Jump to content

Train ferry: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
JAnDbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
159,117 edits
m robot Adding: cs:Trajekt
m cite book
 
(784 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Ferryboat carrying railroad cars onboard}}
{{main|Merchant ship}}
{{for|information on other shipping boats such as this|Merchant vessel}}
[[Image:Docking ferry.jpg|thumb|300px|A loaded train ferry approaching the dock in [[Detroit, Michigan]], April 1943.]]
[[File:Roll-on roll-off train ferry in Villa San Giovanni, Italy.jpg|alt=Image showing a railcar on rails inside the white interior of a ferry. |thumb|Interior of a roll-on roll-off train ferry in [[Villa San Giovanni]], Italy]]
[[Image:Yard and ferry.jpg|thumb|300px|Aerial view of a [[classification yard]] and two docking train ferries in Detroit, April 1943. A third [[ferry slip]] can be seen at the bottom of the photograph.]]
[[File:Puttgarden-191_07.jpg|thumb|Railway ferry, Baltic Sea]]
A '''train ferry''' is a [[ship]] designed to carry [[Rail transport|railway]] vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with [[rail tracks|railway tracks]], and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries were originally referred to as "car ferries" until about the 1950s. The wharf (sometimes called a "slip") has a ramp, linkspan or "apron," balanced by weights, that connects the railway proper to the ship, allowing for the water level to rise and fall with the tides. For an example of a specialized slip to receive railcars see [[ferry slip]].
A '''train ferry''' is a [[ship]] ([[ferry]]) designed to carry [[Railroad car|railway vehicles]], as well as their cargoes and passengers.<ref name="Wartsila">{{cite web | title=Train ferry | website=Wartsila.com | date=2016-02-22 | url=https://www.wartsila.com/encyclopedia/term/train-ferry | access-date=2024-10-08}}</ref><ref name="p595">{{cite book | last=Brodie | first=Peter | title=Commercial Shipping Handbook, Second Edition | publisher=CRC Press | date=2013-09-05 | isbn=978-1-317-85960-4|page=287 }}</ref> Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with [[Track (rail transport)|railway tracks]], and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries",<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hodson |first1=John C. |title=Car Ferries |journal=Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly |date=April 1898 |volume=15 |issue=88 |pages=443–447 |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/48cb48a921558d39/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1984}}</ref><ref name="olin1915">{{cite web |last1=Olin |first1=Edward W |title=Side-Wheel Car Ferry Contra Costa: Details of Design and Construction of Largest Side-Wheel Train Ferrv in the World |url=http://cprr.org/Museum/Solano/images/I_ACCEPT_the_User_Agreement/Solano-PlansModelPckg/InternationalMarineEngineeringArticles/IntMarineEng_Sep1915.pdf |website=cprr.org |publisher=International Marine Engineering |access-date=1 June 2021 |pages=387–394 |date=September 1915}}</ref> as distinguished from "auto ferries" used to transport automobiles. The [[wharf]] (sometimes called a "[[ferry slip|slip]]") has a ramp, and a [[Linkspan#Train ferry|linkspan]] or "apron", balanced by weights, that connects the railway proper to the ship, allowing for tidal or seasonal changes in water level.


While railway vehicles can be and are shipped on the decks or in the holds of ordinary ships, purpose-built train ferries are much quicker to load and unload, especially as several vehicles can be loaded or unloaded at once. A train ferry that is a [[barge]] is called a [[car float]].
While railway vehicles can be and are shipped on the decks or in the holds of ordinary ships, purpose-built train ferries can be quickly loaded and unloaded by [[roll-on/roll-off]], especially as several vehicles can be loaded or unloaded at once. A train ferry that is a [[barge]] is called a [[car float]] or rail barge. Some train ferries are considered pure train ferries that only carry rail traffic, whereas others are defined as train/vehicle ferries that also carry vehicles.<ref name="p595"/>


==History==
In 1833 the [[Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway]] operated a wagon ferry on the [[Forth and Clyde Canal]] in [[Scotland]].<ref name = ‘‘Marshall – Guinness’’>{{cite book|last=Marshall|first=John|title=The Guinness Railway Book|year=1989|publisher=Guinness|location=Enfield|isbn=0-85112-359-7}}</ref> In April 1836 the first railroad car ferry in the [[United States|U.S.]], the ''Susquehanna'' entered service on the [[Susquehanna River]] between [[Havre de Grace, Maryland|Havre de Grace]] and [[Perryville, Maryland]].<ref name = ‘‘Marshall – Guinness’’ /> The first 'modern' design of ferry, the ''Leviathan'', was designed in 1849 by [[Thomas Grainger]] for the [[Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee Railway]], [[Scotland]], to cross the [[River Forth|Forth estuary]] between [[Granton, Edinburgh|Granton]] and [[Burntisland]]. It was intended as a temporary measure until the railway could build a bridge, but this was not opened until 1890, its construction delayed in part by repercussions from the catastrophic failure of [[Thomas Bouch]]'s [[Tay Rail Bridge]];<ref>{{cite book|last=Shipway|first=J.S.|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2004}}</ref> Bouch designed the ferry loading mechanism.<ref name = ‘‘Marshall – Guinness’’ />
An early train ferry was established as early as 1833 by the [[Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway]]. To extend the line over the [[Forth and Clyde Canal]] in [[Scotland]], the company began operating a wagon ferry to transport the rolling stock over the canal.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hennessey|first1=R. A. S.|title=The train ferries.|journal=Backtrack|date=November 2016|volume=30|issue=11|page=660}}</ref><ref name = "Marshall-Guinness">{{Marshall-GuinnessRail}}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2016}} In April 1836, the first railroad car ferry in the [[United States|U.S.]], ''Susquehanna'', entered service on the [[Susquehanna River]] between [[Havre de Grace, Maryland|Havre de Grace]] and [[Perryville, Maryland]].<ref name = "Marshall-Guinness" />{{page needed|date=October 2016}}


