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Recently the wife and I were in Pittsburgh, a tremendous place for railfanning.  We stopped at Station Square for dinner and then took in the sights along the tracks and the skyline.

 

Below, my wife Judy stands in front of the former P&LE passenger station and corporate headquarters.  The P&LE was primarily a hauler of steel-related freight;  this 1902 station was their brief foray into passenger service.  For some time, the building has been home to a number of businesses and a restaurant called the Grand Concourse.  The vaulted dome inside is simply spectacular.

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Another view of the former P&LE station.

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A CSX automobile unit train graced us with its presence.

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In the foreground is a drover's caboose on static display while the train passes.  In the background you can see the crenulated towers of PPG Place.

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Here's a better photo of the drover's caboose.

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Here's the other end of the drover's caboose.

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Also pictured is a wooden combine.  It's in pretty rough shape.

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Here's Judy standing in front of the Smithfield Street Bridge.  This is a lenticular truss bridge across the Monongahela River that originally carried both automobiles and trolleys.  Wikipedia tells us that it was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge.

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Another shot of the rest of the bridge.

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Those 7 small buildings close to the waterfront are supposedly the oldest surviving structures in the city.

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Pittsburgh is an awesome place to see trains.

George

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Original Post

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There is definitely a lot of railroad action in and around Pittsburgh.  The company I work for does a lot of work in the area; just last week I was in Duquesne and within sight of the NS Mon Line and Port Perry Branch, CSX Riverton/Demmler yards, and the Union RR.  The URR is difficult to see/photograph so having them go right past me was interesting.

George,

Thanks for sharing your pictures. The last time I was in "Pittsa-burga, USA" as the Italian (I am Italian) in the Bogart movie Sahara called it, was in the mid-1970's. I had been visiting my aunt every summer in nearby Wilmerding (home to WABCO) for around 10-12 years. Sometimes one of my cousins would drag me along to run errands. I still remember driving around the streets if Pittsburgh in her Buick Wildcat convertible while Stevie Wonder played on the radio.

How was the food? 

Tom 

Excellent photos and information about the P&LE station, cars on display, Smithfield Street Bridge, etc.  I have wondered how old those buildings are, when on the Southside.  That is seldom since I approach the city from the north. I do recall the PCC cars on the bridge.  I made a long commute to college in Pittsburgh graduating 40 years ago.  Thanks again 

Last edited by Mark Boyce

Thanks for all those railroad references sighted in Pittsburgh.  The 63rd National TCA Convention will be in Pittsburgh June 25-July 2, 2017.  The host hotel is right at the Point, by the fountain, across the river from the Duquesne Incline and Station Square.  If you cross the other river, you ate at PNC Park, and a couple blocks from Heinz Field and Rivers Casino.  Pittsburgh has lots to offer...we hope to see you and your family for Trains, trains, and more trains...so, Get Your Caboose to Pittsburgh!

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