Free article:

Lake Michigan carferries - Classic Trains Magazine

Hey thanks for posting that. I always enjoy seeing pics and reading descriptions of rail/water operations. I have a Trains magazine that is a few years old with another article about the subject...have to dig it up again. Your post reminded me.

Ralph

An HO scale switching module, shows up at Trainfest every year, with a scale model of "Badger", being loaded and unloaded.
I also remember an HO scale, radio controlled, car ferry, at Trainfest. It did take forever to empty the above ground ( 15' - 20' diameter ) pool, and clean up any spills, so it doesn't show up any more, but it did load, and unload at both sides of the "pool".
Some form of rail car ferry operation,( preferably carried, or on a wheeled cart ) is an excellent choice for small industrial switching. It's also an excellent method of staging traffic in and out of a switching layout.
Well timed, "reminder" post, railohio. Thank you.

At the train club in town that I used to belong to , there was a member who was captain of one of the car/train ferries that ran from Windsor Ont to Detroit MI. every day back in the 50's - 60's . The ferries were later replaced by barges pushed by a tug boat and the guy , Ted Hanifan , captained the tug until he retired . Ted had a lot of interesting stories ....one of them being the time a box car went overboard after the sudden shift in weight from a string of cars being removed from the ferry . I'm building him ( slowly ) a model of his car ferry using a Voco Marine ( later Bearco Models ) kit .

Terry

teejay Wrote:I'm building him ( slowly ) a model of his car ferry using a Voco Marine ( later Bearco Models ) kit .
Terry

That should be worth a picture or five here when it is done.

Sumpter250 Wrote:

teejay Wrote:I'm building him ( slowly ) a model of his car ferry using a Voco Marine ( later Bearco Models ) kit .
Terry

That should be worth a picture or five here when it is done.

I got the hull done ( the vaccuum formed styrene hulls on these kits are about the worst fit imagineable ) with auto body putty of all things ...then got hooked up with the ballpark many months ago . Needless to say I haven't touched the boat since then .

Thanks for that car ferry link , it's a keeper .

Terry

teejay Wrote:...then got hooked up with the ballpark many months ago . Needless to say I haven't touched the boat since then . Terry

I spent a good deal of my young life waiting for the next Brooklyn Dodger Home Run........waiting for your start on the car ferry won't be that hard.