The first modern train ferry was ''[[Leviathan (1849)|Leviathan]]'', built in 1849.<ref name="d526">{{cite book | last=Maggs | first=Colin | title=Steam Trains | publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited | date=2014-09-15 | isbn=978-1-4456-3283-4}}</ref><ref name="h225">{{cite book | last=Olsen | first=Alexander Arnfinn | title=Merchant Ship Types | publisher=Taylor & Francis | date=2023-01-24 | isbn=978-1-000-83120-7}}</ref> The [[Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway]] was formed in 1842 and the company wished to extend the [[East Coast Main Line]] further north to [[Dundee]] and [[Aberdeen]]. As bridge technology was not yet capable enough to provide adequate support for the crossing over the [[Firth of Forth]], which was roughly {{convert|5|mi|km|0|spell=in}} across, a different solution had to be found, primarily for the transport of goods, where efficiency was key. The company hired the up-and-coming civil engineer [[Thomas Bouch]] who argued for a train ferry with an efficient [[roll-on roll-off]] mechanism to maximise the efficiency of the system.<ref name="d526"/> Custom-built ferries were to be built, with railway lines and matching harbour facilities at both ends to allow the rolling stock to easily drive on and off the boat.<ref name="Forth">{{cite web|url=http://www.grantonhistory.org/transport/train_ferry.htm|title=Forth Place|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205603/http://www.grantonhistory.org/transport/train_ferry.htm|archive-date=2014-07-14}}</ref> To compensate for the changing [[tide]]s, adjustable ramps were positioned at the harbours and the gantry structure height was varied by moving it along the slipway. The wagons were loaded on and off with the use of [[stationary steam engine]]s.<ref name="Forth" /><ref name = "Marshall-Guinness" />{{page needed|date=October 2016}} Although others had had similar ideas, it was Bouch who first put them into effect, and did so with an attention to detail (such as design of the [[ferry slip]]). This led a subsequent President of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]]<ref>[[George Parker Bidder]]; not to be confused with the lawyer (his son) who represented Bouch at the Tay Bridge Inquiry</ref> to settle any dispute over priority of invention with the observation that "there was little merit in a simple conception of this kind, compared with a work practically carried out in all its details, and brought to perfection."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Memoirs of Deceased Members|journal=Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers|date=January 1881|volume=63|series=PART 1|issue=1|pages=301–8|url=http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/docserver/fulltext/imotp.1881.22152.pdf|access-date=17 February 2012|issn=1753-7843}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The company was persuaded to install this train ferry service for the transportation of goods wagons across the Firth of Forth from Burntisland in Fife to [[Granton, Edinburgh|Granton]]. The ferry itself was built by [[Thomas Grainger]], a partner of the firm Grainger and Miller.<ref>Shipway, J.S. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.</ref> The service commenced on 3 February 1850.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/s/scotland_street_tunnel/index.shtml|title=Subterranea Britannica: Sites:Scotland Street Tunnel|work=subbrit.org.uk|access-date=4 May 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924063948/http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/s/scotland_street_tunnel/index.shtml|archive-date=24 September 2017}}</ref> It was called "The Floating Railway"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62215901|title=News of the Week |newspaper=[[The Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal|Bathurst Free Press]] |location=[[Bathurst, New South Wales]] |date=10 August 1850 |access-date=30 May 2013 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and intended as a temporary measure until the railway could build a bridge, but this was [[Forth Bridge|not opened until 1890]], its construction delayed in part by repercussions from the catastrophic failure of [[Thomas Bouch]]'s [[Tay Bridge disaster|Tay Rail Bridge]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Shipway|first=J.S.|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004}}</ref>
== Examples ==
=== Argentina ===
Nine train ferries were in use between 1907 and 1990, when bridges were built over the rivers they crossed. They were the ''Lucía Carbó'', the ''María Parera'', the ''Mercedes Lacroze'' (these three ferries operating between the ports of [[Zárate]] and Ibicuy, crossing the [[Paraná River|Paraná]] river in the northeast of the Buenos Aires province); then in 1913 were added the ''Roque Saenz Peña'' and ''Javier Ramos Mejía'' paddlers at [[Posadas]] (crossing the Paraná river in the southwest of the Misiones province, in the north of the country) and then, in 1928, three other ferries were built: the ''Delfina Mitre'', ''Dolores de Urquiza'' and ''Carmen Avellaneda'', replacing the originals which worked the Zárate-Ibicuy crossing. The first two were sunk due to collisions with cargo ships. Two of the most modern are still serving as floating piers in the Zárate region, and some others were sold for conversion to flat barges or were scrapped. The two northern ferries still remain at Posadas, and one of them has a railway museum inside. All the eight old ferries were built by the J. A. Inglis Co. Ltd., in Pointhouse, [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]] for the Entre Rios Railways Co. in Argentina. The ninth ferry, the ''Tabare'', - the last and newest - was built in Argentina in 1966 by Astarsa (ASTilleros ARgentinos S.A.) at Rio Santiago Shipbuildings, near La Plata city, at the south of Buenos Aires area. It is still floating but not operating, awaiting a decision, in the south pier aside to the new Puerto Madero facilities, the new neighbour built in Buenos Aires city over the port and the old docks of Buenos Aires. (Information provided by Oliverio).-


In 1878, the [[Solano (ferry)|Solano train ferry]] began operating in the [[United States]] across [[Carquinez Strait]] remaining in service until 1930 when a bridge was built.<ref name="h755">{{cite book | last=Burton | first=Anthony | title=Taking the Train | publisher=Pen and Sword Transport | date=2024-10-30 | isbn=978-1-3990-3674-0 | page=103}}</ref><ref name="q022">{{cite book | last=Robins | first=Nick | title=The Coming of the Comet | publisher=Seaforth Publishing | date=2012-10-10 | isbn=978-1-4738-1328-1 | page=85}}</ref> In 1899, the [[SS Baikal]] train ferry was assembled in Russia to link the eastern and western portions of the [[Trans-Siberian Railroad]] across [[Lake Baikal]].<ref name="Lambert">{{cite book | last=Lambert | first=Anthony | title=The 50 Greatest Train Journeys of the World | publisher=Icon Books | date=2016-05-05 | isbn=978-1-78578-066-0}}</ref> The ferry had been built in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] then disassembled and shipped in 7,000 crates to its assembly location inside Russia.<ref name="Lambert"/>
=== Australia ===
* [[Grafton, New South Wales]] over [[Clarence River (New South Wales)|Clarence River]] pending construction of bridge, 1920s to 1930s.


[[Switzerland]] has a long history of train ferry usage beginning in the 1860s.<ref name="o624">{{cite book | last=Jung | first=Joseph | title=The Laboratory of Progress | publisher=Taylor & Francis | date=2022-09-16 | isbn=978-1-000-68327-1}}</ref> Between 1869 and 1976, train ferries also existed on [[Lake Constance]]. The [[Lake Constance train ferries]] linked lakeside railway stations in [[Austria]] ({{rws|Bregenz}}), [[Germany]] ({{rws|Friedrichshafen Hafen}}, {{stn|Konstanz}}, {{rws|Lindau-Insel}}) and [[Switzerland]] ({{rws|Romanshorn}}).
* The [[Port Lincoln]] division is isolated from the main system by desert and is very roundabout, and rolling stock is transferred as required by ship or by road [[low loader]]s.


