Posts Tagged ‘South Side Flats’
Steppin out
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After descending down the South 18th Street Steps, found in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes section, one hung around a bit as I was on eye level with a set of train tracks used by the Norfolk Southern outfit and knew that a train was likely to appear. I couldn’t see it coming, due to the heavy vegetation surrounding the tracks, so I popped the headphones out of my ears and listened for the hum of a train approaching.
This shot required some luck, as I started firing the shutter on the camera as soon as the thing entered frame on the left, and I was quick enough to catch the shot above, offering a clean profile of the locomotive. One second before and one second after, the train was obscured by the brush.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Happy with an image or two of the scene ensconced on the camera’s memory card, a humble narrator resumed his endless scuttling and headed towards the Monongahela River frontage, where – entirely coincidentally – that Brewery I’ve been patronizing is found.
Hey, it was 96 degrees and super humid out… what am I supposed to do? Not hydrate? Pfah.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily for me, a CSX freight train appeared while I was… ahem… rehydrating. #837 is apparently a GE ES44AC-H model locomotive.
I’m sure that means a lot to someone, but all I can say is that I really enjoyed getting a few shots of it as it thundered past.
Back tomorrow.
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Lucky scuttler
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the end of a medium long walk, it was time for me to grab a beer at that brewery in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats section which I’ve become a once every couple of weeks customer of. Just in the name of hydration, of course.
Just as I got to the intersection of a riverfront trail and the actual streets where it’s located, the rail track’s signal arms activated and CSX #5414 appeared, heading southeast.
After the thing passed by, I went into the brewery and ordered myself a glass of ice cold Pilsner. As is my habit, one gravitated to a table outside.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While quaffing, phone oriented attentions dominated, and I answered emails and returned a phone call. Soon, the signal arms activated again and CSX #3220 thundered past my position. ‘All in all, a pretty lucky day for trains’ thought I.
Satisfied with the refreshing beverage, I paid my tab and used an elevator to get up to the street level offered by the ‘Highline’ development. It’s about thirty to forty feet, I’d reckon, from down here to up there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When I got ‘up there,’ I heard the signal arms start chiming again, and was barely able to get into position when CSX#3091 appeared, hauling what appeared to be coal or coke mineral cars to the southeast.
So glad I was able to see all this, and share it with you lords and ladies, here 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.
Dumberer, and Dumbtastic
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The long walk upon which I ran out of gas, described this week, ended with a cab ride over to a brewery nearby the light rail station which would carry me home. Said brewery is found alongside a fairly busy rail corridor operated by the CSX outfit. While relaxing my sore back and rehydrating with a pint of Pilsner, the signal arms at the grade crossing of the tracks activated, and I painfully stumbled over to get a shot of the passing train.
That’s when I saw one of the most dumbass things I’ve witnessed in the last couple of years occurred. Guys on dirt bikes ignoring the warning bells, the stop lights, and racing across the tracks in front of a moving train.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trains don’t move terribly fast in this section for obvious reasons, but… Y’know, there’s a lot of ‘physics’ at work when you’re talking about locomotives. Getting hit by a slow moving train (15-20 mph) is somewhat related to getting shot by a fast moving bullet.
Had this kid miscalculated his crossing, hundreds of thousands of tons of mass would have been imparted to his bike and body. Parts of him would have become a red mist as he dismembered, and components of his bike would have gone airborne and landed dozens of feet from the point of impact. If the train operator had to hit the brakes to initiate a full stop, it would have taken the locomotive a good half mile to do so.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You don’t screw around with trains, I always say. I used to say that about boats and ships in New York Harbor. It’s hard to conceive some of the titanic forces and physics surrounding such enormous machines, but as a reminder just keep saying to yourself ‘speed times mass.’ The reason a tiny bullet can pop a basketball size hole in you is ‘speed times mass,’ and the reason why a slow moving train can dismember you despite its relatively low traveling velocity is ‘speed times mass.’
Dumb, dumber, dumbest. This was some ‘Darwin Award’ shit right here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The CSX unit was still blowing its horns as it passed through the grade crossing. One of the factors that the motorcyclist’s dumb move accomplished was introducing pure nightmare fuel for the operator of this locomotive. I’ve talked to NYC Subway personnel who experienced the hell of somebody jumping in front of a train they were operating, and have been told that it’s a life changing experience which never – ever – leaves you.
‘Eff you, motorcycle guy.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After getting the shot above, and finishing my pint of beer, a painful but short walk found me waiting for a T Light Rail car to shuttle me back to HQ. I was absolutely ‘out of gas,’ when I got home and prepared an evening meal. I wish I could say it was good, but I soon found myself in urgent physical distress, and didn’t finish it.
All I could think about was sleep, and found myself in bed by 9:30 p.m., a situation which Moe the Dog was highly in favor of. I was quite sore when I woke up the next morning, but had recovered from what was likely a heat and dehydration related physical crisis. Wow.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Lesson is: don’t ‘break the chain’ on regular exercise as it’s an absolute trial to get things started again. Also, I have to start carrying a water bottle with me during the summer. Also – yes, I was wearing a hat.
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.
A heck of a hill
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After having descended along the German Square stairs as described in prior posts, a humble narrator found himself in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood. This ‘zone’ is pretty urban in character, and ‘old timey’ in terms of its building stock. I’m of the belief that there’s a ‘historic district’ rule which applies to certain sections of the Flats, but as I’m trying to avoid deep dives into historical records these days…
This shot looks towards the Monongahela River and the South Tenth Street Bridge, and that’s one of Duquesne University’s buildings rising out of the bluff on the other side of the river.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Closer to the shoreline, and looking back towards the prominence which I had just descended from – that’s one heck of a hill, ain’t it?
My goal for the remainder of this scuttle involved getting close to the water, and grabbing a pint of beer at that brewery alongside the CSX trackage which has been mentioned several times.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While quaffing my Pilsner, I noticed a towboat navigating the Monongahela and passing under the Liberty Bridge. As you can tell, the sun was in the early stages of setting. Nice light.
I would be taking the T light rail back to HQ, which ain’t really that much of an adventure but hey – I love the novelty of surface based rail transit through an urban space.
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.
Flats to Hills
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Today’s post is a short one, offering a few shots gathered while walking from the Birmingham Bridge to a T streetcar station found on the south side of the Monongahela River, here in Pittsburgh.
There’s a bunch of really interesting, and disturbingly heterogeneous, housing stock found in the South Side Flats area. Looks to be late 19th, early 20th to me, and are mainly ‘workers cottages.’ This neighborhood used the Philadelphia style of planning for its layout – short blocks with narrow streets and sidewalks and populated by humble row houses.
I was intrigued by the fire escape on this particular home, for some reason.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along my path, several sets of those ‘City Steps’ were bypassed. An accommodation for Pittsburgh’s crazy terrain, these things are everywhere you look. I plan on doing some exploring of this infrastructure in the coming year.
A humble narrator made it to the station just as a ‘T’ Red Line streetcar was arriving, and I quickly boarded it for the five or so mile ride back to home. A random thought invaded, and I rode past my stop to the neighboring community of Mount Lebanon.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a bar nearby this stop which unfailingly offers Guinness beer on tap. Ubiquitous in NYC, Guinness was always my choice of poison, and I miss being able to count on its presence in the saloons of Queens and Brooklyn. It was time for a pint, and a quick text to home summoned Our Lady of the Pentacle from her domestic comfort to join.
As the poet O’Shea Jackson would say – I gotta say it was a good day.
“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.
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