Stockdale, PA - A Day on the River

There is nothing better than a guided tour along the Monongahela River with Captain TK.  Delightful views and stories about the river.

The ducks are floating in the river because our hostess Nellie chased them off of the property.

 View as we pulled away from the dock in Stockdale.

 Hostess Nellie is ready and in charge.

 Captain TK is behind the wheel and First Mate Jim is preparing the boat.

 View of homes along the river around Stockdale.

 Old factories line the river.  Some continue to produce.  This is Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Company in Allenport. The business is in scrap, finished products, and fuel oil. The front wall is concrete.

 We think that these heavy concrete pillars were used to tie up barges as they waited to be taken to their destination.

This is the Welland Chemical plant in Newell.  The production is in sulphur and acid.  The facility is inactive and has wooden icebreakers and 4 steel cells.

 The sun tips the trees with vibrant color.

The "High Point" restaurant at the top of this hill has good food.  High Point is a good name for this location!

 Newell Boro water tower.  We stopped at the Coal Center Public Ramp to pick up some pizza.  First Mate Jim phoned in the order and Captain TK did the pickup.

I haven't been able to identify this building yet.

 There are many docking areas along the river that are maintained by the community.

 The Norfolk & Southern Railroad Bridge spans the river at mile 55.1 around Blainsburg.

Detail of the railroad bridge.

One of the newer bridges in the Brownsville area.  This is the Brownsville High Level Bridge at mile 55.9.

The Brownsville Highway Bridge at mile 56.2.

This Hiller Barge Company facility manufactures and repairs barges.  The barges appear to be double hauled.  They are built on land and then slide down the rails in to the water.  The first photo shows a bit of the new barge type on the left side, with a covered container.

The markings on the side show how deep the tanker is running.

 A nice view of the new futuristic looking bridge for the turnpike 43, the Mon-Fayette Expressway.  The official name is the Ronald C. "Smokey" Bakewell Bridge to honor a local serviceman killed in the Vietnam War.  It is a high-level girder bridge for vehicular traffic.  It connects Luzerne Township in Fayette County to Centerville, Washington County.  The bridge was opened in the summer of 2012.  The cost of this bridge project was $93 Million

The east side.

 We turned around underneath the bridge. This is the west side.

 Waiting for a load of barges. Hiller Barge Company. (Needs fact check)

And, with perfect timing, a barge appeared.  My day is complete!

Look closely.  The big poles on the right side of the photo protect the dock from the barge when the water is high (in a flood condition).

Source for bridge and company information: Monongahela River Navigation Charts.