From 1936 until 1977 (except during the Second World War), the [[Night Ferry]] from [[Dover]] was a train ferry that connected the UK with France and the rest of Europe.<ref name="Martin">{{cite book | last=Martin | first=Andrew | title=Belles and Whistles | publisher=Profile Books | publication-place=London | date=2014-09-04 | isbn=978-1-78283-025-2}}</ref><ref name="n553">{{cite book | last=Lane | first=Anthony | title=Front Line Harbour | publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited | date=2011-02-15 | isbn=978-1-4456-2008-4}}</ref><ref name="w632">{{cite book | last=Pring | first=Martyn | title=Boat Trains: The English Channel & Ocean Liner Specials | publisher=Pen and Sword Transport | date=2021-01-18 | isbn=978-1-5267-6193-4}}</ref>
=== Bangladesh ===


The Japanese train ferry ''[[Toya Maru]]'' sank during [[typhoon Marie (1954)|Typhoon Marie]] on 26 September 1954, killing more than a thousand.<ref name="i543">{{cite web | title=Flashback in maritime history: Toya Maru Japanese ferry sinking, resulting in 1500 deaths, 26 Sept. 1954 | website=MaritimeCyprus | date=2023-09-29 | url=https://maritimecyprus.com/2023/09/29/flashback-in-maritime-history-toya-maru-japanese-ferry-sinking-resulting-in-1500-deaths-26-sept-1954-6/ | access-date=2024-10-08}}</ref> Four other train ferries, ''Seikan maru No.11'', ''Kitami Maru'', ''Tokachi Maru'' and ''Hidaka Maru'' also sank on that day; the loss appeared to be of about 1,430 people. At the time, Japanese train ferries did not have a rear seagate, because engineers believed that in-rushing water would simply flow out again quickly and would not pose a danger.<ref name="q610">{{cite web | title=A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharf. | website=www.Rail-Pass.com | date=1954-09-26 | url=https://www.rail-pass.com/train-ferry-ferry-train | access-date=2024-10-08}}</ref> However, when the frequency of waves bears the wrong relationship to the length of a ship, each wave arrives as the water from the previous wave is trying to leave, causing water to accumulate on the ship. After the accidents, all Japanese train ferries were retrofitted with rear seagates and weather forecast technology was greatly promoted.
* from [[Balashi Ghat]] to [[Bahadurabad Ghat]].


The Norwegian train ferry ''Skagerrak'' built in 1965, sank in gale-force winds on 7 September 1966, on a journey between [[Kristiansand]], [[Norway]], and [[Hirtshals]], [[Denmark]], when the rear seagate was destroyed by heavy seas. One person subsequently died of injuries, and six freight cars and a number of automobiles sank to the bottom with the ship. Many more passengers would have died but for the actions of the Royal Danish Airforce who managed to use helicopters to rescue 144 people.<ref name="w567">{{cite book | last=Gregory | first=Hollingsworth Franklin | title=The Helicopter | publisher=A. S. Barnes | publication-place=South Brunswick | date=1976 | isbn=978-0-498-01670-7 | page=199}}</ref>
=== Bolivia ===


The Canadian train ferry {{MV|Patrick Morris}} sank on 20 April 1970, while assisting in a search-and-rescue operation for a sinking fishing trawler (MFV ''Enterprise'') off the northeast coast of [[Cape Breton Island]]. The ferry was trying to maintain position to retrieve a body when its [[stern gate]]s were overpowered by {{convert|30|ft|m|sigfig=2|adj=on}} waves. It sank within 30 minutes taking several rail cars and 4 crew members, including the Captain, to the bottom of the [[Cabot Strait]]. There were 47 survivors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McNeil |first1=Greg |title=Remembering the sinking of the Patrick Morris |url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/cape-breton-post/20100417/281891589474001 |accessdate=25 October 2020}}</ref>
* link from [[Peru]]


In 1998, the largest train ferry ever was built, the {{MS|Skåne}} on the Trelleborg-Rostock route, is {{convert|200|m|ft|sp=us}} long, {{convert|29|m|ft|sp=us}} wide, with six tracks plus two on an elevator to the lower deck, having a total length of track of {{convert|1,110|m|ft|sp=us}}.<ref name="m027">{{cite web | title=Skåne Multipurpose Ro-Ro/Train Ferry | website=Ship Technology | date=2000-02-23 | url=https://www.ship-technology.com/projects/skane/ | access-date=2024-10-08}}</ref>
=== Brazil ===


<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
* See [[Paraguay]]
File:Floating railway 1850.jpg|The 'Floating Railway', opened in 1850 as the first [[roll-on roll-off]] train ferry in the world.
File:Granton train ferry.jpg|[[Thomas Bouch|Bouch's]] ferry design. Note the [[adjustable ramp]] of the [[Granton train ferry]].
</gallery>


=== Bulgaria ===
==Current services==


{{Main|List of train ferries}}
* The [[Varna]]-[[Odesa]] ([[Ukraine]]) train ferry line served by 4 boats (13,000 DWT each, carrying 108 loaded railroad cars) opened in 1978, bypasses a [[break of gauge]]. Later, the service was extended to include lines to [[Poti]] and [[Batumi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. Boats can carry trucks and passengers as well.
Many train ferry services ceased their operations around the world. There are several services that are still in use in Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, and United States. Some of these are [[RORO ferry|RORO train ferries]] that carry passenger trains. Some are for freight transportation only.


=== Canada ===
==Hazards==
Train ferries rarely sink because of sea hazards, although they have some weaknesses linked to the very nature of transporting trains "on rail" on a ship.


These weaknesses include:
* [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]] - [[Whittier, Alaska]] (AquaTrain)
* [[Delta, British Columbia]] - [[Nanaimo, British Columbia]] ([[Canadian Pacific Railway|CPR]], later [[E and N Railway]])
* various inland lakes of [[British Columbia]] (CN Rail and CPR)
* [[Sarnia, Ontario]] - [[Port Huron, Michigan]] (CN Rail, until the opening of the [[Paul Tellier Tunnel]])
* [[Windsor, Ontario]] - [[Detroit, Michigan]] (Grand Trunk, CN Rail, CPR, Michigan Central, Wabash, until 1980s)
* [[Port Maitland, Ontario]] - [[Erie, Pennsylvania]] (TH&B Railway)
* [[Port Burwell, Ontario]] - [[Ashtabula, Ohio]] (CN Rail)
* [[Cobourg, Ontario]] - [[Rochester, New York]] (Ontario Car Company)
* [[Matane, Quebec]] - [[Baie Comeau, Quebec]] (COGEMA)
* [[Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick]] - [[Borden Carleton, Prince Edward Island]] ([[Prince Edward Island Railway]]/[[Canadian Government Railways]], CN Rail, [[CN Marine]], [[Marine Atlantic]]), using the MV Abegweit and MV John Hamilton Gray. Service ended when rail service on Prince Edward Island was discontinued.
* [[Mulgrave, Nova Scotia]] - [[Point Tupper, Nova Scotia]] (Intercolonial, CN Rail, until the opening of the [[Canso Causeway]])
* [[North Sydney, Nova Scotia]] - [[Channel - Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador|Port aux Basques, Newfoundland]] ([[Newfoundland Railway]], [[Canadian National Railway|CN Rail]], CN Marine). Service commenced in 1965 carrying standard-gauge rolling stock. A dual-gauge yard in Port aux Basques was used for classification and rolling stock had wheelsets exchanged with narrow gauge wheelsets. Service ended when the Newfoundland section of Canadian National Railway was closed in 1988.


