Posts Tagged ‘Monongahela River’
Train, too
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While walking a waterfront trail, found along the south bank of the Monongahela River here in Pittsburgh, one had spotted a train sitting entirely still while pointed eastwards (described yesterday). The signal boards which govern the movement of such transportation units indicated that ‘something’ was likely going to be heading westwards shortly.
CSX #1899 ending being one of the somethings, but it ended up not being the only something. Such occurrences bring joy to one such as myself.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the actual river bank found on the other side of the tracks, a towboat was tying up to a series of mineral barges. Most of the time, nothing happens when passing through here. When something is happening, a lot of other things seem to also be happening. This is sort of ‘the way of things’ when you’re in the habit of following a camera around.
This spot is right about the point where the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh commingle, and form the headwaters of the Ohio River.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #1899 is what’s known as a heritage unit, painted up all ‘old timey’ special and it’s christened as the ‘Pere Marquette.’ Read all about it here.
Were I a railfan rather than just some ‘icehole who likes taking pictures of trains,’ I’d likely be jumping up and down with joy at this capture, but that would puncture the numbed down and dire outlook on life which I pride myself on. Nothing matters, and nobody cares, after all.
Back tomorrow.
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Train, one
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After witnessing a Towboat maneuvering an amazing fifteen mineral barges, while walking over the West End Bridge (discussed yesterday), my scuttling path saw a humble narrator encountering a series of CSX trains along the Monongahela River, here in the heart of Pittsburgh.
I’ve experienced multiple hour long intervals where there isn’t a hint of activity along these tracks, but this time around I got lucky.
CSX #7289 was just idling there, held up by signals, on my left.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On my right, as the Monongahela Incline was rising up towards the summit of Mount Washington, and a Norfolk Southern train was transiting under its cantilevered trackway.
On did a humble narrator scuttle.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #7289 is a bit of mystery to me, although a bit of googling suggests that it had recently been renumbered from an earlier classification. It was sitting there at a dead standstill, and a glance down the tracks revealed that the signal boards for this track were red in coloration, whereas the second track’s signals revealed a yellow light.
Another lens change ensued, as I guessed that the yellow light meant something was coming my way and heading west.
More on that tomorrow.
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Carrie over
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last post from a recent visit to Pittsburgh’s Carrie Furnace, and this was one of the spots that I hadn’t gotten to visit on prior visits. This chamber of secrets is found at the top of a couple of flights of stairs, and attached to the mechanism which transported materials delivered by rail to the steel mill’s campus.
Given the presence of the word ‘Otis’ embossed onto the central smattering of machinery in the room, I reached out to my old friend ‘Hank the elevator guy’ to see if he could provide insight as to the purpose of the mechanisms.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After sending him these photos with my query, the response was ‘It’s an elevator. Drum elevator with a huge DC motor. Must be old. Maybe a grain type elevator. To move material.’ Thusly – my elevator rabbi has spoken. As a note, he’s also installed a serious distrust of escalators into me over the years.
A humble narrator had entered this particular space shortly before the photo safari event was scheduled to end, but about thirty minutes remained before I’d need to head back to the Mobile Oppression Platform and drive back to HQ. I got busy, thereby.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These were all tripod shots, ISO 100, with exposure times in the 6-10 second range. I was using the 28-105 zoom lens mostly, although a couple of the shots in today’s post were accomplished with a 16mm wide angle prime. I scanned around the room, trying to make my best use of the remaining time on site.
It was a feature rich environment.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This electrical panel, for instance, caught my eye. Must have really been something to see when it was operational. I suspect that one would have experienced a buzzing sound, and an environment of static electricity.
This must have been a very dangerous place to work, Carrie Furnace. One wrong move and ‘splat’ or ‘bzzz’ or ‘sizzle.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There was a step ladder that reached up to the ceiling, with a lot of other gear installed up top. The ladder was locked off.
As mentioned in prior posts, I’m going to be coming back here at the end of May, and am thinking through a shot list. Can’t wait, actually.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s it for this visit, however. It was time to return the loaner hard hat to the front desk/kiosk, climb into the car, and drive back to HQ.
Back tomorrow with something different at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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Carried away
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A ‘photo safari’ event at Pittsburgh’s Carrie Furnace had drawn me in, and several posts this week have shown you – lords and ladies – what I witnessed at this nationally recognized historic site.
As described, I had worked opposite to the main body of my fellow photography enthusiasts, which allowed for not having to deal with a crowd. A full circuit of the ruins of this steel mill soon found me at the edge of the property and gazing at a locomotive engine (pictured above and below) which once belonged to U.S. Steel.
