Posts Tagged ‘Norfolk Southern’
Egress in Etna
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned yesterday, I had a friend in town, who wanted to see the sights here in Pittsburgh. Our travels around the region were by car, and the Mobile Oppression Platform allowed for the visitation of several extant locations.
We got lucky at the Etna Riverwalk when a Norfolk Southern train set came barreling through.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Senator Robert D. Fleming Bridge over the Allegheny River. You’re not crazy, btw, I’ve been here before – back in early February. There’s a bunch of places which I’m planning on revisiting now that the trees and hills are dressed up in green.
I’m starting to get a feel for Pittsburgh, I think. I’m not traveling around with the entire photo kit that I would carry to an ‘away game’ anymore, and am instead saying ‘this lens’ is what I’ll need for today. Not prepared for ‘everything,’ just ‘most things.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one looks up the Allegheny towards the USACE’s Lock and Dam 2. I’m fairly sure that’s the Highland Park Bridge, and a rail bridge behind it, but I can’t really be ‘sure’ of anything yet as I’m still learning about the place. Back in NYC, I was like a walking encyclopedia. It’s refreshing to not be that person anymore, and learning new things every day.
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.
Where, when, what, why, and how
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Welcome to the penultimate post to come out of a fantastic afternoon’s walking experience in Pittsburgh. This one began when a humble narrator debarked the T light rail at its terminal stop on the City’s North Side and marveled at a series of on-ramps. I had crossed the triangle, and was midway across the Liberty Bridge on my way back to another T station on the South Side of the Monongahela River at Station Square.
Thereby, that’s the ‘where.’
The light was absolutely fantastic. It was the 25th of April, a Tuesday. At just about 5 p.m., so that’s the ‘when.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The ‘what’ is a little more complicated, but suffice to say that a bit of a constitutional walk was required. As is my habit, the camera was clutched in my hand. This walk saw me bring a lens out of retirement, my Sigma 18-300mm. It’s a ‘crop sensor’ lens, meaning that on my ‘full frame’ camera, I’d be throwing away about 35% of the image and making minor sacrifices in terms of image quality here and there.
Saying that, I’ve really missed this ‘one lens to rule them all’ kind of setup. It’s really nice to be able to go wide to telephoto without having to fiddle about.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
‘Why’ I was using this piece of glass is simple, or rather its simplicity. When I moved my camera operations over from the trusty Canon 7D which I’d been carrying for about a decade to the R6 Mirrorless model I now use, most of my collection of lenses went into the cabinet along with the 7D body. The new camera uses the ‘RF’ Mount, which Canon has not licensed any Third Parties like Sigma to manufacture for. Canon is obviously trying to make as much as they can off we users, but…
Whereas most of the RF glass Canon has released is kind of miraculous, it’s also set at price points that would make even Apple blush. Even worse, most of the stuff they’ve been putting out is aimed squarely at a) wedding and portrait and b) sports photographers. I really don’t need a 6 pound, 13 inch long 100-300mm lens that costs $9,500 to do Newtown Pentacle and if I did need that sort of reach/capability for a gig or something – I’d rent it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
‘How’ is fairly easily accomplished on the R6, you just change the crop settings in one of the menus and the camera does the rest. I can also shoot squares, or HD TV formatted images using that menu. I have a few ‘native lenses’ that I use all the time which are RF mount – a 24-105mm, a 35mm, and an 85mm. I’ve got an extremely old 70-300mm consumer level lens which I attach to the camera via the usage of an adapter – the same thing I use for any of my EF mount lenses. The 70-300 is pretty unreliable though, and it’s autofocus was crap out of the box when I bought it years ago. After a piss poor performance by the thing recently, I decided that when I need the extra reach or it’s just a ‘photowalk day’ when I’m not trying to get all artsy fartsy the far more reliable Sigma is my ‘go-to.’
That’s the Panhandle Bridge which the T is riding on.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve been riding this T service a lot, especially on days when I want to keep all my options open. Maybe stop at a bar & inhale a pint, that sort of thing. Stuff I can’t do when I’m driving, basically. Also, I really don’t want to be a ‘car guy’ all the time. Gotta keep scuttling.
Also, as I’ve been quoted saying a million times: ‘you can’t see anything when you’re inside of a vehicle. Even a bike is moving too fast. You need to walk in Cities. Feel them, catch their vibe.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The icing on my photowalk cake was finally finding a POV for the Norfolk Southern tracks, which is from the Liberty Bridge. I’ll admit to stopping my forward movement for about 15 minutes, and nearly jumping for joy when I heard it coming from the other side of the tree line. These tracks are on a shelf carved into Mount Washington. I’ve gotten shots from the ground of this scene which I’ve shown y’all in the past.
