Posts Tagged ‘railroad’
Polar Xpress?
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, after a recent social engagement your humble narrator decided it would be a good idea to take a walk during a ‘Snow Squall’ here in Pittsburgh, just to see what that’s like.
Verdict: It sucked.
Cold, windy, wet. My grandmother always said ‘you’re put on this earth to suffer,’ but she had a Slavic mentality. I had arrived nearby the Sly Fox Brewery which is often mentioned here, and took up position to wait for a train to pass through. I allocated no more than a half hour of ‘hanging around’ time before I’d move on and start heading back to HQ.
Lucky…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
First CSX traffic moving through the pass was a work truck, riding on one of those cool rigs which allow them to follow the rails. Always a good sign when you see these guys driving by, as the odds increase dramatically that something big will be approaching soon.
My ‘minimum kit’ bag does not include the ‘railfan’ scanner radio which allows me to spy on the RR company’s radio traffic. Everything in the minimum setup is about weight, and reducing ‘the carry’ as much as is possible out of the bag. My normal camera bag, a 32 litre knap sack, weighs about thirty pounds when fully loaded. This ‘minimum kit’ bag weighs about five pounds, with most of that due to a 24-105 zoom lens.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #5462 made all my suffering go away when it appeared. It was still snowing, but it wasn’t the ‘white out’ photo condition I was hoping for.
Nevertheless, here’s a Sunday afternoon ‘Snow Squall freight train photo’ for you, lords and ladies. Choo-Choo.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I wasn’t planning on hanging around the brewery, or to even order myself a drink on this occasion. Wasn’t that kind of day. Heck, I’d just had brunch with friends about 90 minutes previously.
As soon as # 5462 passed through, I headed up and onto a causeway that eventually meets back up with and t level with Carson Street, where where this scuttle had began a couple of miles behind.
One of the more ‘freeing’ things about being able to properly walk again also revolves around not spending an absolute fortune on cabs. I’d head over to the light rail station and catch a mass transit ride back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last shot from up top, and then the camera and bag straps received a quick policing. The ‘warm’ coat I was wearing, as opposed to the normal filthy black raincoat, is kind of ‘bubbly.’ It’s a lot like wearing a bed’s comforter, with a good inch to an inch and a half of insulation. It does make me feel like the cartoon character which the Michelin tire company uses as their mascot. Clumsy, but warm.
A quick few blocks of walking occurred next, and then I was at the Station Square stop on the T light rail waiting for my ride.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long and soon I was walking through the front door of HQ, where Moe the Dog was surprisingly happy to see me. My dog can be kind of a jerk, but it’s swell when he’s in a good mood.
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.
Ends are always odd
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the end of a medium length scuttle, and your humble narrator once again had a pint glass filled with a yummy oatmeal stout beer in his grubby mitt, and that’s when CSX #913 appeared.
Hey Now!
The locomotive was pulling a mixed up line of rail cars. Automotive cars, containers, even semi truck trailers were in line behind it.
A ‘GE ES44AC-H’ model locomotive, that’s what I’m told #913 is.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was there for the length of two drinks, about an hour, and the only train which passed through the CSX subdivision choke point during the interval was #913.
It gets dark really fast in Pittsburgh during the winter, as the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself lowers itself behind Mount Washington and probably Ohio, a deep shadow is cast.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s some of the semi trailers the train was hauling. I get comments all the time about only showing the locomotive engine, and not running shots of what it’s hauling, so there you are.
As the sky grew dim, and the air colder, I headed within and paid my tab. A quick visit to the loo followed, and then back out into the street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An elevator was used to raise my point of view, and I hung around in the dark for a bit, hoping another train might be transiting through.
No such luck, and I made my way back out to the street. I’d be summoning a ride to get back to HQ, something easier accomplished from ‘up here’ rather than ‘down there.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, I couldn’t help but react to the ‘noir’ being offered up by those darkened streets. Spooky. This is what 5:30-6 p.m. looks like here.
It took a while for a cab to get to me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Eventually, the rideshare chariot arrived and a reunion with Our Lady of the Pentacle and Moe the Dog ensued. Good times.
Also, Merry Christmas to all you Goyem.
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.
rolling rolling rolling… rawhide!
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last legs of this particular walk were fairly uneventful, as your humble narrator picked his way along the shoreline of a Monongahela River ‘rail trail’ and towards my eventual destination at the Sly Fox Brewery.
I was scouting out a couple of locations along the way, ones with a pretty good view of the rail tracks used by CSX.
I’ll be showing you a scene quite similar to the one above in the future, but with a CSX train hurtling through it. This setup looks like it could be kind of promising.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Once I was again safely sequestered from vehicular traffic and onto the rail trail, which follows the former ‘right of way’ of a defunct railroad, my headphones were reinserted into those ear holes one might observe on the sides of the sensory and gustation stalk that sticks out of the collar of my t-shirt. Just had to watch out for bikes.
