Posts Tagged ‘CSX’
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.
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.
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 universe complied, with my wishes
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Win, win, win. Finally, CSX played ball with my aspirations and sent a train over that rail bridge visible from the Homestead Pump House. It’s called the Pinkerton’s Landing Bridge, by the way, it’s aka the ‘Pemickey’ bridge.
The Pittsburgh Subdivision of CSX, which I often photograph further down the river, nearby the Sly Fox Brewery in the South Side Flats section of Pittsburgh’s inner core, crosses the Monongahela River here. It used to spur off to the Homestead Plant and to Carrie Furnace, but today its tracks lead to the massive Edgar Thomson U.S. Steel plant a few miles east.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was listening to the radio chatter on my scanner radio, and this was a 260 axle train according to the automated defect detector. That’s a mechanical circuit checker which lets the engine at the front of the train know that they haven’t lost any cars along their path, the defect detector is. Multiple units along the route will report how many axles are present at each way station.
Hey, I learn things.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was a fairly rare dusk/evening (these days) photo session for me. My old ‘night owl’ habits in NYC have been completely reversed here in Pittsburgh. It’s been a minute since I shot in low light around dusk and evenings. I get up really early these days.
Pittsburgh is very much an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ sort of place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m planning on returning here about this time of day to see if lightning strikes twice. If it does, and this is more or less when CSX schedules a run across the Pinkerton’s Landing Bridge, there will be a spectacular ‘night shot’ to be captured here in the fullness of time.
It’s right about at this point that Our Lady texted me saying that the event she was participating in was winding up. I fired up the Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, and then hurtled towards Carrie Furnace.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The train was mostly hauling shipping containers.
It’s about a 15 minute drive from ‘a’ to ‘b’ but most of that time is spent sitting at traffic lights. On my way over to Carrie, a bit of news filtered in. It seems that some group of lefties decided to decry a ‘fascist, genocidal, zionist’ politician. This time around, it was Bernie Sanders. Bernie. Sanders. Sigh…
Y’know, we have a fairly shallow bench sitting in the dugout on the left side of the field, these days. Maybe two or three of them are ‘stars’ hidden amongst the entire crew of loathsome sentience. Perhaps, just perhaps, it’s not a good idea to chip away at these stars, right about now.
As always, however, the American left is compelled to start to eating its own arm in order to guarantee the right its victory. I still think that the Republicans should send Tiffany Caban a thank you note for her introduction of the phrase ‘defund the police’ to the national conversation.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another CSX train appeared – heading in the opposite direction and back towards the Pinkerton’s Landing Bridge – just as I arrived at Carrie Furnace for my reunion with Our Lady.
8 to 8:30 p.m., that’s my new deal here. Should be a pretty cool sight as the days grow shorter during the approach of Autumn. On it.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 