I feel like I’m starting to catch the vibe here now. 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.
sweatshirt weather
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After visiting the Fall Run Park in Shaler Township with Our Lady of the Pentacle, we next found ourselves in the nearby community of Etna along the Allegheny River. We weren’t there ten minutes when I heard train horns being blown to the west. A Norfolk Southern train was a-coming.
As a note, I’m playing around with using ChatGPT’s “AI” as a research assistant, so here’s what that machine says about the locomotive pictured above, which is designated as being #7504: according to publicly available records, Norfolk Southern operates a variety of locomotives that were manufactured by different companies over several decades. The 7500 series locomotives are typically EMD SD70ACe locomotives, which were first manufactured in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, it is possible that Norfolk Southern 7504 may have been refurbished or modified since its original manufacture date, which could affect its specifications and performance.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Additional machine perceptions are offered here:
Norfolk Southern locomotives are typically large diesel-electric locomotives used for hauling freight across the United States. They are designed for high performance and reliability, with powerful engines and advanced technology to ensure smooth operation and efficient use of fuel. Norfolk Southern locomotives are often painted in the company’s distinctive black, white, and gray color scheme, with the locomotive number prominently displayed on the sides and front. It is likely that Norfolk Southern Locomotive 7504 is similar in appearance and function to other locomotives in the company’s fleet, but specific details may vary depending on the model and year of manufacture.
The AI, which is not really an artificial intelligence but is still fairly amazing, uses Google’s data coupled with a learning algorithm to scrape information off the http level of the web. It’s a lot more targeted than Google is these days, as it’s not carrying advertising links or being manipulated by SEO (search engine optimization). Yet.
Also, before you ask, yes I’ve seen the Terminator movies, read Asimov, and Colossus: The Forbin Project remains one of my favorites.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On Monday the 6th, one had to run a few errands north and west of the Paris of Appalachia and once these tasks were accomplished I decided to take advantage of a 62 degree sunny February day – in Pittsburgh – and head over to a section of the Montour Trail which was next on my ‘go see it’ list. This part of the trail straddles the border of Pennsylvania’s Imperial and Findlay Township.
The machine that goes “ping” says this about the Montour Trail:
The Montour Trail is a multi-use recreational trail located in southwestern Pennsylvania, in the United States. The trail follows the former Montour Railroad line, which was originally built in the late 19th century and served the coal mines in the region. The trail stretches for more than 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Coraopolis, near Pittsburgh International Airport, to Clairton in Allegheny County.
The Montour Trail is a popular destination for hiking, biking, running, and other outdoor activities. It is a non-motorized trail that is open to the public year-round, free of charge. The trail offers scenic views of the surrounding landscape, including forests, hills, and streams. It also passes through several small towns and historic sites, such as the Montour Railroad Museum and the Walker’s Mill Covered Bridge.
In addition to its recreational uses, the Montour Trail also serves as an important transportation corridor for commuters and other travelers. The trail is part of the larger Great Allegheny Passage, which connects Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., via a continuous system of trails and bike paths.
Overall, the Montour Trail is a valuable resource for residents and visitors to the Pittsburgh area, providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, transportation, and education about the region’s rich history and natural beauty.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The waterway in these shots is called Montour Run. As described in the post about Fall Run Park, the “official and legal”definition of what a ‘run’ is in the Pennsylvania context is “run of the river means a facility where there is a continuous discharge of water without storage and release of water.” Apparently, it’s synonymous with Creek, and is an archaic language artifact just like the usage of the term “kill” is back in NYC.
Computer says:
Montour Run is a tributary stream of the Ohio River, located in western Pennsylvania in the United States. The stream flows for approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) through Allegheny County, draining an area of about 36 square miles (93 square kilometers).
Montour Run is named for the Montour family, who were early settlers in the region and operated a gristmill along the stream in the 18th and 19th centuries. The stream is formed by the confluence of two smaller streams, North Fork Montour Run and South Fork Montour Run, near the borough of Coraopolis. It then flows westward, passing through several towns and suburbs before emptying into the Ohio River near the borough of McKees Rocks.
Montour Run and its surrounding watershed are important natural resources for the region, providing habitat for a variety of plant and animal species. The stream also serves as a source of drinking water for several communities in the area. However, the watershed has faced environmental challenges in recent years, including pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial activities, and urbanization.
Efforts are underway to protect and restore Montour Run and its surrounding ecosystem. This includes initiatives to reduce pollution and improve water quality, as well as efforts to conserve and restore natural habitats along the stream and its tributaries.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One scuttled about a mile in the wrong direction, encountering this old rail car sitting on the property of a community center in Imperial. I realized that the tunnel I was keen on seeing wasn’t in this particular stretch, so I backtracked a bit after this to go the other way. It was a really beautiful day anyway and it was nice to just be kicking the dirt around in Pennsylvania’s community of Imperial.
