Eastern Railroad Discussion > Railfan neighborhood?

In my second soiree through the Pittsburgh area in 3 years I had no specific railfan trail mapped out, other than following RR tracks. Preferably shiny RR tracks! But for the second time I was duly impressed with railfanning opportunities between Pittsburgh & the general area where the Ohio makes a left-turn-Clyde to head west for its namesake state. I did get a few trains even if the weather was less-than-ideal. I saw numerous places though, where I’d love to have been able to wait around for a train. But I had to press on.

Here’s a shot I knew right away I could write a paragraph about. By observation and common sense one could say this neighborhood probably produces an over-abundance of two types of people: (1). Those who hate ALL things railroading (noise, blocked crossings, etc), and (2) railfans. I can easily imagine the adult frustration of putting up with all of the activity and sheer noise that comes part & parcel with close proximity to a busy main line. I can also imagine growing up on this street and becoming a train nut/passionate railfan very early in life.

I took this image and really played around with P-shop. I warmed & enhanced as much as I could without getting too crazy. I wish I could’ve posted a sunnier shot. But I kinda like the composition of this overcast version…

1. NS 6984 rolls parallel to the 65th Infantry Division Memorial Highway in Glen Osborne*, PA a burb of Pittsburgh. We’re looking WNW up “Railroad St” from the River Rd crossing.
Photo date: May 13, 2019.

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

*Exact location corrected with help from 'rbenko' (see 1st reply below)...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/19 10:11 by santafe199.

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Nice shot Lance - my brother and I were in that area a couple of weeks ago, just a bit west at Leetsdale.  It's quite a busy stretch of railroad!

Not to be nit-picky (but I will) I think this shot is actually in Glen Osborne, PA, adjacent to Haysville - according to Google Maps, the border between the two is the aforementioned River Road!

Also, I believe that train is heading east with empty garbage containers, going back to New Jersey for yet another load of New Jersey's finest refuse to be dumped somewhere in Ohio.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/19 10:00 by rbenko.

rbenko Wrote: > ... actually in Glen Osborne, PA, adjacent to Haysville ...

You're right! Although (chuckling) I seem to recall shooting while sitting in my car. Which means (I guess) I could have technically been sitting in Haysville while taking the shot. :^) I remember spending a good, long 20 minutes poking around G-Maps, and being tickled to actually find the spot. In any event, thanks for the correction and I will duly edit all images concerned...

Lance/199

PS: It also appears I tried to add an "e" to Haysville. Yikes... I gotta fire that damn secretary of mine (me... ;^)...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/19 10:14 by santafe199.

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> rbenko Wrote: > ... actually in Glen Osborne, PA,
> adjacent to Haysville ...
>
> You're right! Although (chuckling) I seem to
> recall shooting while sitting in my car. Which
> means (I guess) I could have technically been
> sitting in Haysville while taking the shot. :^) I
> remember spending a good, long 20 minutes poking
> around G-Maps, and being tickled to actually find
> the spot. In any event, thanks for the correction
> and I will duly edit all images concerned...
>
> Lance/199
>
> PS: It also appears I tried to add an "e" to
> Haysville. Yikes... I gotta fire that damn
> secretary of mine (me... ;^)...

Always nice to see some shots from the local neighborhood, and glad you enjoyed your visit to "da Burgh". Hope you were able to get a westbound coming under the PRR era signals about 100 yards behind your position. They are on the chopping block as the NS signal replacement projects converge on this location from both directions.

And as much as I like trains, I would't want to live THAT close to an active mainline.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/19 10:22 by DJ-12.

The embankment looks like it may have been constructed as a flood wall.  Being on the river side of something like that must be an adventure in times of high water...

DJ-12 Wrote: > ... Hope you were able to get a westbound coming under the PRR era signals about 100 yards behind your position ...

Yes I did! But... er.... ummmm...... lets NOT talk about how right before that I was shooting 'static record scene' shots @ a 60th of second, trying to improve depth of field. And forgot to raise the shutter speed to sufficient stop-action for a moving train. It's OK, though. I can read the cab number... sorta...  :^/

Lance/199

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DJ-12 Wrote: > ... Hope you were able to get a
> westbound coming under the PRR era signals about
> 100 yards behind your position ...
>
> Yes I did! But... er.... ummmm...... lets NOT talk
> about how right before that I was shooting
> 'static record scene' shots @ a 60th of second,
> trying to improve depth of field. And forgot to
> raise the shutter speed to sufficient stop-action
> for a moving train. It's OK, though. I can read
> the cab number... sorta...  :^/
>
> Lance/199

Oh no....happens to all of us.

