Posts Tagged ‘The T’
Hungry Frustrarian Empire
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Once again, your humble narrator finds himself locked firmly in your past, as the very moment these words are being typed it is currently the 24th of February as far as these words go, but the photos were shot back on Friday the 13th of the same month.
You’re seeing this mid March, if I’ve got my scheduling correct. These shots represent the part of February when you wondered if it would ever stop snowing, and pondered if the Fimbulvetr was finally underway. The cool thing is that as you’re reading this, we both know how things turned out.
It’s been really, really difficult to find a walking path not blocked by ice and snow. Mentioned many times, Pittsburgh ‘shit the bed’ on snow removal. Not just the city, but the private entities hereabouts too.
Disappointing. Fixable, but I don’t want to fix things anymore.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The original plan was to ride the T light rail to the very ‘developed’ Monongahela Waterfront nearby the Station Square Stop. I’d ride the incline up to the top of Mt. Washington, I thought, but the Incline was out of service.
Ok! ‘Plan B’ took the form of me walking in the street, along a de facto highway, because some bunch of goofballs decided to pile snow on the sidewalks, forming eight foot high mounds. This pathway delivered me to a parking lot, which was expertly plowed, shoveled, and treated for ice. The parking lot leads to an entrance to one of the river trails.
It just ‘has to’ have a path, I thought, given that the trail abuts one of the Crown Jewels hereabouts – Riverhounds Soccer Stadium. I mean…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The good news is that I saw a Towboat towing something. It was navigating easterly along the Monongahela River. Yay!
I cannot express how bored I’ve recently been. As mentioned above, we’re still deep in the wintertime here in Pittsburgh, at the time of this writing at the end of February. No Bueno, indeed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was the condition of the trail, the one I was hoping would be cleared, incidentally.
These shots were gathered on the first actual ‘melt’ day, with temperatures above freezing, that had occurred in about a two to three week interval, since a big snow maker had dumped 18 or so inches across the region. It shut down a lot of options for me.
I was stuck sloshing through this, which kind of ‘pissed off’ my bad ankle a bit. Wasn’t awful, but the organelle definitely made its displeasures known.
Fixable. This snow business is fixable. Easily so, and everybody who participated in fixing the problem would get to see themselves on the tv.
Fixable…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Oddly, given the condition of the trail, an enormous multi acre for pay parking lot was neatly cleared of snow and ice. I walked around there for a bit, and luckily spotted CSX #3155 as it tried to sneak past me while passing under the Fort Pitt Bridge. Imagine…
The trail on the other side of the parking lot was clad in deep snow similarly to the section detailed in the previous shot. Flarn!
Hands were thrown up in disgust, I fell to my knees and decried cruel fate. Imagine that… it was cold and snowy out in early February… and since I was largely unlucky in my pursuits – no incline, no sidewalk, no access – I could blame it on… Friday the 13th!
Dun dun dunnnnn.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I back tracked through the well shoveled parking lot, walked across the blocked sidewalk street, and then just boarded a T back to Dormont. Real short walk, this one, maybe three miles all told. At least the camera got up off its butt, and did something. Hmmphf.
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.
Operation Рогачка
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As has been mentioned several times, your humble narrator has somehow managed to recreate his ‘lead time,’ that interval between the capture of these photos and the subsequent writing of the malarkey, as relates to the day that the post publishes and reaches your inbox or social media whatever.
As of this moment, while I’m actually typing out this missive, it’s early morning on the 19th of February, and the photos embedded herein were gathered on the tenth of that same month.
Just in case you were wondering why it’s still the height of winter here, and you’re likely seeing the birds returning in mid March. You’ve got a bit more winter coming your way, by the way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This sort of frigid season just frustrates me. Gets in the way.
Looking back into the archives here at Newtown Pentacle, you’d be hard pressed to not find a January or February posting that doesn’t complain about winter weather, its depravations, and its boredom.
Write a book, they tell me. Yeah sure… that’s simple.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Admittedly, Pittsburgh got whaled in 2026 by what local meteorologists describe as an extraordinary and historic winter season, as judged by their local standards.
Personally, it’s been a pain in the butt.
Week long stretches where even driving was fairly impossible. Forget walking, except in narrow corridors where you could reasonably expect – and be disappointed – to find that the snow and ice have been cleared from the pavement. Given the lingering psychological hangover of the ‘orthopedic incident,’ wherein I shattered my left ankle and then had it surgically reconstructed leading to a long and excruciatingly painful recovery period, ice and snow conditions are just ‘No Bueno.’
Messes with my head while scuttling along, this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One was heading back to HQ in Dormont at this stage of my day, and the ‘T light rail’ station at nearby Station Square was the destination.
All told, this walk was maybe four to six miles long.
It’s become a fairly standard exercise and photowalk corridor for me, this ‘Dormont to North Side, then to South Side’ thing.