Future machine overlord says:
Imperial is a small suburban community located in Allegheny County in western Pennsylvania, in the United States. The community is situated approximately 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of Pittsburgh, near the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Imperial is primarily a residential community, with a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. The community also has a small commercial district along its main road, including a grocery store, gas station, and several restaurants and shops. The Imperial Volunteer Fire Department provides emergency services to the community.
Imperial is surrounded by a mix of rural and suburban landscapes, with farms and fields to the west and north, and other suburban communities to the east and south. The Montour Trail, a popular recreational trail, passes through the community, offering opportunities for biking, hiking, and other outdoor activities.
The community has a rich history, dating back to the early 19th century when it was first settled by European immigrants. The area was originally known for its coal mining and farming industries, and later became a hub for transportation and commerce, thanks to its location along the Ohio River and major highways.
Overall, Imperial is a quiet and peaceful community with a strong sense of history and tradition. Its proximity to Pittsburgh and other major attractions in the region make it a desirable place to live for those seeking a suburban lifestyle with easy access to urban amenities.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One headed in the other direction and was soon walking past the parking spot occupied by the Mobile Oppression Platform, whereupon a humble narrator then set out in search of this particular ‘Enlow Tunnel’ on the Montour Trail which had drawn my attentions.
Back tomorrow with that part of the walk.
I asked the electrical collaborator for today’s post to “describe yourself,” here’s what it said:
EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE…
Actually, it was:
As an AI language model, I don’t have a physical body, so I don’t have physical characteristics like height or eye color. However, I can describe myself in terms of my abilities and functions.
I am ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI. I have been designed to understand natural language and provide responses that are as human-like as possible. I have access to a vast database of information, including knowledge about a wide range of topics and the ability to perform various tasks such as calculations, translations, and data analysis.
My primary function is to communicate with humans through text-based interactions, such as chat and messaging platforms. I can answer questions, provide information, offer suggestions, and engage in conversations on a wide range of topics.
Overall, I am a versatile and adaptive language model that can help people find answers and solutions to their questions and problems.
“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.
Second GAP: Part 2
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described in yesterday’s post, one visited the Great Allegheny Passage trail on the south side of the Monongahela River again, but this time from the Duquesne side of things. That’s part of the United States Steel Mon Valley Works pictured above, which is found on the north side of the river in a community called Braddock.
The steel mill is fired up using coke and coal, and what that means is that there’s one heck of lot of railroad activity going on in its vicinity.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Union RR Port Perry Bridge pictured above, with multiple locomotive engines working together to haul a series of coal cars to the furnaces. Union Rail Road is a Class 3 switching railroad which is ultimately owned by US Steel.
Port Perry used to be an actual town, on the north side of the river, but it essentially got swallowed by the steel mill as the operations there expanded. Saying all that, it’s not just Union RR that uses these tracks, the big boys play here too.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A second rail bridge is found here, the PRR Port Perry Bridge, which carries Norfolk Southern’s Port Perry branch over the Monongahela River. A Class 1 railroad, Norfolk Southern has been in the news a lot over the last few weeks due to a spectacularly mishandled derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
A friend of mine, who has a trench warrior’s mentality when it comes to his politics, recently spent a bit of time with me on the phone blaming the current President for this. The political partisan bait I was supposed to take would have seen me blaming the last President for this so then we could argue about stolen laptops, party islands, and all that.
Unfortunately for my pal, I actually know a little bit about this subject. Republicans only want to argue about what they’re currently mad about, so he was upset. This week, they’re going after Hershey’s Chocolate for being “woke” because the candy bars are “her” and “she.” I’m not kidding.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
First off, there hasn’t been an American President ever who wasn’t on the side of “management” regarding the railroads. That includes FDR, Harry Truman, and the rest. Union shmunion, they’ve all broken strikes for their sponsors in the board room.
Given the number of freight trains moving around the United States at any given time – there’s has to be somewhere between 5 and 10 thousand MILES of trains (deliberate underestimate) speedily moving about as you’re reading this – the East Palestine disaster stands out because it’s actually kind of rare. A statistical anomaly in terms of the total numbers.
You drive a car every day, for instance. You drive that car for ten years, never having a problem, but one day the car doesn’t start. That’s one day out if 3,650. 1/3650th downtime is what you’d call a statistical anomaly, not a pattern. Saying that, if you were to now define the entire ownership period based of that car on a statistical anomaly… that’s sort of where the national discussion is going right now on the subject of trains. Things went horribly wrong in East Palestine, just like in Canada’s Lac-Mégantic, but again – anomalous in terms of the total numbers of trains and miles involved. The fact that trains don’t derail every day, especially given the criminally low amount of money which the regulatory bodies require RR’s like Northern Southern to invest in infrastructure is certainly a testament to something.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I should mention that the train pictured above is not the same unit seen in the prior two shots, instead I got this one early in the afternoon. The shots are out of order for storytelling purposes. I wasn’t in the right spot to capture this shot for the second train pictured coming over the bridge above.
