Posts Tagged ‘Ohio River’
Ohio river tugs
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As one may recall, were you to have visited this site last week, your humble narrator was recently scuttling along an Ohio River hugging ‘Rail Trail’ here on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Pictured is the tug Emma Z, which is about 55 feet from bow to stern and is flagged in the USA. It was operating as a vehicle shuttle between Brunot’s Island and the north shore of the Ohio River where I was scuttling. There’s a peaker power plant on the island, and the only other way to get there is by a pedestrian bridge on the south shore of the Ohio. A concrete ramp rises out of the river on the north shore, and that’s where it was heading to drop off a company vehicle.
I was pretty happy about getting a shot of a tugboat, which isn’t necessarily guaranteed around these parts. Imagine my surprise…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
About a quarter to a half mile later on the walk, the Tug Tracy Fedkoe appeared, heading in a westerly direction on the Ohio River. A 1,500 HP, 1969 vintage tug built in Louisiana, it’s currently operated out of Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth. Read all about it at tugboatinformation.com.
Both tugs were set up as ‘push boats,’ an observation about typology based around their prows. Neat!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the peaker plant, mentioned above, behind the tug, above. Peaker plants kick on when the electrical grid is experiencing low voltages, usually during the summer months when demand is high.
Back tomorrow.
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Good gander
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with observations and photos from a scuttle along the Ohio River, here in Pittsburgh. Along the waterfront trail, I encountered this jerk. All Canada Geese are jerks.
One decided to sit and cool his heels for a few minutes, and take a good look around. A series of broken cement plinths line the shore here, and there was a guy about 200 feet away that was fishing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Across the water from my location is Brunot’s Island, which is off limits to the normal humans who don’t work for a power company which maintains a peaker power plant there.
It felt like something was about to happen, and I was keeping an eye on a few different spots in hope of something to focus in on.
A lovely summer like day at any rate, and it was a real pleasure just sitting alongside the Ohio River, tbh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A wider view of my situation. That’s Brunot’s Island on the right, and you can see the peaker plant right at the water. The bridge in the distance (specifically the Ohio Connecting Railroad Bridge) is a rail bridge, which is used by the Norfolk Southern railroading outfit.
That bridge was one of the things I was watching, an effort which sort of paid off.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A train appeared, and started transiting over the span. In the foreground was a tugboat with a peculiar barge attached to it. More on that later.
Wonders, I tell you… wonders.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Upon reaching the other side of the river, Norfolk Southern’s tracks branch out both east and west after passing through a wye. There’s a pretty large NS yards both north and south of here which I haven’t visited yet, but are on my list.
I’ve only been consciously shooting trains for a little bit, as in ‘I’m going out in pursuit of getting shots of trains,’ but one thing I’ve learned is to look for the choke points where all the trackways converge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As to why the barge that the tugboat was towing was ‘peculiar,’ it’s because it was a landing craft. It seems that the power company which controls access to Brunot’s Island maintains this system for vehicular access to the landform in lieu of building a bridge. Seems financially untenable, until you consider what building a vehicle bridge would cost.
Back next week with more – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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The big house
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After walking out from under a few bridges on Pittsburgh’s North Side, your humble narrator headed for the Ohio River while on a recent scuttle.
One of the many rail trails which I’ve been frequenting, this one follows the shoreline of the waterbody, but first you need to get to it. Large industrial sites, and the skeletal remains of a prison, stand in your way.
I’ve mentioned and described Western State Penitentiary before, in this 2024 post. It’s got a real ‘Gotham City’ vibe to it, and you half expect Killer Croc or the Riddler to be locked up within. Of course, there’s no one in there these days except for security guards and the asbestos remediation people. Dreams of avarice in the real estate world have placed a target on this property, whose footprint is enormous.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As is my habit, a quick heel spin was executed. Sometimes I’m just checking to see if anyone’s following me (which happens occasionally), but it’s mainly to see if there’s something I missed while looking in the opposite direction. The guard tower caught my eye.
Unfortunately, I didn’t notice a cool bit of architectural detail while in the field. If I did, I would have zoomed in right on it and got a proper shot.
Notice the parapet, with the fencing, and the iron thingies sticking out?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is a cropped version, which is at a terribly low resolution… but check out that attention to detail which was applied to something superficial on something as ugly as a prison.
