Trying to research information on the Texas and Pacific Railroad Ferries that were used in New Orleans, LA.
My Father, Grandfather, Uncles and elder cousins worked on them.
They were the Gouldsboro and the L. S. Thorne. They were both side wheel paddle steamboats that operated between Gretna and New Orleans.
A picture of the L. S. Thorne can be seen at the following Website:
http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/rivers/river9.htm
Another excellent website is: http://lrs.railstuff.net/h/h-ferries.htm#2
The Gouldsboro was built atop the old Civil War USN Chickasaw’s hull. A website showing the old Civil War vessel is at::
http://www.network54.com/Forum/259029/message/1137098167/The+Ferry+Gouldsboro
Have noticed that in train related websites there is a lack of information on the old train ferries. Without them trains would not have been able to cross the Mississippi River or any other river. Without the old train ferries east coast to west coast travel would have been impossible. So they were a very vital role in railroad history.
Any information on the old paddle wheel steamboat railroad ferriew from anyone of you all out there may have would be greatly appreciated
Possibly of interest, the New Haven operated several steamboat lines in New England.
By the twentieth century, many of the carferries and carfloats on the lower Mississippi had been replaced by bridges. Most of those that remained were on secondary lines.
We also had carferries in the west. The SP operated two of the largest across the Carquinez Strait before eventually building a double track bridge across the strait.
The NP also operated a couple of carferries across the Columbia river before it two was finally bridged.
I have the info you seek, not just with me at the moment. The T&NO also crossed at New Orleans via ferry. I’ll get the info together and post as soon as possible.
Dave
Actually there are only three railroad bridges across the Mississippi River below Memphis. These are the KCS (formerly ICRR) bridge at Vicksburg opened in 1929, the KCS/UP (formerly T&P) bridge at Baton Rouge opened in 1940 and the UP (formerly T&P and SP) Huey P. Long Bridge at New Orleans opened in 1935. Prior to the building of these bridges there were railroad car ferries at all three locations. There were additional railroad ferries on the lower Mississippi at Helena, AR, and Greenville and Natchez, MS.
Lets not forget the Canadian roads they operated a number of Carferries From North Sydney to Newfoundland at one time operated by CN. There was also those of the CN to PEI. CPR operated railferies in BC the largest they owned at one time was the Princess of Vancouver between Vancouver and Nanaimo. And there was also one large car ferry that operated to Alaska one time their are a number of barges that still operate to Alaska carrying railcars from Seattle to Alaska.
TTFN Al
Railcar ferries still run between Vancouver and Nanaimo, now run by Dennis Washington’s Seaspan Coastal Intermodal, they take cars from the CPR to Dennis Washington’s Southern Railway of Vancouver Island(former Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway).
http://www.coastalintermodal.com
Did you know that CN also ran a railcar ferry between Vancouver, Victoria, and Cowichan Bay? The SS Canora, ran between Port Mann and Patricia Bay, Cowichan Bay, and Ogden Point and Victoria Inner Harbor until the early 1960’s when it was retired and replaced by tug and barges and Seaspan rail ferries until CN’s Vancouver Island rail operations were abandoned in 1990.
At the risk of stretching this topic a bit, there were also carferries operated by West India Fruit & Steamship Co. between New Orleans or Miami and Havana. They were of a design quite different from the carferries on the Great Lakes.
There is also a rather small carferry operation across the Gulf of Mexico which provides a direct connection for Ferrosur at Coatzacoalcos with the Port of New Orleans.
http://www.cgrailway.com/
This site is devoted to Railroad Ferries in Louisiana
http://lrs.railstuff.net/h/h-ferries.htm
I believe the Milwakee Road ran a car ferry to Port Townsend, Wa. on the sound from ?Tideflat yard in Seattle?. I was there about 6 years ago and walked out on to the slip.