* Trains are loaded at a rather high level, making the ship [[Center of mass|top-heavy]]. (Although modern train ferries often have truck decks above the train deck, making them less top-heavy)
=== China ===
* The train deck is difficult to compartmentalise, so that [[Free surface effect|sloshing flood water can destabilize]] the ship. However, train ferries are often built as "large barges", partly with open train deck, with the superstructure above, meaning the water will pour out into the sea again. Car ferries, on the other hand, usually have "normal hulls" with "holes" in them for loading; this design retains sloshing flood water within the ship
* The sea doors where the trains go in and out are a weakness, even if placed at the rear of the ship.
* The train carriages need to be strongly secured lest they break away and roll around, particularly on long, open-water routes. (The brakes are normally put on on long open-water routes)


The [[Ann Arbor Railroad (1895-1976)|Ann Arbor Railroad]] of [[Michigan]] developed a system of making cars secure that was adopted by many other lines. Screw jacks were placed on the corners of the railcar and the car was raised slightly to take its weight off its wheels. Chains and turnbuckles were placed around the car frame and hooked onto the rails and tightened. Clamps were placed behind the wheels on the rails. Deckhands engaged in continual inspection and tightening of the gear during the crossing. This system effectively held the cars in place when the ship encountered rough weather.
* [[Zhanjiang]], [[Guangdong]] and [[Haikou]], [[Hainan]] - connects mainland with island.
* [[Yantai]] in [[Shandong]] Province to [[Dalian]] in [[Liaoning]] Province - a short cut - (opening 2007). <ref> http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11334286.htm </ref>
* [[Yangtze River]] in [[Wuhan]] before construction of first river bridge.


Some accidents have occurred at the slip during loading, when stability can be a major problem. Train ferries often list when heavy cars are loaded onto a track on one side while the other side is empty. Normal procedure was to load half of a track on one side, all of the track on the other side, and then the rest of the original track. If this procedure was not followed, results could be disastrous. In 1909, {{SS|Ann Arbor No. 4}} capsized in its slip in Manistique, Michigan when a switching crew put eight cars of iron ore on its portside tracks. The crew got off without loss of life, but salvage operations were costly and time-consuming.
=== Cuba ===


Several train ferries, including {{SS|Milwaukee|1902|6}}, {{SS|Pere Marquette 18}}, and {{SS|Marquette & Bessemer No. 2}}, have been lost on the [[Great Lakes]]. These losses, though causes remain unconfirmed, were attributed to seas boarding the unprotected stern of the ship and swamping it in a severe storm. As a result, [[Drawbridge|seagates]] were required on all new ships and required to be retrofitted on older vessels. In addition, two wooden cross-lake railroad ferries caught fire and burned.
* [[New York City]] - [[Havana]], [[Cuba]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:Docking ferry.jpg|Loaded train ferry approaches dock in [[Detroit, Michigan]], United States in April 1943.
File:69th-st-transfer-bridge.jpg|The [[New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge]]
</gallery>


=== Denmark ===
== Gallery ==
In use:
* [[Frederikshavn]] - [[Göteborg]], [[Sweden]], 1987 - , freight only
* [[Rødby]] - [[Puttgarden]], [[Germany]] across [[Fehmarn|Fehmarn Belt]]. 1963 - , serves 6 passenger trains/day [[Copenhagen]] - [[Hamburg]]. Night trains and freight trains go over the [[Great Belt Bridge]] instead from 1998.
Former:
* [[Strib]] - [[Fredericia]], 1872 - 1935, replaced by [[Little Belt Bridge]]
* [[Korsør]] - [[Nyborg]], 1883 - 1997, replaced by [[Great Belt fixed link]]
* [[Oddesund]] Syd - [[Oddesund]] Nord, 1883 - 1938, replaced by [[Oddesund]] Bridge
* [[Masnedø]] - [[Orehoved]], 1884 - 1937, replaced by [[Storstrøm Bridge]]
* [[Glyngøre]] - [[Nykøbing Mors]], 1889 - 1977
* [[Helsingør]] - [[Helsingborg]], [[Sweden]], 1892 - 2000, since then car ferry only
* [[Copenhagen]] Frihavn - [[Malmö]], [[Sweden]], 1895 - 2000, replaced by [[Øresund bridge]]
* [[Gedser]] - [[Warnemünde]], [[Germany]], 1903 - 1995, replaced by car ferry [[Gedser]] - [[Rostock]], [[Germany]]
* [[Faaborg]] - [[Mommark]], 1922 - 1962, freight only
* [[Assens]] - [[Aarøsund]], 1923 - 1950, freight only, narrow gauge (1000 mm)
* [[Svendborg]] - [[Rudkøbing]], 1926 - 1962, freight only
* [[Hvalpsund]] - [[Sundsøre]], 1927 - 1969, since then car ferry only
* [[Svendborg]] - [[Ærøskøbing]], 1931 - 1994, freight only
* [[Gedser]] - [[Großenbrode]] Kai, [[Germany]], 1951 - 1963, replaced by Rodby - Puttgarden Ferry
* [[Hirtshals]] - [[Kristiansand]], [[Norway]], 1960 - 1991, freight only
* [[Copenhagen]] Frihavn - [[Helsingborg]], [[Sweden]] (Danlink) 1986 - 2000, freight only


<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
=== Egypt ===
File:Sunset Limited on the train-ferry at Port Costa, San Francisco (CJ Allen, Steel Highway, 1928).jpg|[[Locomotive]] with [[slopeback tender]], loading the ''Sunset Limited'' onto the train-ferry ''Solano'' at [[:en:Port Costa, California|Port Costa]], San Francisco, [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific R.R.]]
File:Yard and ferry.jpg|[[Classification yard]] and two docking train ferries in Detroit, April 1943. A third [[ferry slip]] can be seen at the bottom of the photograph.
File:060-EA-009 on the way to Romania.jpg|A [[CFR Class EA]] locomotive being loaded into the [[Trelleborg]]-[[Sassnitz]] railway ferry on its way from Västerås, Sweden to Brașov, Romania, 1966
File:NM Georges-Alexandre-Lebel.jpg|[[MV Georges-Alexandre-Lebel|MV ''Georges-Alexandre-Lebel'']]<ref>[https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/GEORGES-A-LEBEL-IMO-7401021-MMSI-316005786 MV Georges-Alexandre-Lebe]</ref> train ferry of the [[Compagnie de gestion de Matane|COGEMA]] in [[Matane]], Canada
File:101031 Italie sud 128.jpg|Train ferry and roll-on/roll-off between [[Calabria]] and [[Sicily]]
File:Loading and unloading operations of a RORO passenger train ferry, Strait of Messina, Italy.webm|thumbtime=370|Loading and unloading operations of a RORO passenger train ferry, [[Strait of Messina]], Italy
</gallery>


