Posts Tagged ‘South Side Flats’
The road is closed, pal
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Some days it seems as if every single mile of road you travel in Pittsburgh finds another construction project underway. Some of this work is being done by utility companies who are replacing old cast iron and lead pipes with modern pvc ones. There’s also large sewer upgrade projects underway, pictured below, which open up multi block long trenches and fill the street’s travel lanes with heavy equipment and trucks for weeks or months.
It’s all very inconvenient.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
If I was still back in Queens, I’d be able to tell you which politician gave the job to which contractor and what series of unions were benefiting from the projects. Alas, I’m no longer ‘wired in.’
This lack of connection has been quite intentional, by the way. I’m staying the hell out of it here as long as I can. Inevitably, somebody is going to do something stupid that affects me and I’ll have to get involved again, but I’ve really enjoyed spending the last couple of years completely disconnected and not having to be ‘politique’ with people I can’t stand.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Twice. That’s how many times in the last 26 months I’ve been compelled to attend a governmental meeting. One was about the T service’s various construction projects (directly affects me), and the other was attending a meeting of Dormont’s Borough Council so that I could get a look at the otherwise faceless people spending my taxes. How’s about you?
Your humble narrator is reactivating and reimagining himself these days. Figuring out my next set of moves… who I’m going to pretend to be for the next few years… all that.
Tremble, as something wicked this way comes.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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“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.
Subdivisions, Monongahela Style
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yes, that is a Rush reference for the title, but Mr. Peart and his fellows have no other connection with this post.
These captures are from midway along a short walk I was taking, after riding on the T light rail to the center of things. Everything just kind of lined up for me when that CSX freight train appeared, just as a T train set was transiting over the Panhandle Bridge from the South, heading toward the so called Golden Triangle of Pittsburgh.
This felt great, especially since I had taken a ten minute sit down on the Smithfield Street Bridge, after experiencing a bunch of discomfort in the healing but still quite tender ankle, and I would have missed the shot if I hadn’t needed to sit down. I’m as sick of experiencing this ankle business as I’m sure most of you are hearing about it, but this injury taken a fairly central position in, and had a substantial impact on my life for the last six months. I try to ‘keep it real’ here, and as the ankle has been and will continue to be a big part of my deal right now… Y’know…
Oww!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These are the same tracks along the Monongahela River which have become kid of regular players since I moved out here to Pittsburgh. CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivison is the official name for this infrastructure. The lead locomotive is CSX#789, and it had another ‘DPU’ (diesel power unit) in line right behind it. I had used my snazzy scanner radio to listen in on the fog of radio communications, and when I heard an automated defect detector (which is about a mile away, I reckon) describe #789 as having 335 healthy axles, I got busy figuring out the proper exposure and all the other stuff too. That’s exactly why I bought the radio, darn it!
CSX #789 was built as an ‘SD70MAC’ but was upgraded to an ‘EMD SD70MAC’ by GM’s Electro-Motive Diesel division. It’s all a bit confusing, but as far as I’ve been able to work it out, the thing was created in the 1990’s.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve got a few odds and ends from this walk which I’ll show you next week, but I’m going to end this week on the shot above. Before you ask, automobiles. That’s likely what’s in the train’s cargo cars – automobiles.
Back next week.
“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.
Making the donuts
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Great success, for one such as myself, materialized in the form of that shot above. That radio scanner which I’ve recently acquired was on ‘scan’ mode, and despite it getting stuck on the National Weather Service channel (I really need to reread the instruction book) a few times, the thing soon locked onto a Norfolk Southern radio channel and thereby I knew this train would be crossing in front of me in advance of its arrival. YES!
Norfolk Southern #4334 was just one of several locomotive engines providing diesel power to what looked like a coal train. It was probably coal, but unless you know what something is for a fact… you always have to qualify your observations as an opinion, informed or otherwise.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T light Rail made another one of its many intrusions into frame as I scuttled along. The particular zone I was walking into should be quite familiar to long time readers by now. I’ve been attracted to this section of the Monongahela River shoreline for a bit now. Frequent rail traffic, a brewery, and out door seating? If you were trying to set a trap for me, these factors would be an irresistible bait.
