Give me some latitude here I know the post is not directly about Trains but this is related to Trains, especially Great Lakes Shipping and some of the comments in the video about the decline of Coal and the design of the new ship. Plus, how many times do you get views of the cargo hold or the bridge of these ships? The video is a year old. Also, a sign of hope because I always thought shipping was dying on the Great Lakes.
Being a smaller ship I wonder if it will be involved in rail to Great Lakes transfers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtLU55Kyip4
CMStPnPGive me some latitude here I know the post is not directly about Trains but this is related to Trains, especially Great Lakes Shipping and some of the comments in the video about the decline of Coal and the design of the new ship. Plus, how many times do you get views of the cargo hold or the bridge of these ships? The video is a year old. Also, a sign of hope because I always thought shipping was dying on the Great Lakes. Being a smaller ship I wonder if it will be involved in rail to Great Lakes transfers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtLU55Kyip4
It didn't take long for the vessel to have issues.....a month later
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV1uBnGOLFA
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
She's still going strong, and currently about halfway up Lake Michigan as I type this (44° 08' 34.1" N, 086° 34' 44.9" W) on her way from Burns Harbor to Drummond Island at the north end of Lake Huron. She'll pass under "Big Mac" on the way.
Info from marinetraffic.com.
Drummond Island is a major source of dolomite, used by a number of industries, and in this case, most likely the steel industry. As such, it's likely that railroads will not be involved if she goes back to Burns Harbor.
Viewers of the Port Huron cam do see her from time to time. Nice ship, although she doesn't have the signature horn of her fleetmate the James R Barker and her famous "Barker Bark" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmWLI8Q_miA
And just to keep the railroad theme - In the video, the Barker is passing under the Duluth aerial lift bridge. It's a highway bridge. But if you stuck with the video till the end you heard the bridge answer the Barker's salute. The bridge is equipped with not one but two five chime railroad horns, apparently Westinghouse Airbrake, according to Wikipedia.
As one can see from the video, shipwatching is also a popular activity. There are several webcams around the lift bridge as well.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
It's the first boat I noticed that has the self-unloader boom pivot in the front.
MidlandMike It's the first boat I noticed that has the self-unloader boom pivot in the front.
The retrofits can be seen on both ends, often depending on the location of the pilothouse. Newer boats generally have the unloading boom built in as part of the superstructure while older boats tend to have a rather large boom support that was added on.
Bow mounted self-unloaders were the norm until the 1970's when Canada Steamship Lines had their five year old straight decker M/V Frontenac converted with a stern mounted self-unloader elevator and boom. Out of economy (a lot less electrical cabling coming from the engine room for instance), everyone then changed to stern installations in newbuilds and when converting existing hulls, including classics with the forward pilothouse like the Wilfred Sykes.
The issue is that many docks were setup with the old forward layout in mind and the physical constraints of some other locations made serving these locations difficult with a stern boom. It wasn't a problem for many years since there were enough older self-unloaders to go around to handle these locations. But as the classics like the wartime Maritimers that were converted into self-unloaders have slowly been marched off to the scrapyard, it's created demand for new forward mounted installations to fill this niche.
I believe the Manitoulin for Lower Lakes back in 2015 pioneered the forward self-unloader layout on the modern "stern-ender" layout that overtook Great Lakes shipbuilding in the 1970's. Algoma Central has also since received two Equinox-class 650' self-unloaders with the forward mounted self-unloading installation with a third Seawaymax example on the way late this year.
While the Mark Barker hauls many different loads, she was built due to a long-term contract for hauling rock salt out of Cleveland. For aesthetic reasons, I like the forward mounted boom for ships with a forward pilothouse and an aft boom for those with an aft pilothouse.
Backshopa long-term contract for hauling rock salt out of Cleveland.
There is, or was, a big salt deposit projecting from under Lake Erie to part of the Cleveland area, actively mined.
OvermodThere is, or was, a big salt mine projecting from under Lake Erie to part of the Cleveland area.
All of NE Ohio overlays salt deposits - deposits that extend out under Lake Erie as well. B&O & ERIE got at lot of salt shipments out of Rittman, OH.
Are these part of the same salt deposits that underlie Detroit?
CSSHEGEWISCHAre these part of the same salt deposits that underlie Detroit?
I am not a geologist - but I suspect the entire area was once an ancient sea that for whatever the reason and deposited its salt in place - then as the glaciers advanced to create 'Snowball Earth' they moved what was necessary to create the Great Lakes and the fertile land that surrounds them.
BaltACDI am not a geologist - but I suspect the entire area was once an ancient sea that for whatever the reason and deposited its salt in place...
