12-16-2010, 05:46 PM
P5se Camelback Wrote:Is that a solution to the problem of water too shallow to get the barge any closer and for some reason, not being able to dredge out a slip for a more traditional "ramp" from terra firma to floating railroad tracks on a flat-bottomed boat?
I can't say I've ever seen that method of getting freight cars on a barge before, but then I've only ever seen the rail-cars-on-barge routine before in Philly and New York . :?
What do they do when the weather gets cold? Just wonderin'.
Hey BiL,
I'd have to say, all of the above to answer your first question. However Slocan Lake has a maximum depth of over 900ft! From what I've read, in most areas the depth drops sharply a few meters out from the shoreline too. So I dunno...perhaps it was the economics and the difficulty of establishing a NY type harbour network in the area? I also guess that the lakes rose and fell during the seasons due to spring melt from the mountains. By placing the slip on some rail they could tow it up and down the tracks depending on the height of the lake. The only clue I could see to support this idea is there is cable attached the slip that runs off the slip and up the slope inbetween the tracks. My guess is that when the lake levels change they could either pull or lower the slip. Then again I could be completely talking out of my backside. :?
I was recently given a book by a club member that has a lot of photographs of rail operations during all times of the year. There is one photo graph that shows the lake with a very thin layer of ice on it. However, from what I've also read about the area is that the lakes generally never ice over and are ice free year round. So I'm guessing that the ice wasn't a problem. However I bet winter was still a difficult time to operate regardless of the lake conditions.