Posts Tagged ‘Freight Train’
Hey Now!, times three
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the end of a medium length scuttle down through and around Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes neighborhood, detailed in prior posts, your humble narrator now found himself in a quite familiar setting: drinking a pint of beer while at Pittsburgh’s Sly Fox brewery, and photographing passing CSX freight trains.
First up was CSX #3284. Heading northwesterly, towards Ohio, and away from the steel plants found along the Monongahela River, West Virginia, and or Maryland.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was a Saturday afternoon, which made it kind of surprising just how much rail traffic there was during my relatively short visit. I’ve started working out the timing of their operations, and have observed that there seems to be a long interval in the late morning and early afternoon when nothing is rolling through. After about 3 p.m., CSX seems to get a lot busier. I’m seldom if ever here in the early part of the day, so…
After the train passed through, I marched into the brewery, put my glass on the counter and said ‘reload.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In addition to the bartender, CSX seems to heard me say ‘reload.’
Next up was #430, which was heading in a southeasterly direction (away from Ohio). One of the things I like so much about this spot is there are two grade crossings with signal arms here. I get plenty of notice that something is going to be coming through, and an idea of what direction it’s coming from, based on which one of the signal arms triggers first.
They do blow the train’s horns while approaching, but that sort of sound isn’t necessarily ‘directional,’ due to it bouncing around off of buildings and the geology, if you know what I mean.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It had been a pleasant early autumn day in Pittsburgh, weather wise. I was quaffing Helles branded draft Lager at the brewery. Intervals between train sets were about 15-30 minutes on this particular day.
After #430 passed through, I headed inside, demanded another ‘reload,’ and also paid my tab.
Big difference between ‘having a drink’ and ‘getting drunk’ for me is volume related, and these days alcohol in excess just makes me want to go take a nap. I always figure that I’m ‘paying rent’ for the train photo opportunity and am obliged to buy a drink in return for the seating, but this spot is ‘a public park area with a brewery’ rather than the other way around. I usually don’t mention the pints of water I’m also drinking, but there you go.
I could just sit and wait, but I like access to the bathroom and your humble narrator really enjoys a nice cold pint on a warm day.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Last up – for me, at least – was CSX #7086. It was headed in the westerly direction, towards Ohio, and it was the last thing I’d end up photographing on this particular day.
After a little while, I summoned a rideshare to pick me up, and carry my carcass back to HQ. That habit is something I’m going to be (and have been since the time of this writing) attenuating.
Made sense in terms of the ankle situation, all these months, but I’m back to riding the T light rail again, and using it as my mass transit springboard into various situations and spots. The T has limited range, however, which is why it’s a ‘springboard.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So, that’s the end of my tale of the walk down the Sterling Street Steps, through the South Side Flats, and then gathering train photos at a familiar brewery. Nice time, for a Saturday in October.
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.
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.
316,800 inch long scuttle, part 3
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with captures from a recent walk around Pittsburgh, as your humble narrator exercises himself back to normal circumstance, post broken ankle. As previously described: one was crossing the Ohio River on the West End Bridge, as folks do.
Along the way, there were lots and lots of interesting things to point the camera at, and amongst them was the Towboat King Conan towing four barges of minerals in a westerly direction after leaving the Monongahela River. The region to the east along that river is locally referred to as ‘The Mon Valley.’ That zone still hosts a fantastic number of industrial facilities, but it’s a shadow of what once was.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Call sign WDN4839 is how King Conan would ID itself on the radio, and I’ll refer you to this page at marinetraffic.com for more details on the boat. After a series of floods in early 20th century which wrecked Western Pennsylvania and seriously curtailed the output of the steel industry, the Army Corps of Engineers installed several lock and dam installations along the three rivers to control the water. A fairly major lock and dam in this system is the nearby Emsworth Lock and Dam. King Conan was heading that way, and here’s a page from the USACE describing the facility and its costs.
Really, I’ve been working hard to remain ignorant here, but it just keeps on seeping in. Just last week I met somebody who works at the big sewer plant near Sewickley and… uhnnnn…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking back towards Pittsburgh’s north shore while scuttling along one of the West End Bridge’s pedestrian paths, that’s what’s depicted above. One of the severe difficulties you’ll encounter while driving in Pittsburgh is that you need to position yourself before the crossing to be in the lane for your exit. It’s quite an endeavor to switch lanes on the other side, and Pittsburgh drivers are fairly merciless. There’s also the whole ‘vernacular’ thing, wherein the fact that this is a fairly insular community has created a culture wherein the presumption is that everybody has the same knowledge base as everyone else. I mean, you want to go to California Avenue, you get in the left hand lane when you board that bridge – everybody knows that. Vernacular.
The example I always use to describe the Yinzer POV is somebody saying that ‘I’ll see you where Smith’s used to be, after lunch.’
My answer would be, as a foreigner from NYC: bro, I don’t know what Smith’s was or where where it used to be and I have no ‘effin idea what time you eat lunch. Give me an address or an intersection and name a time. Vernacular. They speak in vernacular here.
There’s also the not exactly legal but commonly offered ‘Pittsburgh left’ wherein the lead car on the opposite side of an intersection will flash their brights at you to allow you to make a left turn at the start of a light cycle. This practice works surprisingly well at keeping traffic moving on the narrow and often steep streets hereabouts, as a note.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Speaking of traffic, the south end of the West End Bridge overlooks the CSX Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks heading towards Ohio, and just as I arrived at one of several ‘Bernie Holes’ in the fencing a train appeared rounding the bend. The term ‘Bernie Holes’ refers to my old pal Bernard Ente from Newtown Creek, who passed away in 2011. You can still find the holes he cut into fences in the dead of night, just big enough to fit a camera lens through, all around the creek, Sunnyside Yards, and various LIRR bridges in Maspeth and beyond.
I had time to get ready and noodle with the camera’s settings and figure out a composition.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yeah, I like this one. Subject is sharp, composition good, and the background environmental detail provides a sense of place. Yay for me.
A problem I’m starting to encounter in my plotting and planning involves ambition, and the desire to forget about the ankle and fully immerse myself back into the ‘mishegoss.’ Just last night, I was sitting there in front of the iPad with. Google maps open considering a scuttle on a natural dirt and rock path down the face of Mount Washington, and on a trail which I haven’t explored yet. Given that this would have been a difficult but productive pathway to move through – prior to busting my ankle – it’s folly to even consider it at this point in time.
Instead, there’s an industrial zone on the north side of the triangle – which is largely flat – that’s ’next.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the end of the West End Bridge on the southern shore of the Monongahela River, you encounter a set of steps. Brr.
Given the PTSD I’m experiencing regarding stairs, one intentionally pointed his toes in this direction in the name of getting past all that.
I actually froze for a few minutes at the top landing, but managed to force myself to start walking downwards. The mental problems forced me to move in a stiff and somewhat robotic fashion, as I ‘protected the ankle,’ and in doing so actually interfered with a smooth passage and caused a terrifying stumble or two along the way down. This PTSD is going to be inhabiting me for a bit, I think, but exposure to terror is generally what makes fear go away.
Back tomorrow with more, at 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 Newtown Pentacle 