==See also==
A ferry, though not necessarily a train ferry, links the 1435 mm gauge network of Egypt and the 1067 mm network of Sudan.
{{Portal|Transport|Trains}}
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[Ferry slip]] (includes examples of rail ferry and barge slips)
* [[Linkspan]]
* [[List of road-rail bridges]]
* [[Portage railway]], section of railway used to bypass a section of unnavigable river
* [[Roll-on/roll-off]]
* {{SS|Badger}}, passenger and vehicle ferry in the United States that has been in Lake Michigan service from 1953 until the present
{{div col end}}


=== Finland ===
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links==
* [[Turku]] - [[Stockholm]] (see [[SeaRail]]).
*{{Commons category-inline|Train ferries}}


{{ModernMerchantShipTypes}}
===Germany===
In use:
* [[Mukran]] - [[Klaipėda]], [[Lithuania]], [[break-of-gauge]], freight only (1986-)
* [[Puttgarden]] - [[Rødby]], [[Denmark]], passenger trains only (1963-)
* [[Rostock]] - [[Trelleborg]], [[Sweden]], freight only (1994-)
* [[Sassnitz]]/[[Mukran]](changed in 1998 from [[Sassnitz]] to [[Mukran]]) - [[Trelleborg]], [[Sweden]], freight plus one daily passenger train. (1909-)


{{Authority control}}
Former:
[[Image:Trajekt im Strom.jpg|400px|thumb|[[Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry]]]]
* [[Bodensee]] (1869–1976)
* [[Elbe]]: [[Lauenburg/Elbe|Lauenburg]] – Hohnstorf (1864–1878)
* [[Elbe]]: Köhlbrand, [[Hamburg]] (???–1974)
* [[Rhine]]: [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] – [[Rosengarten, Baden-Württemberg|Rosengarten]] (1870–1900)
* [[Rhine]]: [[Bingen am Rhein|Bingen]] – [[Rüdesheim am Rhein]] (1861–1900)
* [[Rhine]]: [[Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry|Bonn – Oberkassel]] (1870–1914)
* [[Rhine]]: [[Rheinhausen]] – Hochfeld (1866–1874)
* [[Rhine]]: [[Ruhrort]] – Homberg (1852–1912)
* [[Rhine]]: Spyck (near [[Emmerich]]) – Welle (near [[Kleve]]) (1865–1912)
* [[Grossenbrode]] - [[Fehmarnsund]] (1903-1963)
* [[Grossenbrode]] - [[Gedser]] (1951-1963)

=== Georgia ===

* Russia to Georgia, bypasses [[Abkhazia]].



=== Iran ===

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and upheavals along the railway route through Armenia and Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia instituted a ferry service over the [[Caspian Sea]].

=== Italy ===

* [[Calabria]]-[[Sicily]] and vice versa: between the ports of [[Villa San Giovanni]] in the Region of Calabria and [[Messina]] in the Region of Sicily - passenger and freight service.
* Mainland to [[Sardinia]]: between the ports of [[Civitavecchia]] and [[Golfo Aranci]] - freight service only.

Both services are operated by Bluvia that is a subsidiary company of [[Rete Ferroviaria Italiana]]. At present the link between Mainland and Sicily has a regular and frequent activity, while the link between Mainland and Sardinia is less frequent and operated basically day by day on the basis of the actual traffic demand.

An unofficial web page about the Italian rail ferries can be found at [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/FS.html this link].

=== Japan ===

Japan Railways would have had train ferries to link up the main islands before these were replaced by bridges and tunnels.

=== Lithuania ===

* [[Klaipėda]], 1520 mm - [[Mukran]], [[Germany]], 1435 mm (1986-)

=== New Zealand ===

* The [[North Island]] to the [[South Island]] - two ferries - operated by the [[Interisland Line]] between Wellington and Picton. The ferries are capable of carrying both rail and road vehicles on two separate decks (except the [[Pride of Cherbourg|MV ''Kaitaki'']]).

=== Norway ===

[[Image:DS-Ammonia Mæl 2004 SRS.jpg|thumb|The [[Tinnsjø railway ferry]], Norway.]]
* Historically the lake [[Tinnsjø railway ferry]] (1909 – 1991) linked [[Tinnosbanen]] and [[Rjukanbanen]], transporting goods to and from [[Rjukan]] and the [[Norsk Hydro]] [[heavy water]] factory, as seen in the movie ''[[The Heroes of Telemark]]'', starring [[Kirk Douglas]].
*[[Hirtshals]] - [[Kristiansand]], [[Norway]], 1960 - 1991, freight only

=== Paraguay ===

* Link to [[Brazil]] - replaced by bridge c1985. <!-- Janes World Railways -->

=== Peru ===

* Link to [[Bolivia]].

=== Russia ===

See Iran.

=== Sri Lanka ===

A ferry though not necessarily a train ferry links India and Sri Lanka over a narrow and shallow stretch of water.

=== Sudan ===

A ferry, though not necessarily a train ferry, links the 1435 mm gauge network of Egypt and the 1067 mm network of Sudan, across the [[Nile River]].

Another ferry used to operate between [[Juba, Sudan]] and [[Pakwach]], [[Uganda]], also along the [[Nile River]].

=== Sweden ===
In use:
* [[Ystad]] - [[Swinoujscie]], Poland (1974 - 2008, when it will be replaced by Trelleborg - Swinoujscie)
* [[Gothenburg]] - [[Frederikshavn]], Denmark (1987 -)
* [[Trelleborg]] - [[Rostock]], Germany (1996 -)
* [[Trelleborg]] - [[Mukran]], [[Germany]], (1998-) operated by [[Scandlines]]
* [[Stockholm]] - [[Turku]], Finland
All are for freight trains (and road vehicles) only, except that there is a daily passenger night train service between [[Malmö]], [[Sweden]] and [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] over Trelleborg - Mukran.

