Capturing an image of a trash train at the slag dump doesn’t sound very appealing, however, light and fall color can make a big difference! On a sunny October afternoon an NS unit garbage train drifts downgrade as the fall colors are exploding in the mountains north of East Conemaugh, PA. This area used to be the dumping ground for slag from the Bethlehem Steel Johnstown works. The 2 bridges are what’s left on the north end of the Conemaugh and Black Lick Railroad which primarily served the Johnstown Works. The big mill closed in 1992 but today CBL continues to serve a wire mill as well as other customers in the Johnstown area. While the tracks here are still in place, there are no operations this far up the line so no longer sees trains of slag being dumped in the surrounding area. At one time this view was accessible by road, but now a recycling center has taken up residence. This view is now only available by drone and involves a couple miles of hiking on a public trail to reach.
