Posts Tagged ‘railroad’
Hey Now! and the Big Boy
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
July 11th was a wicked hot day, with high humidity and temperature. The Union Pacific ‘Big Boy’ locomotive was scheduled to be rolling through Pittsburgh. Wasn’t exactly a secret, and thousands of people lined the Norfolk Southern tracks to get a look.
I headed over to one of my favorite perch’s and got busy. A few Norfolk Southern trains were transiting though in the run up to the Big Boy. While waiting, a crowd showed up.
Hey Now! Norfolk Southern #4251 rolled through.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey Now! Norfolk Southern #7651 was next up through the pass.
There were a few dozen people on the pedestrian bridge with me, over the tracks here. They showed up with chairs and food and bottles of wine.
I had a bottle of water and my camera bag with me, and some gum, and ended up standing around up there for close to four hours.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You knew when Big Boy was on its way, and not just because of the tracker that the Union Pacific people were running on their website. A trio of Cops showed up and shooed all the lookie loos off of the ballast below in advance of the passing.
Part of the reason that I chose this particular elevated spot involved planning on ground level Police activity, as a factor.
Also: I’ve been mentioning the ‘Newtown Pentacle Time Warp’ all summer, wherein I’ve somehow managed to maintain at least a month of ‘lead time’ on these posts, and that’s the causative ‘why’ behind you seeing shots from early July in early September.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Big Boy finally arrived, spewing smoke and steam as it went.
To be honest, it all felt kind of anticlimactic, but… good clean fun.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My focus was actually on ‘focus.’
Shooting photos through a chain link fence has a high failure rate. As mentioned, I use this spot all the time for rail shots, so am thereby fairly well practiced at getting my shot through that fencing here.
Hey Now?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A long line of ‘heritage’ locomotives with patriotic paint jobs were attached to Big Boy, as well as a couple of modern diesel powered engines.
My understanding of the nature of this ‘heritage’ steam engine event is that whereas the head of the snake was – indeed – producing steam and smoke, it was actually a diesel engine further back in the chain which was providing motive power to the assemblage.
Back next week 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.
Three ‘Hey Now’s!’ and done
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Near the end of a fairly long effort, and your humble narrator got to shout ‘Hey Now!’ Once again when CSX #6919 appeared, heading westerly back towards McKees Rocks where I had spent the first half of the day.
My suffering is now non localized, I’d mention. This time last year, my gamey left ankle would have been demanding attention. Now, it’s just the body wide after effect of six months of sitting followed by a year of rehabilitation all focused on that ankle.
The rest of the physical firmament has turned to jelly, and these longer walks I’m involving myself with are designed to increase endurance time. All of the more discrete musculatures involved with walking, in my back in particular, need to be hardened back up.
The immediate goal is to make walking twenty miles with a thirty pound pack hanging off of me ‘normal’ again. Truth be told, can’t currently pull that off. I’m getting fatigued, and my back cramps up, at ten miles.
Upwards and onwards, however, I’ll get there and be glad I did when I do.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In the meantime, it’s just suffering. Push on, don’t give up, just another thousand steps, go. Luckily, the idea of an icy cold beer motivates. I made it to the brewery, inspected the porcelain, and then ordered myself a single ale and took up position outside while quaffing. My feet were sore, from all the flexing and slapping against the pavement.
I didn’t have to wait too long.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey Now! CSX #3272 thundered past just as I was swallowing the ‘backwash’ gulp at the bottom of my glass. That’s it, I thought, and resolved to start heading back to HQ. Returned the glass within, straightened out my various straps and pouches, checked the various settings on the camera, and headed towards the T light rail.
Turns out I wasn’t quite done yet.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #830 appeared, heading easterly. Y’know, I lost count of all the trains I saw this on this particular walk. Hey Now!
That was literally it, for me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s about a ten minute walk to get over to the Station Square T stop, and I just cannot resist cracking out a shot of the Liberty Bridge overflying that concrete factory down there. Can’t do it.
I seem to recall being a sweaty mess during this part of the day.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At Station Square, a Red Line T was boarded.
It’s funny, I’ve heard the locals and even people who work for the service refer to it as ‘The Trolley’ several times. Always bothers me, for some reason.
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.
Hey Now’s! and a raptor
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with a fairly epic scuttle, one which began in McKees Rocks, and after a quick bus ride, continues with Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood along the Monongahela River shoreline.
I was standing on the pedestrian walkway incorporated into the Duquesne Incline, which provided for an elevated POV over the scene.
Hey Now! I don’t see CSX doing this sort of thing very often around these parts, they must have been pretty busy on this particular day. Normally, one set of tracks heads east and the other goes west, but on this day – both tracks were focusing locomotive traffic to the east.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #804 was being held in place while the other train rolled through.
Me? I was just ‘waiting for stuff to happen’ while enjoying a rare elevated point of view over the scene.
There’s a very familiar ‘rail trail’ down there which I scuttle along all the time. I’m always told that the South Side is ‘boring,’ but there’s frequent rail traffic on display here all the time!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That first train which passed through, coincidentally, was CSX #833.
Hey Now!