Former:
* [[Helsingør]], Denmark - [[Helsingborg]] (1892 - 2000)
* [[Copenhagen]], Denmark - Helsingborg (1992? - 2000), freight only
* Copenhagen, Denmark - [[Malmö]] (1895 - 1986)
* [[Saßnitz]], [[Germany]] - [[Trelleborg]], (1909-1998)
* Trelleborg - Gdansk, Poland (1946)
* Trelleborg - Gdynia, Poland (1947 - 1950)
* Trelleborg - Odra Port, Poland (1950 - 1954)
* Trelleborg - [[Warnemünde]], the GDR (1948 - 1953)
* [[Bergkvara]] - [[Mörbylånga]], normal gauge 1435 mm between 1067 mm in Bergkvara and 891 mm in Mörbylånga (1953 - 1955)
* [[Kalmar]] - [[Färjestaden]], narrow gauge 891 mm (1957 - 1962)
* [[Stockholm]] - [[Naantali]], Finland (1967 - 1972)
* Malmö - [[Travemünde]], Germany (from mid 80'ies till a few years ago)

=== Tanzania ===

See Uganda.

=== Turkey ===
* [[Bosphorus]] - train ferry connects the [[Europe|European]] railway network with main connections from [[Thessaloniki]], [[Greece]] and [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]] terminating at the [[Sirkeci Terminal]] to the [[Asia|Asian]] network terminating at the [[Haydarpaşa Terminal]]. This train ferry is for freight. Passengers use passenger ferries. The current [[Marmaray]] project, expected to be complete in 2009, will replace the ferry connection with an underwater railway tunnel running between the two sides.
* [[Black Sea]] - [[Ilyichevsk]], [[Ukraine]] to [[Derince]], [[Turkey]] bypasses a [[break of gauge]]
* [[Lake Van]] - Tatvan - Van. The Istanbul - Tehran and Damascus - Tehran passenger trains operate from each terminus to the ferry ports. Only the luggage van takes the ferry, the passengers have to switch trains at either end. The Lake Van Ferry is part of the planned [[Trans-Asian Railway]], Istanbul - Singapore. A scheduled freight train runs from Istanbul to Kazakhstan. The Train Ferry was established to avoid an expensive railroad line along the mountainous southern shore and may be replaced when traffic increases sufficiently.
* ''M/F Erdeniz'' is a train ferry that carries wagons between [[Eregli]] and [[Zonguldak]] ports. The vessel operates every day except Sunday. The vessel is operated by Erdemir Logistics.

=== Uganda ===

* A train ferry on [[Lake Victoria]] links the 1000 mm gauge network of the [[Uganda Railway]] in [[Port Bell]] with the 1000 mm gauge network of [[Tanzania]] in [[Mwanza]].

=== Ukraine ===

* [[Black Sea]] - see above

=== United Kingdom ===
* [[Harwich]] to [[Zeebrugge]]. [[Belgium]] - closed in 1987.
* The [[Night Ferry]] from [[Dover]] to [[Dunkerque]], [[France]]. Closed [[31 October]] [[1980]], - replaced by the [[Channel Tunnel]]. [http://www.semg.org.uk/misc/named_09.html]

=== United States ===

* [[New York Cross Harbor Railroad]], transferring freight cars between [[Jersey City, New Jersey]], and [[Brooklyn, New York]], run as needed. This ferry still operates because rail cars with flammable and hazardous materials are not permitted in the former [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] tunnels under Manhattan and the Hudson River, and because the tunnel clearances are inadequate for most freight cars.
* [[Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal]] used so-called carfloats.

* The [[Alaska Railroad]] is connected to the rest of the North American rail system only via train ferries. The Alaska Railroad runs its own ferries from [[Whittier, Alaska]] to [[Seattle, Washington]], and the [[Canadian National Railway]] operates its AquaTrain between Whittier and [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]].
* [[Lake Michigan]] [[Frankfort, Michigan]] to Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Marinette, Wisconsin or Manistique, Michigan was the Ann Arbor Railroad's Lake Michigan car ferry service that discontinued in the 1980's. Ann Arbor operated the [[Viking|''Viking'']] and [[Arthur K. Atkinson|''Arthur K. Atkinson'']] as the final ships on the fleet.
* [[Lake Michigan]] [[Ludington, Michigan]] to Manitowoc, Kewaunee or Milwaukee, Wisconsin served by the Pere Marquette Railroad and successor Chesapeake and Ohio or Chessie System with the ships [[SS City of Midland 41|SS ''City of Midland 41'']] of 1940, [[SS Spartan|SS ''Spartan'']] and the [[SS Badger|SS ''Badger'']], both built in 1953. The ''Badger'' is now used as a [[automobile ferry]] between [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]], and [[Ludington, Michigan]] and represents one of the last large coal-burning passenger-carrying steamers in the world.
* [[Lake Michigan]] [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] to Muskegon or Grand Haven, Michigan was the Lake Michigan car ferry service of the [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]] which was run by its subsidiary company [[Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company]]. Its fleet included five ships including the SS ''City of Milwaukee'', built in 1931. [http://www.carferry.com]
* [[Straits of Mackinac]]: [[Mackinaw City, Michigan]] to [[St. Ignace, Michigan]], performed by the ''[[SS Chief Wawatam]]'' ([http://www.carferries.com/chief/ carferries.com]) at the [[Straits of Mackinac]] connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
* [[Chesapeake Bay]] - [[Bay Coast Railroad]] from [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk, VA]] to [[Cape Charles]], VA <!-- Trains magazine Nov 2005 p 70 -->
* [[San Francisco Bay]] - The [[San Francisco Belt Railroad]] had slip at Pier 43 which allowed interchange with the [[Northwestern Pacific Railroad|Northwestern Pacific]], the [[Western Pacific Railroad|Western Pacific]], and the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe]] railroads.
* [[New York City]] - [[Havana]], [[Cuba]]

== Proposed ferries ==
The [[Trans-Asian Railway]] has proposed a few train ferries:

* between Sri Lanka and India
* across the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh
* Penang in Malaysia and Belawan in Sumatra, Indonesia

== Portage railways ==

The opposite of a train ferry is a [[portage railway]].

* A train ferry overcomes a lack of a land link.
* A portage railway overcomes a lack of a navigable stretch of a river.

For example, before the [[Panama canal]], the [[Panama Railway]] provided a link between the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and the [[Pacific Ocean]].

== Hazards of train ferries ==

The Norwegian train ferry ''Skagerak'' sank in September 7, 1966 on a journey between Kristiansand (Norway) and Hirtshals (Denmark) in heavy weather (Gale force winds) when the rear sea-gate was destroyed by heavy seas. Fortunately there was no loss of lives (although one person died afterwards). 6 freight cars went to bottom with the ship as well as some automobiles. The ferry was built in 1965.

A similar incident happened when the Canadian train ferry ''Patrick Morris'' sank on April 19, 1970 while assisting in a search and rescue operation for a sinking fishing trawler off the northeast coast of [[Cape Breton Island]]. The ferry was trying to maintain position to retrieve a body when her stern gates were overpowered by {{convert|30|ft|m|sigfig=0|sing=on}} waves; she sank within 30 minutes taking several rail cars and 4 crew members to the bottom of the [[Cabot Strait]]. There were 47 survivors.