And you would be correct. There is a layer of very dense material between the waters of the lakes and the salt deposits, which keeps them from getting wet, for the most part. This is a site about Goderich, on Lake Huron. It is a frequent port of call for lakers, especially when the winter season starts ramping up. https://www.draglamsalt.com/blogs/the-largest-salt-mine-in-the-world-goderich-ontario
I'm sure you can find similar sites for all of the salt mines.
I saw a great video not long ago that explained the whole thing in detail, but I can't find it just now. Suffice to say, we won't run out of salt any time soon...
BaltACD the glaciers advanced to create 'Snowball Earth' they moved what was necessary to create the Great Lakes
Wait! So you're saying they weren't formed by Paul Bunyan's spit?
Couldn't all that salt be what's left over from the melting salt blocks Paul gave to Babe, his blue ox?
CSSHEGEWISCH Are these part of the same salt deposits that underlie Detroit?
The mines in Cleveland and Detroit are in the Salina Group of formations, although they are in the seperate Appalachian and Michigan Basins.
Syracuse was known as the salt city, but I think it was from brine. There's a huge deep mine near Geneseo.
Gramp Syracuse was known as the salt city, but I think it was from brine. There's a huge deep mine near Geneseo.
Correct on both counts.
One of the main streets is Salina Street, and Syracuse is the home of salt potatoes. Don't knock 'em if you haven't tried 'em...
I had salt potatoes at a company picnic near Syracuse. A five pound sack of spuds and an entire box of salt dumped in and boiled. I had a bite of one and that was enough! Syracuse is the only place I've ever heard of salt potatoes.
I've been down the salt mine in Windsor and I could feel my blood pressure rising. Glad to get out of there.
tree68 Gramp Syracuse was known as the salt city, but I think it was from brine. There's a huge deep mine near Geneseo. Correct on both counts. One of the main streets is Salina Street, and Syracuse is the home of salt potatoes. Don't knock 'em if you haven't tried 'em...
Goderich is the port that Lakers go to to die. Hauling rock salt is hard on a ship's hull.
54light15I had salt potatoes at a company picnic near Syracuse. A five pound sack of spuds and an entire box of salt dumped in and boiled. I had a bite of one and that was enough! Syracuse is the only place I've ever heard of salt potatoes.
Covered, of course, with melted butter.
The story is that salt potatoes were created by the salt industry in Syracuse. Had some on Saturday at a chicken barbeque.
Then there's speadies - a southern tier delicacy.
I was thinking there was a NY railroad that was heavily involved in hauling salt, but I thought it was the Attica & Arcade.
tree, do you mean spiedies? (Strange this comes up; I have a batch of chicken pickling away in the fridge as I type this...)
I love salt in buttered mashed potatoes and have never had much problem with those salt potatoes -- I cheat and 'salt' them at the 163-degree sous-vide stage where they're getting the flaky texture...
This is an article from a couple of years ago before motor vessel Mark W. Barked started sea trials. It gives some good information about the ship itself. Built to haul almost anything including the taconite that comes in to Duluth on CN or Superior on BNSF.
https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2022/06/18/interlakes-mv-mark-w-barker-set-for-sea-trials-next-week/
Overmodtree, do you mean spiedies? (Strange this comes up; I have a batch of chicken pickling away in the fridge as I type this...)
Yeah - my bad on the spelling...
kgbw49 This is an article from a couple of years ago before motor vessel Mark W. Barked started sea trials. It gives some good information about the ship itself. Built to haul almost anything including the taconite that comes in to Duluth on CN or Superior on BNSF. https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2022/06/18/interlakes-mv-mark-w-barker-set-for-sea-trials-next-week/
That's not too surprising. Most Lake boats can handle any dry freight in bulk with the possible exception of cement.
Overmod tree, do you mean spiedies? (Strange this comes up; I have a batch of chicken pickling away in the fridge as I type this...) I love salt in buttered mashed potatoes and have never had much problem with those salt potatoes -- I cheat and 'salt' them at the 163-degree sous-vide stage where they're getting the flaky texture...
Salt potatoes sound something like a south-Georgia-and-north-Florida delicacy, boiled peanuts. You boil fresh peanuts in salty water for hours (my mother made them in a Presto cooker, speeding up the process significantly). Definitely an acquired taste for anyone not from the area, but I grew up eating them, and love the things.
For some reason, the texture of boiled peanuts has always been a problem to me... not the taste.
On the other hand, I'm a fiend for those pickled eggs -- which I might add make a good basis for deviled eggs with that delightful salt and vinegar tang.
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