 for that fare, as Pittsburgh isn’t terribly large and HQ is roughly five miles from this spot.
Moe the dog danced and brayed on my return, then promptly fell asleep.
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.
Your scheduled dose of trains
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yeah, this post gets a little excessive, but… Hey Now… it was my birthday – and CSX just kept on keeping on… so…
#5220 was the first CSX train that hurtled past the Sly Fox Brewery in Pittsburgh, on a late August evening. It was a very, very good evening for trains despite it being a Saturday night. Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself were in the company of friends, including our out of town guests whom we had ridden the tourist bus with the day before. Fun.
5220 is apparently a GE ES44DC ‘evolution series’ model locomotive.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#3397, a GE ET44AH model locomotive, appeared next. It too is a GE Evolution Series locomotive, but seems to be a different model than the previous one. I think we can guess where the CSX people like to shop.
Me? I like to think about Superman… so, I asked a computer to do the math on what the physical reality of Superman stopping a speeding train might entail, so via Google’s AI:
Newton’s First Law: The law of inertia
- The train is in motion and will remain in motion at a constant velocity unless an unbalanced external force acts upon it.
- The immense mass of the train gives it a tremendous amount of inertia.
- Superman’s role is to act as the unbalanced external force that overcomes the train’s inertia and brings it to a halt.
Newton’s Second Law: Force, mass, and acceleration
- The fundamental equation for stopping the train is F=m×a𝐹=𝑚×𝑎.
- Force (F): Superman must apply an immense force in the direction opposite to the train’s motion. This force must be greater than the train’s accelerating force and other resistive forces like rolling friction.
- Mass (m): A train has a massive amount of mass, which means a very large force is required to change its velocity. For example, a large freight train could weigh 10 million kg.
- Acceleration (a): A negative acceleration, or deceleration, is the goal. For a safe stop, this deceleration must be gradual to prevent injury to the passengers. A safe stop would have a small negative acceleration spread over a longer time and distance.
Newton’s Third Law: Action-reaction
- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- As Superman pushes on the train to stop it (the action), the train exerts an equal and opposite force back on Superman (the reaction).
- For a normal human, this equal and opposite force would be devastating. Superman’s durability and strength allow him to withstand this reaction force, unlike a normal person, who would be crushed instantly.
Conservation of energy
- A speeding train possesses a large amount of kinetic energy, which is defined by the formula KE=12mv2𝐾𝐸=12𝑚𝑣2. The enormous mass and velocity result in a colossal amount of energy that must be dissipated.
- Superman must perform work to remove this kinetic energy from the train. Work is defined as force multiplied by the distance over which the force is applied (W=F×d𝑊=𝐹×𝑑).
- The longer the distance Superman takes to stop the train, the less force he has to apply at any given moment. This is why a gradual stop is safer, as it dissipates the energy over a longer period and distance, lessening the strain on both the train and its passengers.
Realistic versus fantastical scenarios
- Fantastical “Brute Force” Stop: If Superman were to instantly stop the train by standing in front of it, the physics would be catastrophic. The sudden, near-instantaneous change in momentum would exert a massive, bone-crushing force on the passengers. The train itself would likely be ripped apart, sending cars and debris flying and derailing the train. The pressure on the tracks would be unbearable, causing them to fracture.
- Physically Responsible Stop: To stop the train safely, Superman would act as a massive braking force behind or in front of the train, applying a steady, constant force over a long distance. By pushing against the train and the tracks, he could dissipate its kinetic energy gradually, mimicking a safe, controlled braking process. This would prevent violent jolting and structural failure, safeguarding the passengers. Superman’s fictional abilities allow him to perform this feat in a way that is impossible for a real-world object.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#3000 is a GE ES44AC-H locomotive engine, yet another variant in the Evolution series (linked to above). All of these trains were moving east/southeast along the Monongahela River and ‘away from Ohio.’ I’ve got limited experiences regarding Ohio, but leaving it seems like a good option for anyone or anything. Blech.
I asked the same computer, at Google, what it knew about freight traffic and volume along these subdivision tracks and the machine said:
- Company-wide average: In 2024, CSX reported an overall volume increase of 2% and an average of 1,848 trains operated per day across its entire network.
- Nearby operations: For perspective on rail traffic in the Pittsburgh area, Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line is reported to handle between 50 and 70 trains daily. While this is not CSX traffic, it illustrates the high density of rail activity in the region.
- General freight types: The CSX Keystone Subdivision, which runs between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland, carries a variety of freight traffic, including intermodal, grain, coal, and mixed freight. It also hosts Amtrak’s Capitol Limited passenger service.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#815 appeared next, moving westerly towards Ohio, and it’s yet another GE ES44AC-H model locomotive engine.
This is the juncture where I feel the need to restate that I’m not a ‘railfan’ other than that I like taking pictures of trains. It’s important to me that actual railfans don’t think I’m trying to sound intelligent while pooping on their parade or something when mentioning that ‘I don’t care if the wrong screw is holding one of those lights on.’ I’m learning all of this rail stuff on the fly, and ultimately I’m seeking a cool shot rather than just indexing things in an encyclopedic manner. Nerding out on something esoteric is enjoyable to me, but that’s not where I’m going with all this. I’m ignorant, largely, of this nerdom phyla and I’m just trying to puncture that.
I see cool things, take pictures of them, then write about what I saw.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#7289 was next. I was unable to find anything reliable to tell you about its model or make, but it seems I’ve photographed it before in this post from 2024.
The evening was starting to wrap up. We had all drank our fill of beers, and it was time to start thinking about food. As mentioned, it was my birthday, which I always try to keep simple. If the universe is going to ‘eff with you, or me in particular, it’s going to be on your own personal holiday. That’s my history, at least.
Also, it was the anniversary of the Pittsburgh incident of 1968.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We gathered ourselves up, summoned rideshare vehicles to carry us back to HQ, and had a bite to eat back there. Moe the Dog was very pleased with the situation as he was able to purloin table scraps. He’s an odd dog, I should mention – as he likes bananas and broccoli. We generally don’t serve those two things on the same plate, as a note.
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 