Train ferries rarely sank because of sea-hazards, although they have some weaknesses linked to the very nature of transporting trains "on rail" on a ship.

These weaknesses include:

* Trains are loaded at a rather high level, making the ship top-heavy.
* The train deck is difficult to compartmentalise, so that sloshing flood water can destabilise the ship.
* The sea doors where the trains go in and out are a weakness, even if placed at the rear of the ship.
* The train carriages need to be strongly secured lest they break away and roll around, particularly on long, open-water routes.

The Ann Arbor Railroad of Michigan developed a system of making cars fast that was adopted by many other lines. Screw jacks were placed on the corners of the railcar and the car was raised slightly to take its weight off of its wheels. Chains and turnbuckles were placed around the car frame and hooked onto the rails and tightened. Clamps were placed behind the wheels on the rails. Deckhands engaged in continual inspection and tightening of the gear during the crossing. This system effectively held the cars in place when the ship encountered rough weather.

Several train ferries -- the [[SS Milwaukee|SS ''Milwaukee'']], [[SS Pere Marquette 18|SS ''Pere Marquette 18'']], and [[SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2|SS ''Marquette & Bessemer No. 2'']] -- were lost on the [[Great Lakes]]. These losses, though causes remain unconfirmed, were attributed to seas boarding the unprotected stern of the ship and swamping it in a severe storm. As a result, seagates were required on all new ships and required to be retrofitted on older vessels. In addition, two wooden crosslake railroad ferries were burned.

Some accidents occurred at the slip during loading, when stability was a major problem. Train ferries often list when heavy cars are loaded onto a track on one side while the other side is empty. Normal procedure was to load half of a track on one side, all of the track on the other side, and then the rest of the original track. If this procedure was not followed, results could be disastrous. In 1909, the [[SS Ann Arbor No. 4|SS ''Ann Arbor No. 4'']] capsized in her slip in Manistique, Michigan when a switching crew put eight cars of iron ore on her portside tracks. The crew got off without loss of life, but salvage operations were costly and time-consuming.

== See also ==

*[[Ferry slip]] (includes examples of rail ferry and barge slips)
*[[List of road-rail bridges]]
*[[Car float]]
* Special [[Hunslet Engine Company|Hunslet]] locomotive for loading train ferries

==References==
<references/>

==Video==
*[http://indietrekker.com/video/train-germany-denmark Video of a train ferry ride between Germany and Denmark]


[[Category:Train ferries| ]]
[[Category:Ship types]]
[[Category:Ship types]]
[[Category:Rail transport]]
[[Category:Scottish inventions]]
[[Category:Lists of ferries]]

[[bs:Željeznički trajekt]]
[[cs:Trajekt]]
[[da:Jernbanefærge]]
[[de:Eisenbahnfähre]]
[[nl:Spoorpont]]
[[ja:鉄道連絡船]]
[[pl:Prom kolejowy]]
[[sh:Željeznički trajekt]]
[[fi:Junalautta]]
[[sv:Tågfärja]]
[[zh:火车渡轮]]

Latest revision as of 16:27, 12 October 2024

For information on other shipping boats such as this, see Merchant vessel.
Image showing a railcar on rails inside the white interior of a ferry.
Interior of a roll-on roll-off train ferry in Villa San Giovanni, Italy
Railway ferry, Baltic Sea

A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles, as well as their cargoes and passengers.[1][2] Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries",[3][4] as distinguished from "auto ferries" used to transport automobiles. The wharf (sometimes called a "slip") has a ramp, and a linkspan or "apron", balanced by weights, that connects the railway proper to the ship, allowing for tidal or seasonal changes in water level.

While railway vehicles can be and are shipped on the decks or in the holds of ordinary ships, purpose-built train ferries can be quickly loaded and unloaded by roll-on/roll-off, especially as several vehicles can be loaded or unloaded at once. A train ferry that is a barge is called a car float or rail barge. Some train ferries are considered pure train ferries that only carry rail traffic, whereas others are defined as train/vehicle ferries that also carry vehicles.[2]

History

[edit]

An early train ferry was established as early as 1833 by the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway. To extend the line over the Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland, the company began operating a wagon ferry to transport the rolling stock over the canal.[5][6][page needed] In April 1836, the first railroad car ferry in the U.S., Susquehanna, entered service on the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland.[6][page needed]

The first modern train ferry was Leviathan, built in 1849.[7][8] The Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway was formed in 1842 and the company wished to extend the East Coast Main Line further north to Dundee and Aberdeen. As bridge technology was not yet capable enough to provide adequate support for the crossing over the Firth of Forth, which was roughly five miles (8 km) across, a different solution had to be found, primarily for the transport of goods, where efficiency was key. The company hired the up-and-coming civil engineer Thomas Bouch who argued for a train ferry with an efficient roll-on roll-off mechanism to maximise the efficiency of the system.[7] Custom-built ferries were to be built, with railway lines and matching harbour facilities at both ends to allow the rolling stock to easily drive on and off the boat.[9] To compensate for the changing tides, adjustable ramps were positioned at the harbours and the gantry structure height was varied by moving it along the slipway. The wagons were loaded on and off with the use of stationary steam engines.[9][6][page needed] Although others had had similar ideas, it was Bouch who first put them into effect, and did so with an attention to detail (such as design of the ferry slip). This led a subsequent President of the Institution of Civil Engineers[10] to settle any dispute over priority of invention with the observation that "there was little merit in a simple conception of this kind, compared with a work practically carried out in all its details, and brought to perfection."[11] The company was persuaded to install this train ferry service for the transportation of goods wagons across the Firth of Forth from Burntisland in Fife to Granton. The ferry itself was built by Thomas Grainger, a partner of the firm Grainger and Miller.[12] The service commenced on 3 February 1850.[13] It was called "The Floating Railway"[14] and intended as a temporary measure until the railway could build a bridge, but this was not opened until 1890, its construction delayed in part by repercussions from the catastrophic failure of Thomas Bouch's Tay Rail Bridge.[15]

In 1878, the Solano train ferry began operating in the United States across Carquinez Strait remaining in service until 1930 when a bridge was built.[16][17] In 1899, the SS Baikal train ferry was assembled in Russia to link the eastern and western portions of the Trans-Siberian Railroad across Lake Baikal.[18] The ferry had been built in Newcastle upon Tyne then disassembled and shipped in 7,000 crates to its assembly location inside Russia.[18]

Switzerland has a long history of train ferry usage beginning in the 1860s.[19] Between 1869 and 1976, train ferries also existed on Lake Constance. The Lake Constance train ferries linked lakeside railway stations in Austria (Bregenz), Germany (Friedrichshafen Hafen, Konstanz, Lindau-Insel) and Switzerland (Romanshorn).

