For Jward and other Pittsburgh Railfans

[Cody J]

My brothers and I are going to be railfanning on this saturday, January 2. I'm out of ideas for railfanning here in the Valley so I suggested to him to go to Pittsburgh but he said it's a little far away so do you have any ideas of spots on the way to Pitt?
We want to take either I-70 to Washington then take I-79 North to Pittsburgh
or
US-22 from Steubenville to Pittsburgh.

Thanks,
cody

[gandoff]

Hello, I live about 30 miles from Pittsburh, don't go there much though. I recomend US 22 from Stuben ville oh. I have been to Pitt internation airport a year or so back and construction was atrocious on I-79. You''still probably have construction to deal with on 22, but not as much as on I-79 and US 22 together. 22 will take you through the Liberty tunnel then across the three rivers area of Pitt right into downtown Pittsburgh. As You leave the Tubes( Liberty Tunnel) and cross the river  You will see Heinz Feild and PNC park Ballfields on the left across the the Rivers. The river on Your right is the Mononghela, the left is the Ohio, and straight ahead of You will be the Alleghany River. Good driving and I hope You have a good time here. Take care, gandoff ( Dave)

[Cody J]

Thanks Dave but I was looking for places to go railfanning along 22 or I-79.

cody

[jward]

putside of the yards at mingo jc and weirton, there is nothing on either 22 or 79. however, if you take 79 south from washington, you'll come to waynesburg, which is a hub of sorts for the coal trains going to the mines in greene county. wyanesburg is not the sort of place you hang out, not enough trains for that. but if you have a scanner and aren't afraid of dirt roads, you can often find and chase the coal trains.

another possibility is connellsville. take 70 east to new stanton, then 119 south to connellsville. there is a csx yard here, and heavy eastbound trains get helpers here. w&le also occasionally makes runs to connellsville.

taking 119 north from new stanton will put you in greensburg, this is the former pennsy mainline, now ns. amtrak stops at the station here twice a day. you are in a dip between two 1% grades and trains are moving fast in both directions.


sorry, nothing closer than that. the obvious candidate would have been the old b&o line from pittsburgh to wheeling, but that is abandoned west of washington, and only a branch line east of there.

there is a trolley museum just north of washington, at ardan. but it may not be open. if it is, you get off at exit 41 on 79, and turn left across the railroad tracks, then follow the signs for the fairgrounds.

[Cody J]

Thanks for the info jeff, I think we are planning on doing Conway then head over to connellsville.

[Cody J]

My brother just made up his mind forSaturday:
"We'll start in Conway and see what happens"

[jward]

you can't go wrong at conway.

[Cody J]

yeah, it looks pretty sweet. He told me to get directions to other places and he left me in charge of research
Anyway, I have directions to Conway
Conway- Connellsville
Conway-Homestead Station
Conway- Pitcairn Intermodal Terminal
Conway-Emsworth.
I just hope we don't get lost like the last time he left me in charge of research.

[Cody J]

Jeff:
I might have to take you up on that offer of showing us around Pittsburgh.

cody

[jsmvmd]

Dear Cody,

You will have a GREAT time at the Conway yards.  Please be careful of traffic which is 4-lanes but NOT divided and the highway is in disrepair.  It can be dangerous if you are trying to watch train building activity, especially at the Hump.  If the weather is nice you can find areas to pull off, park and view from off the road.  If you get a little adventurous, you can hike up some of the hills for a better view point.  I am sorry, but I don't remember road names to guide you.  In Rochester you can turn under the overpass and park real close to the tracks.

Jeff could probably direct you better, but I think there might be a good deal of activity in New Brighton, which is north of Rochester.

Another good place I have found is on the stretch of Rt. 65 between Baden and Ambridge, which has 4 tracks and lots of activity.  You can park in some areas there, but it does not look too safe, and perhaps the police might chase you.   Ambridge has two GREAT pizza shops, "Police Station Pizza" on Merchant St., and "Franks" on Duss Ave.

The NW end of Baden has a little bridge that goes into the lower part of the Conway Yard, right along the Ohio River, with a control tower;  you might be able to cross the bridge into the yard if the gate is open.  I have seen many cow-calf units there in the past year.  That area was also the old Pennsy passenger route from Beaver Falls to Pittsburgh.  My Father rode the train to his work in Pittsburgh and we would pick him up about 1700 hours most nights.  The car traffic is quite heavy there, so be careful.

If you search GoogleEarth you can see what the Conway Yard looks like from the air, quite impressive !

In Sewickley you can park at the Wendy's and watch freight trains to your heart's content.

At the Pennsylvania Station in the 'Burgh you can watch the trains cross the Allegheny River, a nice site.  Jeff might know what the view is like from Mt. Washington, on the Monongahela River side.

Any other thoughts, Jeff ?

Best Wishes and Happy New Year,

Jack

[jward]

conway to connellsville. leave rt 65 at the light at the main entrance to conway yard. rite aid and exxon on this corner. follow road to rt 989, then left on 989 to stop sign at bottom of road. make right here onto freedom crider road, follow this about 5 miles to rt 19, right on rt 19 and take pa turnpike ramp on right, follow turpike west (harrisburg) to exit 75 new stanton. follow 119 south to connellsvillein connellsville, turn left at shopping center and follow road down hill to tracks.

conway to homestead. follow rt 65 south to pittsburgh, then take 376 east to homestead-squirrel hill exit. continue straight off ramp. this is browns hill road. follow over bridge across river. left at light at end of bridge, then left at first light. this is amity street. station sits on left between ns and csx tracks.

conway to pitcairn, same as to homestead, but keep on 376 east to monroeville, rt 48. follow rt 48 south 2-3 miles to bridge over railroad. at far end of bridge, turn right onto wall avenue, follow about a mile to smitty's deli on left. turn right into parking lot. this is the west end of the intermodal yard, but nobody will bother you as long as you stay inside the guardrail.

conway to emsworth. follow rt 65 south about 15 miles to emsworth. there should be a sign for emsworth lock & dam, turn is on right side shortly after camp horne road(which is on left)....follow back and park near tracks. there is a tunnel under the railroad to the observation deck.

i am close to homestead and pitcairn, the other places are on the other side of town from me,.....