It sits nearby a mechanism which the industrial giant utilized to transport coal from the rail cars to the mill’s power plant and furnaces.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a nearby bridge, abandoned, which I suspect once connected this rail track to the south side of the Monongahela River. The burning thermonuclear eye of god itself had risen to its noon day heights, emanating waves of heat and strong light which inspired the 3rd and 4th century A.D. Romans to begin worshipping a deity called ‘Sol Invictus’ or the ‘Unconquered Sun.’ Monotheistic, Sol Invictus allowed for an easy transition to Christianity for the Roman government by the time Constantine wore the purple. The feast of the unconquered sun, for instance, was celebrated on December 25th.
For some reason, Carrie Furnace makes me think a lot about Rome.
There was no reason to use a tripod in such circumstance, so I switched the camera’s operational settings back to handheld mode.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s that ‘establishing shot’ mentioned yesterday, wherein nearly the entire surviving complex at Carrie Furnace can be observed.
I was walking on a berm found at the edge of the property which once carried the rail tracks which led away from the position of that locomotive engine in the first two shots of today’s post.
The grounds of the place are a sort of poisoned meadow. I’m sure that digging down just a few feet into the loam would bring up soils laced with heavy metals and coal/arsenic pollutants.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yet another freight train, this time Norfolk Southern’s #4491, raced past in the direction of a bridge which connects to the community of Homestead, found on the southern bank of the Monongahela River. Like the CSX units observed earlier in the day, I’m fairly sure this one was returning from a delivery to the still active Edgar Thompson Steel Mill, about a mile or so up the river.
This shot is extremely cropped in, as I wasn’t armed with a super zoom on the camera – in terms of lenses.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I began a second circle of the place, seeking out spots which I hadn’t captured shots of yet, and zooming in on details. A humble narrator was growing fatigued by this point, which is a disturbing sensation for me that has been increasing in frequency as age’s degradations set in, diminishing the physical plant. Like a leaf, you… as the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner opines.
I take some satisfaction out of the fact that I’m in quite a bit better condition than my Dad was at my age. Saying that, the old man worked with his hands his entire life and had a list of injuries that would cover both sides of a piece of paper were they to be listed out. I’ve spent most of my working life behind a desk, in contrast.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just last week, one had to endure a dental procedure wherein the Periodontist commented that I had a horizontal crack on one of my front teeth. I confessed knowledge of the flaw, and told her the story of a bar fight on Manhattan’s west side wherein I caught a kick to the mouth and described the style of boot which had caused the injury.
That’s really what the difference between me and the old man is, though. He got hurt a lot while trying to feed a family, whereas I have gotten hurt a lot in pursuance of fun.
One more post from Carrie is coming your way on Monday, from inside a space that I got to visit for the first time on this outing.
Back next week.
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Voices Carrie
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Carrie Furnace in Pittsburgh’s Swissvale section, part of which is pictured above, is where I spent a pleasant Sunday morning not too long ago. A defunct and ruined steel mill, this is a ‘national historic place.’
Pictured is the main chamber you encounter upon entering the site, which I did as part of a ‘photo safari’ offered by the Rivers of Steel non profit operation that looks after this, and other, steel industry related historic sites in the region.
When operational, this section would have looked like a literal ‘hell on earth,’ with molten metal and flames shooting about. Temperatures within this structure would have required protective garb and limited occupational exposure to its Tartarean levels of heat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The group of photographers whom I was a member of all hit this section first, vying for position and impatiently waiting for others to ‘get out of frame.’ My plan involved going to the other sections of this ruination first, and then swinging back around this way. It worked out pretty well for me. Scroll down to the prior posts from this week for more.
As a note: I don’t like having to talk to people when I’m shooting. Usually, the headphones squash that before it gets started, but I wasn’t listening to any of my beloved audiobooks or podcasts on this outing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a bit of a labyrinth present at Carrie, and I was following both instinct and experience on this particular morning. To see prior visits – click here. The former visits informed my steps, and helped decided where I would set up the camera/tripod combo for captures.
The morning/transitioning to afternoon light was a challenge. I’m going back for another session here at the end of May, a visit which will occur in the late afternoon/early evening. The evening light should be a bit ‘kinder,’ but you never know. Last time I was here for the ‘sunset’ it rained for 2.5 of the 4 hours.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Moving through the complex, there were lots and lots of available compositions to be had. The problem was isolating myself down to individual subjects, as the byzantine complexity of the place created a ‘busy’ visual landscape.
This is always a problem that needs solving when photographing in industrial or post industrial spaces. How do you visually organize things?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This isn’t the same cylindrical structure as the one in the prior shot, as a note, there’s several of these gizmos.
After moving through the central area of the place, I looped back around to where I got started, with the intention of getting some ‘overview’ master shots. In comic book artist or film director terms, you’d call this getting an ‘establishing shot,’ which lets the viewer know where everything is before the action starts.
You’ll see that establishing shot tomorrow.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While repositioning myself, another CSX freight train roared by.
CSX #7225 specifically. My presumption is that the train was returning from delivering its cargo to the nearby Edgar Thompson works, which is an active and very operational steel mill that’s about a mile or so up river.
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 