I'd been doing some low light ISO 800 F4 shots a few weeks ago and forgot to change back to daylight settings when I finished. The next shot I took the following morning looked like it was taken on the surface of Mercury...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/19 10:49 by DJ-12.

In my hometown of Whiting, IN, some very nice large homes were built close to the former PRR ROW for the management at Standard Oil. At the turn of the century, apparently even the more well-to-do did not mind living next to the tracks, espcially since it was a short walk to the depot. There was an easement (still there) so that people could access the station.

Recently a similar picture was posted on TO, showing tracks in a Natrona, PA, neighborhood. The tracks are between the sidwalk and the street.


https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,4839192,4839339#msg-4839339



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/19 11:17 by colehour.

DJ-12 Wrote: > ...  and forgot to change back to daylight settings ...

Yipper, been there ~ done that one, too a time or 2. There's no digital pleasure quite so sumblime as taking a roster @ 160th, only to discover you left your camera at some extremely high ISO from the night before. I don't think current lens technology can produce the ability to go to f-720 (or what-ever... ;^)

It's Glen Osborne. 
When I lived out there, I knew a fireman who lived in a house right near the grade crossing. He was a big ham radio guy and and a railfan, too.
I was invited over one day to see his ham shack in the basement.
When the first train went by (it was still Conrail), the whole house literally felt like it was moving. I swear, I think the houses all lean toward the tracks when a train goes by.
However, the houses cost next to nothing. 

You must have been doing the speed limit and none higher as you came down RT 65.
There's a very famous speed trap the next town over in Kilbuck Township, Pa. Google it.
It's really the worst speed trap in Western Pennsylvania.
When they're in full swing, they've got cars lined up just waiting for their ticket. 

To add to Lance's thread (and show a couple of the endangered PRR-era color position light signals), here's a couple at Leetsdale from 8/4.  Similar weather to what Lance had.  First is a westbound, showing the new and still bagged eastbound cantilever signals installed directly behind the PRR signal bridge.  Second is an eastbound - here the westbound cantilever mast has been erected, but the cantilever piece with all the signals sits in the weeds to the left of the train - apparently it's been like that for well over a year.

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Thanks Rob! A couple of images I'll toss right into my "NS" file, complete with proper photo credit, of course. I might have added one or both just because of the background hardware. But now they're both no-brainers because I've been there in person...

Lance/199

Next time you’re in the neighborhood, check out Mapleton PA, a bit farther east. Very similar setup. 

Well done Lance!

Gary R Clark
Griffith, Indiana

Dose anyone  have pics of the original retaining  wall when the RR was built?  That Beam column and concrete slab section retaining wall must be several decades old.  Any info if a train ever derailed at this location and wound up in the street?
Also noticed the new LED street lights and the solar panel powering the equipment on the utility pole. Up to date neighborhood!
CM80.46

It's a great place to watch and photograph trains, but there is only one way in or out of this neighborhood, and that is over a grade crossing east of this photo location.  In Conrail days, there was an industry just to the east of the crossing that received tank cars.  The siding crossed the street that Lance was standing along, with a switch right off the main track, and a tight curve into the plant.  My memory is that the industry was some sort of printing operation, and that the tank cars were loaded with ink.  The sidetrack is gone, and I think the building has been coverted to non-industrial uses.   



 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The embankment looks like it may have been
> constructed as a flood wall.  Being on the river
> side of something like that must be an adventure
> in times of high water...

I'm thinking a fence to keep kids and stupid people away from the tracks. You can see on the left end the wall stops. 

EL-SD45-3632 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The embankment looks like it may have been
> > constructed as a flood wall.  Being on the
> river
> > side of something like that must be an
> adventure
> > in times of high water...
>
> I'm thinking a fence to keep kids and stupid
> people away from the tracks. You can see on the
> left end the wall stops. 

Looks like a retaining wall keeping the  r.o.w. from slumping into the street, which it would do over time.