The Newtown Pentacle

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Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh

Hot and cold

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Thursday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

A humble narrator needs a break right about now, which is why single image posts depicting rail traffic observed in the greater Pittsburgh metro area will be greeting you all week.

Pictured above is a train set operated by the Union Railroad, switching tracks in the Munhall section of Pittsburgh.


“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.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 25, 2024 at 11:00 am

Throw and fill

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Wednesday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

A humble narrator needs a break right about now, which is why single image posts depicting rail traffic observed in the greater Pittsburgh metro area will be greeting you all week.

Pictured above is a Wheeling & Lake Erie train set, captured about twenty miles outside of Pittsburgh’s municipal boundaries.


“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.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 24, 2024 at 11:00 am

Waves or particles

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Tuesday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

A humble narrator needs a break right about now, which is why single image posts depicting rail traffic observed in the greater Pittsburgh metro area will be greeting you all week.

Above is a shot of two Norfolk Southern trains snaking through the South Side Slopes section of Pittsburgh.


“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.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 23, 2024 at 11:00 am

Occlusions and such

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Monday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

A humble narrator needs a break right about now, which is why single image posts depicting rail traffic observed in the greater Pittsburgh metro area will be greeting you all week.

Pictured above is a CSX heritage unit moving along the shoreline of the Monongahela River with downtown Pittsburgh providing a backdrop.


“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.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 22, 2024 at 11:00 am

Solus ambulo

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Friday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

After a cool experience with the Wings of Victory historic plane tour about 20 miles away, described in prior posts, I drove from Pittsburgh’s West Mifflin section over to the waterfront section of Homestead to execute one of my constitutional walks.

A section of the Great Allegheny Passage trail coils through here, and there’s a local chunk of it which I hadn’t walked yet. Distant, the section I normally frequent is landmarked by the Homestead Pump House, whereas this one is notable for the extant group of soaking stacks from the former Homestead Steel Mill complex.

To see the historical context of these stacks, click here for a Library of Congress page with ‘back in the day’ info and photo.

They’re just for show these days, an architectural curiosity sticking out of the parking lot at a gigantic shopping center complex called ‘The Waterfront.’ Near the Costco and not quite as far as the Sandcastle water park, close to the movie theater multiplex, that’s where you’ll find these.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This was a short walk on what was turning out to be a really warm day, and since there was no tree cover – I was schvitzing heavily. My plan was two miles in and two miles out, and along the way a CSX train came roaring past, so ‘win.’ I had a rail bridge in sight which was my turnaround point and mile marker, although I generally gauge my distance using time.

I’ve started religiously carrying a water bottle on walks, as a note, after my ‘problem’ about a month ago on a different trail.

According to my phone, I walk at 2.3 mph and have a pronounced limp affecting about 20% of stride, associated with my left leg. That’s the one with the smashed toe, broken foot which never healed properly, the sprain prone ankle, the knee that sounds like I’m crushing popcorn in it, and an onset of arthritis through out the entire assembly, so the data is easily interpretable by use of a single phrase.

I’m all ‘effed up.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The aforementioned water park, which is dubbed ‘Sandcastle,’ was quite busy and hundreds of kids were waiting their chance to get shot through a plastic tube, or into a wave pool via an angled ramp.

Above is one of my experiments, wherein 17 different shots were combined as some Yinzer teenager shot through one of the ride/tubes. All 17 were combined into a single shot. The action started at top right and finished bottom left, and that’s the same person you see at every stage.

Back next week with more moaning, and groaning, 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.

Written by Mitch Waxman

July 12, 2024 at 11:00 am