Sure am disappointed that no-one had a definitive answer. Or for that matter a probable,possible and/or plausible location.
So I pounder about it. Pulled ou my two books on the P&LE, one of the Youngstown books, and the A-2a Berk (P&LE) book looking for clues. Added in the fact that I am an original baby-boomer born, raised and matured at the western terminus point of the P&LE. And then the fact that dad was from Conway PA, were my grandparents owned a n establishment used by PRR crews. And then add in for the first 10-years of so of my life at least once every other month we drive down OH SR 7 to Columbiana catch OH SR 14 toward PA which turned into PA SR 51 which turned into PA SR 65. We either go up Falston hill to my aunt's house or over to Ambridge to their tavern. Or also every few months take PA SR 65 to Pittsburgh on Sundays so dad could purchase stock from a supplier ( Charlie was Jewish and open on Sundays). So I saw a lot of the area. Plus I learned to water ski on the Ohio River at near the confluence of the Beaver River.
So putting this all together have concluded that the artist's paint took artistic license to come to his painting. At one time before putting a lot of thought into it thought it was the location of Melin's and year earlier Mc Kay's pictures. But there is no way an A-2a Berk would have been "switching out of the Campbell works. And that is a single track above track girder bridge not a two track underneath truss bridge as depicted in the painting.
The facts the P&LE tracks ran the southern bank of the Ohio River until it crossed over just down stream of the Beaver confluence. And that bridge was high over the Ohio to support the commercial river "boat" traffic. I know that, that is were I skied.
My search found a single track underneath truss bridge over the shallows of the Monongahela River in Rankin PA. And there is no blast furnaces around.
All in the Artist's eye. It does make a great image.
Ron
