Traveler's Odyssey: In Search of The West Wing
The Pennsylvania Roadtrip


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Nighttime White House by Keith Stanley

Part VI


"Rainy days and Fridays always get me down!"...Oh, wait! That was Mondays, right?

We're now at Friday 23 August 2002...a really sucky weather day in the Volant, PA area. I knew that the cast/crew had the day off (having heard from my driver guys that the make-up artists were talking about having Friday off!). I thought about hanging out at the big deal, local outlet mall place, but decided that

    1) If they went there, it's so big that I'd never run across them

    2) Seriously...Me? Shopping?

So...I decided to try and catch on film some of the places I couldn't get too close to during filming...and some of the places I hadn't been to at all.

First stop on this segment of my odyssey was the filming location from the day before...the Covered Bridge area.

Next, I went back by the Base Camp and Farm. True to their word, the crew had already hauled out the cast trailers. The Farm looked soggy and desolate.

Next, I drove by the Gas Station. I understand that filming took place there on the 21st of August, before I was able to leave DC. I had driven by the day before, when the 'Road Closed' sign was still in place. There were several cars there, and I didn't feel comfortable enough to stop. So, during the rain, I swung by again and took these pics.

Note the SUV in the first picture. That was the vehicle that 'tried' to keep me from the Moving Jeep filming location.

In the second picture, pay close attention to what looks like a car up on the hydraulic lift behind the closed garage door. Looks may be deceiving! (More info to follow.)

The 3rd and subsequent shots show you how hard it rained...nearly all day. No wonder filming was cancelled!

After taking these rainy shots, I headed down to Bridgeville, PA (about an hour south of my present location). It's just south of Pittsburgh. I thought I'd scope out where the train station filming would be the next day.

As I travelled farther south, the weather cleared up. I was actually surprised that they weren't filming that day! But (as I have subsequently discovered), the day off allowed Janel Moloney and Allison Janney to go shopping in Pittsburgh! (This confirmed my original thought about *not* hitting the Grove City Outlet Mall!)

So, here are my pictures from the Bridgeville, PA train station. It's an historic (notice my correct usage of 'an' there?) station that is now the town's library. Very quaint place. The ladies there were kinda reluctant to give out much information about the filming...at first. I swear, there's something to be said for Southern charm!

After a few minutes of polite conversation, the octagenarian was very forthcoming with details about the filming. (Although her 50-ish counterpart was not nearly as impressed!) It was scheduled to happen tomorrow. So, I asked for and was granted permission to take shots of the exterior of the station.

A couple interesting things to note: The Bridgeville PA Station/Library *has* no platform. TWW crew built it especially for filming. It looks and feels real. I should know... I paced on the damn thing for nearly an hour, camera around my neck, headphones on, singing out loud to "The Nylons" while I was waiting for the train to come back. (Something about running out of film!) I was told later by one of the PAs that I had a nice voice! *Blush*

And, as you look at the pictures, notice the lettering on the caboose out front. 'Connersville'. The ladies said that the men from the show came and free-handed the lettering and numbers on the caboose! I was impressed! Especially since I really don't think you're gonna see the letters much in the show. Perhaps they talk about the station name more in the filming...

Anyway, that's it for now. I've still got a couple days worth of stuff to go. Check back often!

Traveler

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part IV

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

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