I’m looking for pics and info on rail barge and/or rail ferry service, REAL OR MODELED. I was interested before when I had a spare room for trains, but my area has been reduced to a rounghly 10x6 foot area. After seeing video of operations on an HO scale module of the CNJ Bronx rail barge terminal built by the creator from Fast Tracks (I apologize, all I can remember is the guys first name, Tim) I became extremely interested in it. I’m only looking to model the barge/ferry portion, it is not going to be connected to another layout. Interested in barge/ferry operations (rail car loading/unloading), car weighing (simulated only of course), and corresponding yard operations, such as classifing incoming cars and making up consists, and breaking down consists to be weighted, sorted, and then loaded on the barge. I would like to have it serviced by a car ferry rather than a barge, and if enough room would like to have 2 car ferries, and a small engine service facility. At most I will have 3 locomotives, a Mantua 0-6-0T, the AGEIR box cab that Mr. Tim uses, and a GE 44 tonner, all with DCC and sound. Inbound and outbound consists would be brought in and taken out with another locomotive, onto a cassette that is temporarily attached to the layout. Plans would include a lower staging level that would have tracks long enough to handle consists.
I’m not scared by scratchbuilding and kitbashing. If I have to construct my own rail car ferry from scratch, that is cool. But if I can say buy a Walthers float barge and do some kitbashing and scratch building to turn it into a ferry, that is just as cool as well. Part of all this also came from downloading a bunch of operating manuals, including an OP MAN for the 44T. I’ve already read it enough to have the engine starting procedure memorized and basic operations.
Well if you’re in Green Bay you might be interested in modelling Lake Michigan car ferries, rather than the smaller eastern kind designed to just cross a river. There was (is?) a ferry operation on Lake Superior, taking cars from Duluth-Superior to Thunder Bay Ontario and back.
If I were you, I’d go this route if only to keep the track lined up in the right places/ Evergreen has some wood simulated styrene, or if you really feel daring, yuo could scratch it from balsa trips. And you might look into the Model Boat building guys for the other details. They’d probably be as much help in the building stage as we are.
There is a large barge operation between New Jersey and Brooklyn. It is still in operation and runs a long distance along the Brooklyn waterfront . On Jan 9, 2006 a barge sunk at the Brooklyn barge terminal of the New York Cross Harbor Railroad dumping 5 cars of cocoa beans into the East River. YUK!!!. I grew up in Brooklyn and know quite a bit about their operations.
My scratch built 4-track car ferry is probably larger than you have in mind. It occupies one of my two HO scale harbors, along with an ore carrier, (being loaded). The second picture is of a scratch built 3-track barge,tucked into a corner, next to the swing bridge at the entrance of my second harbor for servicing coal and iron ore to a steel mill, (along with two Hulett unloaders for an ore carrier on the main part of the harbor) A barge is extremely easy to scratch build, and can be built to the space available.
Do a search for “car float” on this forum and the Layouts and Layout Building forum. We’ve had several discussions about this. It’s part of my planned expansion of my own layout, too.
Now that Walthers has re-released its car float model, I think a few more of us, at least in the HO world, will be encouraged to model these.
For those truly interested in Rail-Marine and not simply vacillating between OK, WI, the MR&T, 1920s HO narrow gauge and the modern era in N scale, the Rail-Marine Special Interest group is a must.
Thanks Beasley [:D]. I tried. I’ve written enough posts on here that just confused the hell out of everyone so I try to make them clear and consis now, including the subject. I didn’t really think much of it either untill you mentioned it. Does this mean I have to write a poem about it now. Cause if I do then I need to head home for about 10 minutes, grab a beer, and put The Cars album on the old turn table. I’ve just joined the yahoo rail marine group mentioned. Haven’t gotten there yet though, I recieved the acceptance with in 2 or 3 minutes and I was in the middle of checking my email. Thinking about it more last night I realized I wanted what has basically suggested to me. I don’t really want to model just a ferry taking cars across a wide river or lake. I envisioned more of a port. One big idea I had was to have loaded log cars as live outgoing freight. Maybe reefers full of canned fish too.
I have to fully sceneic the vessel though, whether I go ferry or barge. Shoot I forgot if it was on here or my rail post under layouts, but other posters were talking about using the ferry as a cassette. Sort of ironic as that was the first given I decided upon. It has to be removable. Idea was yard crew would unload ferry, then I would take the ferry off the layout, set it on an lower staging level where outboung cars would be rolled off and different sets of inbound cars would get rolled on. I will either use multiple ferry’s or just rig up some kind of temporary name placard holder for the boats so I can use the same boat but change names so it looks and feels like the port is getting different ferry’s. I have to go to my layout blog and do a post about some givens, not too sure about druthers yet.
In our area, fruit was a commodity along with wheat. The fruit was boxed,mainly cherrires, and the grain was bagged and was reloaded by hand from boxcar or wagon, to river boat. Usually just a simple siding along the river. BIll
The 3-track car float produced by Walthers, along with its matching apron, is one approach which would work for a larger, more industrial waterfront. This apron, the Racquett Lake Navigation Company from Bar Mills, is another:
I believe it’s single track, but you might be able to double it up or add a wye turnout. It would let you model a smaller, lakeside facility.
If you’re serious about modeling rail car ferry boats, you need look no further than the SS Badger that steamed between Ludington, Mi. and Manitowac, Wis. Originally commisioned by the Pere Marquette RR it started service in 1947 and at the end of its role as a car ferry was operated by the Chessie System (from the old C and O). I think she still sails that route, but as a passenger and auto ferry only. I also think she is (or was) the last coal fired steam ship on the great lakes. Anyway, do as you wish with the info, and of course Google will get you more than you can wish for! Gerry S.
CEO, Chief Cook and Bottlewasher, Eerie-Lackamoney RR
This is not a layout plan, but it may help you figure out one. This is the location of the old Union Belt Boat Yard in Detroit. It seems fairly compact to me, and might be a good basis for a model. Some tracks are still there, and you can see where other tracks once were. Here’s a bird’s eye of the aprons.
The Badger is still in steamin’ 'roun. As far as I know they have no intentions of taking it out of service. I’ve ridden on it, and it was slower than Hellman’s mayonnaise in a Siberian winter, but I loved every minute of the 4 1/2 hour journey across Michigan. And this was back when I was around 12, you know, the age when kids could really care less about something old and even about something that slow. We rented one of the state rooms. My parents were probably really bugged because our room was about half way between the gift shop and the arcade. And of course once we were on board I just HAD to go watch the all the cars and trucks and semis being loaded on. And I also HAD to spend time on the promonade deck, and just HAD to watch the waves from the stern, and just HAD to enjoy some time on bow…as I said, I loved it. Some years ago they added a couple of fast ferries, but that’s all it was, they still kept the Badger on it’s usual full schedule. It was never knocked down a notch on the latter. It sort of sticks, because the “wife”
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I had to carry the barge with my two hands. One hand as bumper. [:)]
