Carfloats

[sarges]

Coming from australia,we dont have anything like that,that im aware of,and it really fascinates me.can anyone guide me in the direction of more info about these operations.Also am a 'newbie' and hope i put this in the right place.By the way Western Pacific is the road,even if it's wobbly!

[nanaimo73]

Welcome to the forum.

Is it just the Western Pacific you are interested in ?

I believe the largest operation would be between Seattle and the Alaska Railroad. Alaska Railbelt Marine uses the Anchorage Provider, Fairbanks Provider and the Whittier Provider.
http://www.lynden.com/companies/arm/arm.html

North of the border, Seaspan (affiliated with Montana Rail Link) operates between Vancouver and Nanaimo.
http://www.coastalintermodal.com/

Carfloats also operate in New York's Harbour.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=414404  

http://members.shaw.ca/panda.is/seaspan_intermodal%20fleet.htm

[sarges]

Thanks for the info! No not just interested in the w.p.-i like it and saw on a dvd they had car ferries,which i know are different to floats,and it got my interest.I beleive the n.y.c used to have them too!The idea of putting rail cars on water is something i really want to explore further,those sites will be a great start.

[BillyDee53]

The West India Fruit & Steamship Company used to operate car ferries between Miami and Havana.  The C&O used to operate car ferries on the great lakes. 

S Berliner iii has a lot of info on New York City car floats on his web page.

[arkansasrailfan]

Recently, I saw a Alaska Railroad boxcar. Does anyone know how the heck it got down here, I mean, which carferry?

[sarges]

Thanks mate,i'll check it out!   Mick

[sarges]

Gday mate,to answer your question-Lynden companies and Seaspan coastal intermodal-but ask nanaimo73,he gave those sites and could tell you more than i.

[arkansasrailfan]

Thanks, I didn't notice the internet links. It's another,"Gaaaa! I should have....."

[arkansasrailfan]

Ohhhhh, I see now.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Both C&O and Ann Arbor operated carferries across Lake Michigan into the late 1970's.  There were also several carferry/carfloat operations across the St. Clair River at Port Huron/Sarnia and across the Detroit River at Detroit/Windsor operated by C&O, CN and Wabash/N&W.

There is also an every-fourth-day carferry operation across the Gulf of Mexico between Mobile and Coatzacoalcos.  http://www.cgrailway.com/

 

[BATMAN]

http://members.shaw.ca/panda.is/seaspan_intermodal%20fleet.htm

[tegemu]

The New York Central operated quite a few across the Hudson River.

[KCSfan]

In my mind at least I've always maintainted a distinction between a car float and a ferry. I think of car floats as being basically a barge which is pushed or pulled by a tug boat. The best example of car floats that comes to mind were those used by the railroads to move cars across the Hudson from NJ to New York City. On the other hand a ferry is normally a boat with its own means of propulsion. They range in size from the smaller boats that were once commonly used to ferry cars across a river where there was no bridge to the much larger vessels that plied the Great Lakes and the ocean going ones mentioned that ran between the mainland and Cuba. Many, if not most, ferries carried autos and trucks in addition to rail cars. I'd be interested in hearing other's thoughts on this subject. 

Mark

[SealBook27]

   There's an active carfloat at the south end of the Delmarva Peninsula which runs from Norfolk to Cape Charles, Virginia.  You can actually watch it from the back of a small shopping center in Cape Charles, though you'll be roughly 100 meters away.   This is the one featured in a Trains Magazine article "In Tow", Nov. '05 issue.

  

[trolleyboy]

Another inetersting one was operated by the CNR from the mainland Nova Scotia accross to Newfoundland ( by car ferry mind you ) the kicker was that the Newfoundland Railway was narrow guage so not only were the casr transported 8 hours accross the ocean, but the trucks had to be changed out in Port Aux Basques NFLD from narrow to standard for teh return trip to Nova Scotia and the reverse wehn arriving in NFLD.

 

Rob