Looks like part of a lighting setup, to me? Whatcha think?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Word has it that a deal has been struck with a real estate group to annihilate this entire ‘zone’ and replace it, with what would basically be a shopping mall that offers affordable housing, and a giant Ferris Wheel.
Wow. Where have I heard that one before? Staten Island, maybe?
One rounded the bend, stepped off of the street, and onto the rail trail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Officially, I was walking on the Ohio River Water Trail.
Y’know, when I moved out here, I knew there were plenty of waterfont trails. It’s one of the things that sold me on Pittsburgh, to be honest. Saying that, I had no idea about how many of these rail trails actually exist. I’m still finding ones I didn’t even know about, and am training up for a walk to West Virginia next year. (No way I can do 30 miles on foot right now)
Awesome!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I love this guard tower, which looks like it wad cobbled together from odds and ends. In the midst of all the stolid masonry and thick walls of the prison, you’ve got this hodge podge lumber construction, which would probably be familiar to the Romans (except for the razor wire and chain link, of course).
Back tomorrow 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.
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.
316,800 inch long scuttle, part 1
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has finally managed to break the pernicious five mile walking threshold which has been actively blocking my activity since September of last year, due to the broken left ankle and dislocated foot incident. I know that five miles – or 316,800 inches – sounds like no big deal, and normally I’d be the first one to say so, but it’s taken me months of physical therapy and self guided exercise to get here.
So, huzzah.
The endeavor began when I walked the hill which I live at the bottom of on up to the T light Rail station, here in Pittsburgh’s Boro of Dormont. I did take a picture of the train I actually rode in on, but the shot above is of a train set heading in the other direction made for a better opening shot.
Lighting, yo, lighting.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T was ridden to its terminal stop, which is directly across the street from the actual center of the Pittsburgh universe – Acrisure (Heinz) stadium. On this walk, I was still consciously avoiding uneven or angled paths, as such terrain still gives me a bit of trouble. Instead, I decided to try and work a few flights of stairs into the equation to spice things up.
As I’ve mentioned, a bit of PTSD seems to be floating around in the old Gulliver these days, which is centered around stairs.
Given that the ankle shattering occurred while I was walking down a set of steps it’s fairly understandable, but when confronted with a set of steps these days I freeze up a little bit and get overly cautious. This set of psychological reactions actually endanger me while negotiating a set of stairs, which causes me to move stiffly, in an almost robotic manner, and sets my nervous side on fire.
I’ll get past this because I have to. My whole life has been ‘have to.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, the T station has escalators, which don’t fill me with dread despite being stairs and all the horror stories my pal Hank the Elevator Guy has told me about these devices. Industrial meat grinders use the same design, he opines.
I exited the station and headed north west. I’ve been carrying a little compass with me these days, and like to check in on the cardinal directions periodically to maintain my bearings. Pittsburgh is still very much a foreign place to me, even after a couple of years here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Passing by an abandoned building along the way, one was amused by the ‘SPQR’ graffiti. If you don’t know what that means, you should read more, specifically the classics of the pre modern era. The decline of the Roman Republic is very much a to[ic you should be familiar with these days.
Edward Gibbon… read Gibbon. Marius and Sulla are next, for us, and that’s where it gets bloody. Caesar is absolutely coming, but is still a few decades away. It will be very exciting for people to watch on tv, all this. They will feel things… indignation, fear, anger, pride… all of the seven deadlies. They will microwave burritos and watch.
Me, I’m just walking here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The major crossing over water for the day was Pittsburgh’s West End Bridge. It crosses the Ohio River, roughly at the waterway’s point of navigable origin where the admixture of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers occurs. It’s yellow.
The specific yellow is a color called ‘Aztec Gold,’ which – if memory serves – is manufactured by Pittsburghs own ‘PPG’ or Pittsburgh Plate Glass.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The ankle was behaving itself. I felt no clicking or the sensation of cords being pulled in my heel or on the top of the foot. I was consciously altering my pace and ‘leaning in’ while walking. A couple of times my brain sent orders down the spine for the legs to move as they normally would have prior to all this trouble. I moved quickly!
Couldn’t sustain it for more than a couple of city blocks at a time, but your humble narrator managed to scuttle along a great deal faster and more surely than at anytime in the last six months.
Top of the world, ma, top of the world.
Back tomorrow 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 Newtown Pentacle 