Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State //
Things fall apart
A brief trip to Philadelphia
Date September 2009
Posted November 2010
Posted November 2010
ds and I boarded a New Jersey Transit train on an overcast Saturday morning and rode an hour or two in the direction of Philadelphia. At some stop we climbed out of the silver carriage and were collected outside the station. And so I met Yaggy, old friend of ds and soon to become new friend of mine.
That evening we drove to the beer shop, which I seem to remember had a big walk-in fridge, and then returned to Yaggy's basement. Here we were surrounded by the vintage arcade machines that Yaggy collects and restores, some operational while the parts of others were spread over a number of workbenches, innards displaying the ingenuity of designers who puzzled over each game's clever algorithms before the microprocessor really came of age. At some point the drink took over and Yaggy's brother arrived. We bought Philly cheese steaks and ice cream nearby, made ourselves comfortable and put on a DVD. A good while later I woke up, Yaggy's exploring video had finished and everyone was asleep.
On Sunday I took more notice of where we were. This part of the US differs greatly from the high-rises of Manhattan, the endless 'projects' in the Bronx or the brownstones of Brooklyn. Houses, often wooden, with front steps and gardens, and cars that don't require front number plates. The occasional Confederate or starred/striped flag reminding that many here are proud of their nationality and want to show it. Since we were in the area we decided to take a ride into downtown Philadelphia to meet Nicksan (thanks again for the beer and lunch, it went down a treat), look at a long-disused rail tunnel running beneath the city and then we were heading back out beyond the city-limits.
To enter Yaggy's Eagle River Power Station we first had to cross some exposed wasteland watched-over by a man in a portacabin. It's been a while now, and I can't remember whether it was still on live power company property, but I do remember we were cautious. Once inside all three of us relaxed and toured this mighty decaying ruin. Water ingress has hastened it's destruction, with the huge beautiful roof above the turbine hall on par with those to be found at the grandest of railway stations. Elsewhere we found the control rooms, boiler house and more pipework than any powerplant nerd could become bored with, and spent a short while up on the roof.
As night fell we emerged and stopped at a fried chicken establishment (an adventure in itself - I didn't eat much) before saying goodbye to Yaggy and jumping the NJT back to NYC. The following snaps show the power plant, shot a little on the bright side with a trusty OM-2n, a nasty Polish lens and some Ilford HP5.
That evening we drove to the beer shop, which I seem to remember had a big walk-in fridge, and then returned to Yaggy's basement. Here we were surrounded by the vintage arcade machines that Yaggy collects and restores, some operational while the parts of others were spread over a number of workbenches, innards displaying the ingenuity of designers who puzzled over each game's clever algorithms before the microprocessor really came of age. At some point the drink took over and Yaggy's brother arrived. We bought Philly cheese steaks and ice cream nearby, made ourselves comfortable and put on a DVD. A good while later I woke up, Yaggy's exploring video had finished and everyone was asleep.
On Sunday I took more notice of where we were. This part of the US differs greatly from the high-rises of Manhattan, the endless 'projects' in the Bronx or the brownstones of Brooklyn. Houses, often wooden, with front steps and gardens, and cars that don't require front number plates. The occasional Confederate or starred/striped flag reminding that many here are proud of their nationality and want to show it. Since we were in the area we decided to take a ride into downtown Philadelphia to meet Nicksan (thanks again for the beer and lunch, it went down a treat), look at a long-disused rail tunnel running beneath the city and then we were heading back out beyond the city-limits.
To enter Yaggy's Eagle River Power Station we first had to cross some exposed wasteland watched-over by a man in a portacabin. It's been a while now, and I can't remember whether it was still on live power company property, but I do remember we were cautious. Once inside all three of us relaxed and toured this mighty decaying ruin. Water ingress has hastened it's destruction, with the huge beautiful roof above the turbine hall on par with those to be found at the grandest of railway stations. Elsewhere we found the control rooms, boiler house and more pipework than any powerplant nerd could become bored with, and spent a short while up on the roof.
As night fell we emerged and stopped at a fried chicken establishment (an adventure in itself - I didn't eat much) before saying goodbye to Yaggy and jumping the NJT back to NYC. The following snaps show the power plant, shot a little on the bright side with a trusty OM-2n, a nasty Polish lens and some Ilford HP5.
