Was surprised to read that the Lackawanna Railroad interests operated a Car Ferry service to Wisconsin via Ann Arbor subsidiary. It was actually envisioned as part of the “and Western” part of DL&W. At one point including a predecessor road of the Green Bay and Western to Green Bay and across the state to Minnesota. The Ferries docked at Kewaunee from what I understand. Might make a good future Trains Magazine article.
I have been aware of the Ann Arbor car ferry service for years. Was never aware that the Ann Arbor had any linkage to the Lackawanna.
Excerpt from History of Brown County, Wisconsin (1913)
No history of Green Bay would be complete without extended reference to Michael Joseph McCormick who long occupied a central place on the stage of public activity here. He was a business man whose efforts were of far reaching importance…
In 1878 he became agent for the Goodrich Transportation Company at Green Bay and was long identified with the carrying interests of the country, either navigation or rail. In 1886 he became agent for the Delaware & Lackawanna Railroad Company, which was then operating a through boat from Buffalo to Green Bay.
Stan Mailer’s classic book on the Green Bay & Western goes into some detail about the rather convoluted involvement of the Lackawanna in the GB&W - which makes more sense when you realize the general interest Eastern railroads had in reaching the Mississippi River by rail or canal, or both.
Dave Nelson
The other thing of interest I uncovered was that the New York Central System had either partial ownership or some financial interest in the Soo Line Ferry Chief Wawatam. Interesting first or second person accounts of Soo Line and handling of ferries at Manitowoc at one point during a C&NW strike…Soo Line switched 6 RR Car Ferries in one day at Manitowoc…thats a lot of traffic, IMHO. Sad to see most of the infrastructure is gone now and most tracks abandoned.
http://flickeflu.com/set/72157622229792844
About Soo Line and Ferries in Manitowoc:
The Chief Wawatam was owned by the Makinac Transit Company, which crossed the Straits of Mackinac, between the Upper and Lower Peninsulars of Michigan. The owners were the Soo, NYC and PRR, Which served St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.