Well, my vacation is next week. (only 3 yrs on the RR, and I got a summer vacation - have to love small terminals).
Being the week before 4th of July isn’t the best for travelling, so I deceided to spend 3 days out in Pittsburgh. Despite being a life long Keystone state resident, I’ve only ever been out there once. Anyhow, anyone have any good ideas about what to do and see?
So far I’m thinking Carnegie Science center, maybe the zoo, PA Trolley Museum, Station Square, and who knows what else. I wouldn’t mind some RR action (class 1 or shortline), if I can find a nice quiet place to watch. Nothing too set in stone right now - I’ve been working too many 12 hour days to even think about planning anything.
Have you been to Altoona? The Curve and the Railroaders’ Memorial Museum there are good, and you can get tickets that admit you to both.
In Johnstown, the Flood Museum and the Inclined Plane are must-sees. Quentin will probably elaborate on those.
Forgive me for not mentioning the sights of Pittsburgh itself (sounds like you’re on the right track!), but I’m a believer in enjoying the journey as well as the destination.
Washington, Pa has a trolley museum. It is only a few miles south of Pgh. Carnegie Museum is a worthy visit. If kids are involved, Kennywood Amusement Park is worth a visit. If you are solo, there are a few rail places to get good shots. Oil Creek RR (tourist ride) runs up Oil Creek near Drake Oil Well (2 1/2 hr. drive north of Pgh.)
Don’t particulary know your wants and eating habits (except for midnight milk and cookies) [dinner]
But I’d offer a sugestion: Primanti Bros ( the original one in the warehouse district) I was held up nearby once while unloading and reloading and was really hungary and one of the guys sent me to this place.
Primanti’s (Great sandwiches!) I was not disappointed. That was about 20 years ago, and I can still remember the Biggest Sandwich I had ever seen.( served with french fries -ON IT!)
Zug: When our daughter was going to college in Pittsburgh, we visited the Carnegie Science Center. Good for kids and adults,too.
She got married last year; not a good time for sight-seeing, but I took some guests up on one of the inclines. Great view of the city, but hard to see any railroads up at the top. You have to cross the CSX on a foot bridge (parking lot is by the river), and the fee is outrageous for the incline, 50 cents round trip per person if my memory serves, and the incline car then passes over the NS at a higher level on the way to the top. It’s a rail thing, one car goes up and another down. There’s a restaurant at the top of the Duquene Incline right opposite the “Point”. Didn’t eat there so no review.
There’s another incline further east called the Monagahela. Haven’t tried that one. The busses use old railroad ROW (and tunnels) to avoid traffic which allows them to make good time.
Heinz is a big name there. Doubt that there’s a game at the Stillers (we’d call them the Steelers but Pittsburgh has their own accent) Stadium which I believe is named Heinz.
There’s a park at the Point, good view of the Duquense Incline and the railroads and boat traffic. Also has a little musuem; just so-so in my view. We splurged and stayed at the Hilton and had a great view of the railroads, the Point, etc.
But the traffic is BAD. Don’t believe any car in Pittsburgh will see the odometer turn over. Not enough time in one’s life to drive that many miles at Pittsburgh traffic speed. The world
Aren’t there still trolleys of some sort - excuse me, now it’s called ‘Light Rail’ instead - running in the Pittsburg area ? Yeah, looks like it - see this link for info on the Light Rail Transit System of the Port Authority of Allegheny County.
The big B & LE bridge over the Allegheny River on the east side of town, parallel to the Turnpike’s bridge over same just east of exit 48 (old Exit 5), at the New Kensington/ Oakmont area.
So, I’m thinking, downtown/station square first day, SW and trolley museum 2nd, and maybe north of Pittsburgh the 3rd. Now, does anyone know if any of the locks and dams (emsworth and the like) are accessible at all, or are they in lockdown mode? (bad pun, sorry).
So, my short list:
station square
inclines
carnegie science center
pa trolley museum
And my maybes:
light rail system
OC bridge
places like Homewood or New Birghton or Leetsdale, and places like that.
Anything I shoudl add/delete/edit?
Sorry for the lack of spellinga nd grammar. been working all night again and I’m overdue for bed.
Yes, Carl is correct…good places to get a good look of some history and even watch activity on the former Pennsylvania east / west line. But Zug says he’s been there.
Me too, many times…but seems I keep going back occasionally when we’re in the home area. The Incline plane and it’s observation view of the Johnstown area is dramatic to see.
Thinking of doing another run over there again this season…
there is a lock and damn at port perry near the ET steel mill in braddock… you can get to it by doing down route 30 off the park way…forest hills exit is what you want to take off 376 east… just make sure you are out of there befor the sun goes down…its not excactly the greatest place to be after dark… also if you park at foot of the duquaine incline it is free… you can get a bus or take the T from stations of carson street to go anywhere in the burgh from there…also the night life in station square is a blast after dark on the weekends… alots of bars and clubs there…and the south side is a short taxi or bus ride up the road from there to the most happening night life spot on the burgh… check out the bar with the midget that runs along the bar giving shots from bottle… cant remember the name…but im sure if you ask any aveage drunk on the street…they will tell you the name of it (i was well trashed when the batchlor party crew i was with hit that bar up so i dont remember what its name was…just remember the show)… you got my number brother… hit me up sometime between now and when you are planning to get out this way…and ill give you all the info and directions you will need to get around and places of intrest to check out…
Station Square - interesting in itself, good views of Downtown from across the river, great place to catch CSX
Inclines - one of a kind transportation from the valley 500’ up to the top of the big hills overlooking Pittsburgh
PA Trolley museum in Washington, PA - just a short ride down I-79 South
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History instead of the Science Center. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, has one of the largest and most important Dinosaur collections in the World. The Oakland section is a city within a city with a lot of neat attractions.
The North Side around West Park - good place to catch NS
The Andy Warhol Museum - you simply have to see it to believe it (The guy was one nutty artist from Pittsburgh!)
Ride the LRT (The “T”) from Station Square to downtown - you then can walk across one of the bridges to the North Side
I would caution you about hanging out in Homewood. It can be a rough neighborhood, especially after dark. Pittsburgh is a very safe place as far as major cities go, but it does have a few neighborhoods with gang activity, Homewood being
Sadly there isn’t much traffic over the B&LE bridge these days and one of the old wooden trestles is now a fill. It was burned by arson about four years back. Something to do with a labor dispute at a nearby chemical plant, according to a lot of locals.
The Duquesne Incline is nicer than the Mon. The cars are very old whereas the Mon ones look like they’re from the 70s. The Duquesne ones are more like 1870s. And there’s CSX tracks across the street from the parking lot. I took a date there two months back and she was subjected to me having to take pictures of a train both before and after the incline trip. Great backdrop too
Not the best picture I’ve ever taken. But you get the idea.
There’s some neat infrastructure around too. There’s an old PRR freighthouse in the Strip that still has an engraved marble sign proclaiming Pennsylvania Railroad and the approach to the Fort Wayne bridge still has a PRR Keystone logo on it if you look for it.