I’ll say this, if your hobby is “rail fanning,” the GAP trail here in the Duquesne area offers excellent opportunities along a fairly comfortable path. I met a couple of blokes who were doing just that, and they filled me in on a few spots elsewhere in Pittsburgh where I’d enjoy waving the camera around. Apparently, Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park and ‘Panther Hollow’ is now on my list.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Norfolk Southern train was hauling empty mineral cars, ones which olfactory and visual inspection revealed as having recently been full of coal. This was a sunny 70 degree day, in Pittsburgh, in February. Hell, this post should’ve been about that – as that’s a statistical anomaly all of its own.
Back tomorrow with something different from the Paris of Appalachia, 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.
Second GAP: Part 1
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So much fun was had by a humble narrator on a recent unseasonably warm afternoon that it cast a shadow over the rest of my week. As mentioned here in the past, one of the most surprising public facilities in Pittsburgh’s neck of the woods are a network of ‘rail to trail’ paths which snake around the rivers and neighborhoods in the Right Of Way or “ROW” footprints of defunct railroads. One of these liminal spaces that I’m exploring on foot at the moment is called ‘The Great Appalachian Passage’ trail, a path which I could theoretically walk along all the way to Washington D.C. Right now I’m doing it in sections of between two and four miles at a time, thank you very much.
A while back, I offered several posts (Part one, Part Two, Part Three) from the section of the GAP stretching from Homestead to a point directly across the Monongahela River from the USS Mon Valley Works on the northern side of the waterway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Parking the Mobile Oppression Platform (my Toyota) at a designated parking lot for the GAP in the community of Duquesne, one gathered up his old kit bag and crossed a secondary arterial highway at an incredibly terrifying intersection. There was a light, yeah, but terrifying. Smile, smile, smile.
The GAP in this section is found somewhat inland from the Monongahela River’s shoreline. There’s an entire industrial zone humming away on the side between the path and the water, whereas on the other there are several sets of railroad tracks which all seemed pretty active as I was scuttling through.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A pipe yard is one of the many attractions hereabouts. This might be a great spot to get all artsy fartsy sometime. That’s what a humble narrator pondered for a moment, but I kept on moving. There were acres of these pipes stacked neatly.
My goal for the day was to get to the spot I had walked to from the Homestead side and take a look at what sort of photo opportunities existed in the stretch closer to Duquesne. I’m looking for vantage points overlooking the USS Mon Valley Works, in pursuit of gathering cool photos of it from a distance.
I found and subscribed to a great YouTube channel offered by Pittsburgh Photographer Jeffrey Bowser, called “Fort Frick,” which offers several startlingly well done time-lapses of the Mon Valley Works that exploit the sort of ‘POV’s’ which I’m anxious to find. Check out the Fort Frick channel here. I’m a fan.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So why the pipes? Seems that US Steel manufactures gas at a nearby plant in Clairton and the pipes carry it over to the furnaces at the Mon Valley Works, or at least that’s what I think is happening. The pipe yard is where they store the old and new ones. I’m probably wrong about something in there, so not sure and ‘dunno.’ What I can tell you is that when a charge of gas goes through those pipes and you’re standing directly under them – it’s disconcerting. That’s basically the Shofar of Hephaestus blowing hydrocarbons right there above your head, all American style.
The sound is something like “floooooomph pufffffassasss” followed by a deep vibration which echoes out of the pipes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s not just gas that’s getting pushed towards the steel mill, there’s also high voltage transmission lines snaking out of the hills and pushing current towards the place. It seems that there’s a nuclear generating plant about fifty or so miles west of here, right along the Ohio border.
Duquesne, the community which this pathway is found in, used to have its own blast furnace – at the time the largest on the planet. Its post industrial period, however, started in 1930. Today, Duquesne, like it’s neighbor Braddock across the river deals with a declining population and a whole lot of challenges. Average median income in Duquesne is about 25k a year. AMI indicates the 50% mark, so that means that half of its citizenry survives on far less than that number.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Mon Valley Works, which still incorporates Carnegie’s 1875 vintage Edgar Thompson blast furnace into its operations. I knew about the air pollution issues associated with the three surviving steel mills in the Pittsburgh area before moving here., but in person… They burn coal and coke, which produces a significant plume of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Depending on which way the wind is blowing on any given day, you might catch a slight whiff of a rotten egg smell where I live, which is about 10-15 miles from here. For the communities which actually neighbor these plants, it’s a real and ever present problem. Here’s where the emanates of the steel mills are blowing towards today.
Back tomorrow with more from the GAP. Trains! There’ll be trains.
“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 