Father Pitt

Tag: Subway

  • Steel Plaza

    Steel Plaza from the mezzanine

    Some pictures of Steel Plaza taken on a weekend when it was momentarily almost empty. The largest and most complex of our subway stations, Steel Plaza was built as a transfer station between the main line and a short spur to Penn Station—which, although it is not in regular service, is still kept up for special events and emergency detours. In the picture above, the Penn Station spur is in the foreground.

    Steel Plaza

    Here we see the two lines converging toward their junction in the tunnel beyond the station.

    Steel Plaza
    Lower-level platforms

    To add to the complexity, the station was designed to take the old PCC cars as well, which had only street-level doors. These lower-level platforms have been out of use since 1999, when the last PCC cars were retired, but the space isn’t useful for anything else, so the platforms are still there.

    Lower-level platforms
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  • Steel Plaza Subway Station

    Steel Plaza subway station

    Following the example of Montreal, Pittsburgh had each of its subway stations decorated by a different artist. The neon installation in Steel Plaza, called “River of Light,” is by Jane Haskell.

    Blue Line car entering Steel Plaza
    Steel Plaza

    The style of the station itself combines Brutalism with Postmodernism.

    Steel Plaza
    4201 car
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

    Trolley Number One, the very first car in the sequential numbering of current Pittsburgh trolleys.

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  • Gateway Station

    Gateway Station above the ground
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.
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  • Abstract Forms in Gateway Station

    Patterns of light in Gateway subway station

    Is this the oddest subway station in North America? It’s in the race, at least.

    Gateway Center from Gateway station
    Stairway
    Escalator
    Escalator and walkway

  • Trolleys at Penn Station

    Penn Station

    Although the subway spur to Penn Station is not in regular use, it is kept in working order for emergencies and special events. The subway downtown has been interrupted at Wood Street for track reconstruction, so trolleys are diverted to Penn Station, with a shuttle bus to Gateway.

    Penn Station
    Pair of trolleys
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

  • First Avenue Station

    First Avenue Station

    The distinctive sweeping roofline and steel columns of the First Avenue subway station, with the Try Street Terminal in the background. Below, an inbound rush-hour train of two 4200-series Siemens cars stops at the station.

    Inbound train stops at First Avenue Station
    Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.

  • Boarding the Silver Line at Gateway Station

    Silver line car arrives at Gateway
    Silver Line car at Gateway

  • Gateway Abstractions

    Three Gateway Center from Gateway station

    The Gateway subway station religiously avoids right angles, making it an irresistible target for abstract photography.

    Stairway in Gateway subway station
    Gateway subway station

  • Christmas in the Subway

    Interior of a trolley decorated for Christmas

    CAF car no. 4322 in the subway between Gateway and Wood Street. Someone put a lot of effort into decorating it: all the interior lights were replaced with alternating red and green, all the poles and grip rods were covered with spirals of electrical tape, and stick-on Christmas decorations were all over the windows. Whoever is responsible should get a raise and a promotion. In fact, whoever is responsible should be in charge of Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

  • Horne’s Christmas Tree

    Horne’s Christmas tree seen from Gateway subway station

    As seen from the entrance to the Gateway subway station.