As mentioned in a prior post, these photos were gathered on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, and Pittsburgh was pretty much deserted.
Good. That’s the way I like it. The human infestation can be noisome.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a bend in the path when you reach the South 10th street bridge, which is where the trail transmogrifies into ‘Colors Park.’ Herein, street art and so called ‘graffiti’ is encouraged and allowed. By creating an out door gallery space for the pursuit, it cuts down on the vandalism and ‘tagging’ for nearby spots where graffiti is unwanted. Smart.
CSX’s tracks are on the other side of that little fence, found at more or less the center of the shot above.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s always a bit of new art on the pier of the South 10th street bridge, which is where I took a moment to consider and observe.
I moved on. This excursion was about movement, and accruing speed in my striding gait. The ankle was singing an aria by this stage. It seems that I’ve got arthritis in that joint now, and as it was a cold day…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Y’know, back in NYC… the NYPD would be very interested in this sort of scenario. In Pittsburgh… it’s likely that a groundskeeper just forgot to load up his fuel can after cutting the grass and left it behind by accident.
Regardless, one continued on. Thump, drag, thump, drag… hey, cut that out… thump right, thump left, thump…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now! Suddenly, CSX’s #3166 hurtled past.
I had less than 15 seconds to get this shot set up after I heard the thing coming. This is why I like shooting trains at the brewery, incidentally, as there are grade crossing signal arms on either side of that space and you get nearly a minute of preparation time for lining up your shot and figuring out the exposure settings.
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.
So many axles
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator had to hang about for around about a half hour on a pedestrian bridge over their tracks before Norfolk Southern’s #1181 thundered past the lens, here in the South Side Slopes section of Pittsburgh.
According to the AI at Google – ‘Norfolk Southern locomotive #1181 is a 2019 GE EMD SD70ACe model that was formerly a Progress Rail unit designated as “EMDX 7239”. It is one of the newer locomotives in the Norfolk Southern fleet and was converted to the #1181 number around 2019.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the pedestrian bridge I was standing on, one of several which provide pedestrian egress from the ‘Slopes’ section the ‘South Side Flats’ below. I’ve waved the camera about at this spot a few times, most recently in the post ‘Cage Match, baby.’
Also from Google’s AI, which is now offering up one of my shots in its results… grrr…
Overview
The Norfolk Southern (NS) tracks are located at the base of the South Side Slopes, spanning the area known as the “Flats”. Pedestrian bridges, like the one at S. 10th Street, were built to reconnect the Slopes and Flats after the railroad was established, providing a crucial link for residents to cross the tracks and access either side. These bridges are a response to the steep topography and the physical barrier of the active rail line.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
#1181 was hauling garbage and sewer solids, which – god help me – is something I knew just from looking at the type of containers loaded onto its rail cars. It was heading ‘towards Ohio.’ That bridge is part of the PJ McArdle roadway, as a note.
At any rate, got my NS train shot, so then I moved on and headed down to the South Side Flats area and over to the Sly Fox Brewery, where a bathroom visit and then a pint of beer awaited me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX was unusually not busy on this particular day, and only one of their trains appeared while I was there.
It was #7211, which I’m told is a rebuilt GE CM44AC model locomotive. There you are.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I ended up hanging out and chatting with somebody for a while, and after a couple of more beers, it was time to start heading back to Dormont. It gets dark about 4:30-5:00 p.m. out here, at the moment.
Night kind of snuck up on me, but to be fair – I was having a nice time and also drinking beers, so…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On my way back to HQ, I noticed a tugboat navigating its way under the Liberty Bridge on the Monongahela River. One last shot.
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.
Homestead trio
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Occasion found me driving through the ragged and unmarked border between Pittsburgh’s ‘Duquesne’ and neighboring ‘Homestead.’ Both communities were once mill towns, in the age of steel. When the mills left, economic devastation and demographic collapse occurred.
That’s a Norfolk Southern locomotive pictured above, #4305. I’m led to believe it’s a rebuilt GE AC44C6M model, and originally christened as ‘NS #9171 (C40-9W)’ when it was built back in 1998.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While ‘up in the hills’ in neighboring Homestead, a series of abandoned homes caught my eye. It’s madness, how many of these there are in the greater metro area here in Pittsburgh. Good news is that the price of non abandoned homes continues to be dragged down by all of this housing stock that’s just sitting inert. There’s spots less than hour’s drive from the dead bang center of Pittsburgh where you can buy a home for under six figures. In the center of all things, it’s a bit more pricey, as you’d imagine.
Saying that, I don’t want to live in Homestead, Duquesne, or even Munhall. Too close to the still functioning steel plants, which pollute the air with sulfur dioxide (related to burning coke/coal) and it often smells like rotten eggs around these parts.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There are so many of these. Reminds me of the outer edges of Brooklyn and Queens back in the 1980’s, and of the Bronx too.
Back tomorrow with the start of an ultramundane adventure.
“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 