I’ll take the T to one of the stations on Pittsburgh’s North Side and then whirl and twirl over to the South Side to catch the light rail back. In warmer weather when the pavement is more reliably passable, the north/south path usually includes the West End Bridge.
Given the number of abandoned properties on the south side of the bridge, at Pittsburgh’s Carson Street, that path had been avoided as it was likely a skating rink down there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was a short wait, maybe ten minutes, before a Red Line T appeared (pictured is either a Blue or Silver Line). Soon, I was happily sitting down onboard one of the light rail units, and the trip back to Dormont only takes about 20-25 minutes from Station Square.
It was my turn to cook dinner, so I headed home and got busy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Boneless chicken breast cutlets, with a little glug of olive oil on top and then a bit of salt and pepper. I put a cleaver flat on top of them and give the knife a couple of hard whacks to flatten out the meat and ‘stick’ the seasoning into the meat. Into the air fryer for 16 minutes at 400 degrees. On the stove, a pot of bow tie style pasta was boiled, and combined with a sauce that was formed up from a bit of feta cheese, a bag of frozen chopped spinach and also a bag of peas, and there was also a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt in there. Another glug of olive oil went into the veggies and dairy sauce concoction to loosen it up a bit, before adding in the pasta bow ties. Squeezed a lemon over the whole pasta affair and mixed it up thoroughly. Yum.
One of the lifestyle differences between ‘back home’ and ‘here’ is that you pretty much cook all your meals at home here, as opposed to eating the unhealthy and expensive junk offered at take outs. This ain’t NYC where your kitchen is tiny and it’s actually cheaper to order in. I’ve got a full size kitchen in Dormont with lots of counter space, and a nearby Aldi.
The dinner effort resulted in a big meal for two, a few scraps of chicken which somehow fell into Moe the Dog’s mouth, and then four lunch sized containers of left overs. Worth doing, and it was fairly healthy as well.
Back tomorrow with something different.
“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.
Operation De temps à autre
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While walking across the Monongahela River, onboard the Smithfield Street Bridge here in Pittsburgh, one became enamored by the reflectivity of the ‘rotting’ ice flows along its southern bank. Add in some light rail crossing over the river on the Panhandle Bridge? Nepenthe.
One was awaiting the arrival of ‘proper rail,’ but I’ll take what I can get.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That large brick building in the background, behind the Panhandle and Liberty Bridges, is the location of that brewery which I’m always shooting CSX trains from. I’d be heading that way, but this wasn’t a ‘have a beer’ day, it was a ‘short walk’ day.
All told, probably about 4-6 miles by the time I got back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My dreams came true, and ‘Hey Now’ was exhaled from that noisy hole on my sensory and gustation stalk, which the humans might call a ‘head,’ an entry point to the within that I normally pour coffee, or stuff hamburgers or candy into.
CSX was on the scene, navigating along their ‘Pittsburgh Subdivision’ tracks. Well, it’s not really ‘navigation’… it’s more ‘operation.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The cool thing about this ‘zone’ is that you can hear the train coming, long before it comes into view. There’s a few ‘grade crossings’ along these tracks which necessitates the crew blowing their train horn, and that begins the better part of a mile away in either direction. When the locomotive gets close, alarmed signal arms at the grade crossings are triggered, so flashing lights and ringing bells join the party.
It’s great… for me, at least.
Hey now!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After this capture, one found his way down and over to that brewery, but as mentioned, didn’t partake. I was being greedy, and wanted to catch another rail shot while I was in the area.
Hey Now!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After #3155 passed by, my toes were pointed in the direction of transit and back home. I couldn’t really feel the toes, but there you are.
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.
Operation Run, gun, and Hey Now
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It had been about three weeks since a ‘big’ winter storm had blanketed Pittsburgh in about a foot and half of snow, and that weather event also accomplished the arrival of arctic air, here in the Paris of Appalachia. Said atmospheric incursion installed frigid conditions which persisted for the better part of a month.
The shots in today’s post (and in several subsequent ones) were gathered during a short scuttle on February the 10th of 2026. As you might discern, my efforts at maintaining ‘lead time,’ as far as when these posts publish in relationship to when the photos were actually shot is currently well ahead of schedule and working out. One less thing to worry about, for me.
Of course, it’s likely that early spring has started in the northeast, as you’re reading this, and here I am reminding you of a hard winter. I’ve always offered others a glimmer of darkness, just as the sun begins to rise. I’m like a dark cloud on a sunny day, or an irregularly shaped mole on someone’s ass which suddenly starts to bleed. This is part of why everyone hates me. Pariah.
This was kind of a short walk, and ‘the path’ was governed by endemic ice and snow conditions, and the frosty horror was adhering to sidewalks and roadways. My ‘way’ was decided for me, in many cases, by these frozen accretions and the paths around them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After debarking the T Light Rail service, which had carried my pre-corpse into town from Dormont, one set upon a northwards path.