Particularly right now, as the ankle has healed sufficiently for me to resume my walks but is not far enough for me to be ‘daring,’ one finds himself missing the overwhelming flatness of those concrete devastations surrounding a ribbon of municipal neglect called Newtown Creek. I need to charge back up at her font of corruption, fill my soul to the brim with the black mayonnaise and the NAPL sauce. She misses me, I can feel it.
When it warms up a bit, I think that I might go home for a visit, just me and the camera for like 72 hours or something. Maybe.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A second Norfolk Southern train appeared, this one carrying shipping containers and tankers while heading in the opposite direction of the likely coal train. My plan was now fairly simple, head over to the brewery and buy a beer, then sit down and wait for CSX to show up.
One should mention that I was actually enjoying myself, which is a rare treat these days. Exercise, photos, and fun? What’s going on here in 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.
Hey now, a train’s a-coming…
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So, this is how I wrapped up the first scuttle of the post broken ankle period, back at the brewery alongside CSX’s tracks in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood. I don’t have to wait long before the signal arms began chiming and CSX #7589 appeared.
My plan didn’t involve much more than grabbing a quick beer and then summoning a car to drive me back home. According to the not entirely accurate ‘health’ app on my phone, I had taken 7,742 steps since leaving the PT appointment, and then boarding a T light rail, which brought me to this area.
Not bad, really, and with all things considered.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The combination of the PT appointment and the walk had inflamed the ankle and the thing had swole up a bit. That’s normal, the surgeon tells me, and I can expect to be dealing with swelling after exercise for at least the next year. When the cab dropped me off at HQ, your humble narrator was absolutely spent. I oozed into my reclining La-Z-Boy style chair and just sat there moaning for about thirty minutes.
Eventually, I managed to unpeel the shoes off of my feet. When sleepy time arrived, I hit the pillows and was out for nine straight hours. Surprisingly, the next day I was pretty ok. Sore, but ok. Progress!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s going to take me a bit of time to get back to normal, that’s for sure. Rebuilding muscle and stretching out all of the internal rubber bands in the foot and ankle is not going to be fun, but pain is the oldest and best friend I have, after all. I can always count on pain, who never turns its back on me. Pain also doesn’t betray or gaslight, it’s loyal.
Pain is family.
Back next week with more tales from a broken and enfeebled man, and his busted ankle, 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.
Wearing the street cassock
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
During a painful and somewhat humbling scuttle around an industrial zone in Pittsburgh, I can happily report to you that I was wearing my filthy black raincoat again. The street cassock hasn’t been in heavy usage, for obvious reasons, and since I missed autumn (its season) entirely due to the broken ankle, when I started regularly leaving the house again I was wearing a Carhartt winter coat. It’s a big puffy warm thing, the Carhartt, with a hood and warm lining. Lots of secure pockets. Does the job.
I’ve missed the street cassock though. The puffy winter coat makes taking my big knap sack style camera bag on and off difficult and clumsy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While crossing under the Liberty Bridge, the ankle situation really began to degrade. My strides shortened, and by the time I shot the image above, I was walking like a penguin. The atrophy I’ve mentioned, in the upper thighs and hips, was manifesting itself. Lactic acid was everywhere in the roadway interface, from toes to butt. It’s going to take quite a while, I’m afraid, to get back to where I was and right now I’m stuck with being like most of you humans. Weak, unfocused, unable to move.
Cowed by distance, and hobbled by infirmity, I used to be strong.
This situation angered me, which was good as I needed the adrenaline to do my final push for the day. Remember, under normal circumstances I walk 20-30 miles a week, usually at an average speed of 2.5-3 mph.
On this day, a half mile walk took me an hour. Ugg.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I actually had to sit down and rest for a few minutes.
Me!
‘It’s all downhill from here,’ I reminded myself. A long block away sat that brewery by the railroad tracks which I frequent. I had missed getting shots of two trains during this walk, which annoyed the hell out of me, since under normal circumstance I’d have easily crossed the distance and gotten those shots.
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.
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