Cannot resist the compositions available along this stretch.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was hunting around a half mile away, nearby the confluence of the three rivers, but I’ve got a zoom lens. That’s a bald eagle, heading towards the left of the shot. The ‘whatzit’ in the lower left is part of Acrisure Stadium, where the Pittsburgh Steelers live.
Serendipity, that’s what that is.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Down on the ground level, and standing on the trail, I got into position just as CSX #804 began to move. Hey Now?
A reminder is offered that the Newtown Pentacle time warp has intensified. If my scheduling is correct, you’re receiving this in the third week of August, whereas the photos were captured at the start of July and these words typed out during the second week of July.
Hope that we all had an ok summer.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX would be a featured player in my late afternoon. That will all be disbursed next week, however.
As a note, the one above isn’t ‘perfect’ but it’s a shot I’m working on getting right. I’m always trying to catch glimpses of the people working inside these giant machines.
Back next week with more from Pittsburgh – 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.
Chartiers Creek and a ‘Hey Now!’
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with an interesting scuttle perpetrated in McKees Rocks, a Borough of Allegheny County found directly across the Ohio River from Pittsburgh’s ‘North Side.’
The blue bridge carries vehicular traffic to and from McKees Rocks’ romantically named ‘Intermodal Way’ to Carson Street, which is the main drag of the Monongahela River shoreline that allows traffic to flow to the east through the ‘South Side,’ where Carson Street eventually devolves into a de facto highway.
Additionally, the Newtown Pentacle time warp is still very much in effect, with these photos having been captured in middle June, and these words being written early in July.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Off in the distance, St. Mary’s RC church, which had served as my landmark from the Wind Gap Bridge and then in the industrial zone found along Thompson Avenue and Furnace Street Extension.
One maneuvered himself to a certain spot, where I could wait for it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Chartiers Creek itself, looking back at the vehicle bridge that I had been standing on in yesterday’s post. After shooting this one I headed over to that certain spot, and checked my camera settings.
It’s a lot like fishing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, I caught a bite!
Hey Now!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s CSX #5419, and it was pulling a long line of tanker cars behind it. There was a secondary ‘DPU’ locomotive in the line, which adds extra horsepower to the equation. The train was traveling easterly.
Yeah, I was in a safe spot and all that. Zoom lens.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As you see, I had a few minutes to wait before I could resume my activities. The opportunity was taken to drink a glug of water from that bottle I’ve added to the pack, adjust the various straps attached to the bag and camera, and straighten out my clothing. Got to stay organized.
Back tomorrow with America’s Deadliest Wild Animal.
“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.
Get a lil bit lower now…
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
McKees Rocks’ Thompson Avenue ends suddenly, and there’s an intersection leading back out towards the Monongahela River side of the municipality that I followed instead. Heck yeah, I’ll be coming back here, but next time around I’m going to drive so I don’t have to shlep 30 pounds of camera gear on my back.
I really, really would like to get a shot of train coming around that bend.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’d also like to get a shot of train moving past St. Mary’s RC church nearby that bend. The church had been acting as my landmark, while moving around an unfamiliar corridor. My predetermined path, which had been decided on using the Google Maps app in advance, was sketched out in a turn by turn manner in a document on my phone’s ‘Notes’ app. The directions demanded a right turn here, onto ‘Furnace Street Extension.’
After all these years of wandering analysis, I’ve developed a certain perception about urban spaces which allows me to ‘ball park’ their age. How the streets are designed, the sorts of sidewalks (or presence of sidewalks at all) which are offered, HVAC systems or lack thereof. A big ‘tell’ is also whether or not an employee parking lot was part of the plan, when the place was built.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Furnace Street Extension in McKees Rocks, where the building stock I encountered suggests – to me at least – the 1970’s and 80’s with a smidge of ultra modern 2010’s investment thrown in. Saying that, the pathway itself is ancient by Pittsburgh standards. There used to be a number of Iron Mills found here historically in the 19th and early 20th centuries, hence the name ‘Furnace Street.’ They called iron mills ‘furnaces,’ back in the day.
Most of the land use in modernity is light industrial and warehousing. There’s a huge self-storage facility nearby, and a nightlife venue at the far end of the street called the ‘Roxian Theatre.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I tell you, New Yorkers, Pittsburgh is like heaven when and if the subject of public lavatories comes up. You can just ask people in shops to use the ‘terlet’ here, and they’ll let you. They look at you like you’ve got two heads for being grateful about it, too. You encounter Porta-Potties at every public event, and park, and sometimes there’ll just be a line of them sitting there and ready for use on the street. Nepenthe.
Amazing that it doesn’t cost Pittsburgh millions to build a single park bathroom, which is only open for a couple of non contiguous hours every third Tuesday in months that begin with a ‘J’.
Looking directly at you, NYC Parks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One found himself back ‘out’ onto the more conventionally travelled sections of McKees Rocks, and soon I was standing on a fairly stout vehicle bridge overflying Chartiers Creek. A bunch of people were doing some sort of construction job that was centered around a utility pole.
A quick street crossing of a disconcerting intersection occurred, and I got to the other side of the bridge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s Chartiers Creek again, with a vehicular (blue) and rail (rusty brown) set of bridges spanning it in the distance. Just on the other side of the rail bridge is Chartiers Creek’s outfall into the Ohio River.
Back tomorrow with some Hey Now!
“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 