Whereas the air temperature on this particular day was measured as being in the high 30’s, the ground temperature was still sub zero after long intervals of single digit and below zero temperatures. Any melt water coming off the snow pack instantly froze onto any concrete or masonry it touched, forming sheens of fresh and super slippery ice.
‘It was slippy aht,’ as the local Yinzers might offer, in the regional dialect.
I didn’t really have a set goal for the day, as you really can’t plan around finding out a four to five foot tall wall of plowed snow is blocking your path, in random places. One followed his nose, thereby.
It was really all about movement, and staying in it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The first area I scuttled through was right next to what I’ve learned to be the former ‘Clark Bar’ candy factory, of the D.L. Clark outfit. There’s a rail bridge back here, one which I’ve had my eye on for a bit, so I figured…
Hey Now?
Well… the sidewalks were clear at least…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now indeed!
Luckily for me, Norfolk Southern’s #4430 showed up just as I arrived. It’s a rebuilt GE AC44C6M model locomotive, which I’m told was originally christened as NS #9212 when it first rolled out of the RR factory in 1998.
It was hauling some sort of black mineral. Likely coal or coke, but unless you know something for sure… don’t guess.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This span (the Merchant Street Bridge) connects to a rail trench which then flows northwards through Allegheny Commons Park, a spot which I’ve visited fairly regularly. These tracks then follow the Allegheny River for a spell. There’s a branch off spur which allows cross river rail connection over the Allegheny at the Fort Wayne Rail Bridge, and then also at the 33rd st. bridge. There’s other rail trestles upriver, and downriver, obviously, but I haven’t shot them all… quite yet.
Hey Now!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yes, I’m completely aware that I’ve been moving through this area quite a bit in recent weeks.
Here’s why: I can get here pretty easily during inclement weather using mass transit, and given the presence of large institutions like the stadiums, parks, and hospitals found in this ‘zone,’ better odds of encountering pavement where the snow had been cleared exist. Theoretically, at least.
Saying that, Pittsburgh absolutely faceplanted on snow clearance during this season. I don’t think I need to mention the ‘orthopedic incident’ as being psychologically omnipresent while negotiating ice and snow.
Back tomorrow with more.
“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.
Kurz-Bricht von da Lag
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This post wraps up the tale of a short walk in a wintry Pittsburgh, with its frozen over rivers and endemic ice and snow. One had used mass transit to get here from HQ in Dormont, and that’s how I planned on getting back.
Thankfully, now that the orthopedic incident recedes into ‘something that happened,’ I no longer have to rely on expensive ride shares to get around when I don’t want to drive. The T light rail was my next goal.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
People here don’t understand it… You’ve got a car in your driveway, why would you…
What can I say, I’m still a New Yorker at heart and unless you ‘need’ to drive somewhere why would you? Part of my allergy to using the car as my sole form of transportation revolves around having to get back to wherever it is that I parked the thing after walking miles and miles. Additionally, as I often opine: you can’t really see anything from a car or a bike as you’re moving too quickly.
I sometimes like stopping off at a bar to grab a drink after a walk, too. Can’t do that if you drove.
Famously, that brewery where I shoot all the CSX trains is a good example of that. Couldn’t engage with pints of beer with the car in tow. Basically, I don’t want to be bothered, and prefer leaving my options open for serendipity. Having to loop back to wherever I parked the car also creates a limitation on my wanderings.
Ultimately, I enjoy riding the trains.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You have to plunge through ‘the cultural district’ to get to the T Station I was aiming for. There’s a theatre or two here, and a few restaurants and bars, with the convention center a couple of blocks east of this spot.
The ‘culture’ they mention in the designation is for the ‘upper class’ version of culture – theatre, and ballets, and opera. Unless you’ve got a ticket for one of these things, the culture you’ll actually observe hereabouts is one that proudly exhorts: ‘Opioids are great, and so are amphetamines.’ A lot of people you’ll meet hereabouts, on the street, will loudly proclaim ‘I don’t give a ‘eff,’ about a broad range of subjects.
The older I’ve gotten the more I’ve realized that you should give as many ‘effs as you’ve got. Life’s like that.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I made it to the T’s Wood Street station, and then entered the facility.
A Red Line T soon arrived and thusly I was heading back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s what it looks like onboard, if anyone is curious, while riding the T light rail away from Pittsburgh.
Soon, I was back in Dormont and uncomfortably slushing my feet through the snow, back towards home. Maybe four to five miles worth of walking this time around, all told and door to door.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Couldn’t help but get a shot of this enigmatic snowman for my last shot of the day. It was a frustrating walk, this one, but I’ve got to keep moving or I’ll stop moving so there we are.
Back tomorrow with something different.
“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 