From 1936 until 1977 (except during the Second World War), the Night Ferry from Dover was a train ferry that connected the UK with France and the rest of Europe.[20][21][22]

The Japanese train ferry Toya Maru sank during Typhoon Marie on 26 September 1954, killing more than a thousand.[23] Four other train ferries, Seikan maru No.11, Kitami Maru, Tokachi Maru and Hidaka Maru also sank on that day; the loss appeared to be of about 1,430 people. At the time, Japanese train ferries did not have a rear seagate, because engineers believed that in-rushing water would simply flow out again quickly and would not pose a danger.[24] However, when the frequency of waves bears the wrong relationship to the length of a ship, each wave arrives as the water from the previous wave is trying to leave, causing water to accumulate on the ship. After the accidents, all Japanese train ferries were retrofitted with rear seagates and weather forecast technology was greatly promoted.

The Norwegian train ferry Skagerrak built in 1965, sank in gale-force winds on 7 September 1966, on a journey between Kristiansand, Norway, and Hirtshals, Denmark, when the rear seagate was destroyed by heavy seas. One person subsequently died of injuries, and six freight cars and a number of automobiles sank to the bottom with the ship. Many more passengers would have died but for the actions of the Royal Danish Airforce who managed to use helicopters to rescue 144 people.[25]

The Canadian train ferry MV Patrick Morris sank on 20 April 1970, while assisting in a search-and-rescue operation for a sinking fishing trawler (MFV Enterprise) off the northeast coast of Cape Breton Island. The ferry was trying to maintain position to retrieve a body when its stern gates were overpowered by 30-foot (9.1 m) waves. It sank within 30 minutes taking several rail cars and 4 crew members, including the Captain, to the bottom of the Cabot Strait. There were 47 survivors.[26]

In 1998, the largest train ferry ever was built, the MS Skåne on the Trelleborg-Rostock route, is 200 meters (660 ft) long, 29 meters (95 ft) wide, with six tracks plus two on an elevator to the lower deck, having a total length of track of 1,110 meters (3,640 ft).[27]

Current services

[edit]
Main article: List of train ferries

Many train ferry services ceased their operations around the world. There are several services that are still in use in Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, and United States. Some of these are RORO train ferries that carry passenger trains. Some are for freight transportation only.

Hazards

[edit]

Train ferries rarely sink because of sea hazards, although they have some weaknesses linked to the very nature of transporting trains "on rail" on a ship.

These weaknesses include:

  • Trains are loaded at a rather high level, making the ship top-heavy. (Although modern train ferries often have truck decks above the train deck, making them less top-heavy)
  • The train deck is difficult to compartmentalise, so that sloshing flood water can destabilize the ship. However, train ferries are often built as "large barges", partly with open train deck, with the superstructure above, meaning the water will pour out into the sea again. Car ferries, on the other hand, usually have "normal hulls" with "holes" in them for loading; this design retains sloshing flood water within the ship
  • The sea doors where the trains go in and out are a weakness, even if placed at the rear of the ship.
  • The train carriages need to be strongly secured lest they break away and roll around, particularly on long, open-water routes. (The brakes are normally put on on long open-water routes)

The Ann Arbor Railroad of Michigan developed a system of making cars secure that was adopted by many other lines. Screw jacks were placed on the corners of the railcar and the car was raised slightly to take its weight off its wheels. Chains and turnbuckles were placed around the car frame and hooked onto the rails and tightened. Clamps were placed behind the wheels on the rails. Deckhands engaged in continual inspection and tightening of the gear during the crossing. This system effectively held the cars in place when the ship encountered rough weather.

Some accidents have occurred at the slip during loading, when stability can be a major problem. Train ferries often list when heavy cars are loaded onto a track on one side while the other side is empty. Normal procedure was to load half of a track on one side, all of the track on the other side, and then the rest of the original track. If this procedure was not followed, results could be disastrous. In 1909, SS Ann Arbor No. 4 capsized in its slip in Manistique, Michigan when a switching crew put eight cars of iron ore on its portside tracks. The crew got off without loss of life, but salvage operations were costly and time-consuming.

Several train ferries, including SS Milwaukee, SS Pere Marquette 18, and SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2, have been lost on the Great Lakes. These losses, though causes remain unconfirmed, were attributed to seas boarding the unprotected stern of the ship and swamping it in a severe storm. As a result, seagates were required on all new ships and required to be retrofitted on older vessels. In addition, two wooden cross-lake railroad ferries caught fire and burned.

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Train ferry". Wartsila.com. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  2. ^ a b Brodie, Peter (2013-09-05). Commercial Shipping Handbook, Second Edition. CRC Press. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-317-85960-4.
  3. ^ Hodson, John C. (April 1898). "Car Ferries". Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. 15 (88): 443–447.
  4. ^ Olin, Edward W (September 1915). "Side-Wheel Car Ferry Contra Costa: Details of Design and Construction of Largest Side-Wheel Train Ferrv in the World" (PDF). cprr.org. International Marine Engineering. pp. 387–394. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. ^ Hennessey, R. A. S. (November 2016). "The train ferries". Backtrack. 30 (11): 660.
  6. ^ a b c Marshall, John (1989). The Guinness Railway Book. Enfield: Guinness Books. ISBN 0-8511-2359-7. OCLC 24175552.
  7. ^ a b Maggs, Colin (2014-09-15). Steam Trains. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-3283-4.
  8. ^ Olsen, Alexander Arnfinn (2023-01-24). Merchant Ship Types. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-83120-7.
  9. ^ a b "Forth Place". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.
  10. ^ George Parker Bidder; not to be confused with the lawyer (his son) who represented Bouch at the Tay Bridge Inquiry
  11. ^ "Memoirs of Deceased Members" (PDF). Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. PART 1. 63 (1): 301–8. January 1881. ISSN 1753-7843. Retrieved 17 February 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ Shipway, J.S. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
  13. ^ "Subterranea Britannica: Sites:Scotland Street Tunnel". subbrit.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  14. ^ "News of the Week". Bathurst Free Press. Bathurst, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 10 August 1850. p. 3. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  15. ^ Shipway, J.S. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
  16. ^ Burton, Anthony (2024-10-30). Taking the Train. Pen and Sword Transport. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-3990-3674-0.
  17. ^ Robins, Nick (2012-10-10). The Coming of the Comet. Seaforth Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-4738-1328-1.
  18. ^ a b Lambert, Anthony (2016-05-05). The 50 Greatest Train Journeys of the World. Icon Books. ISBN 978-1-78578-066-0.
  19. ^ Jung, Joseph (2022-09-16). The Laboratory of Progress. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-68327-1.
  20. ^ Martin, Andrew (2014-09-04). Belles and Whistles. London: Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-78283-025-2.
  21. ^ Lane, Anthony (2011-02-15). Front Line Harbour. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-2008-4.
  22. ^ Pring, Martyn (2021-01-18). Boat Trains: The English Channel & Ocean Liner Specials. Pen and Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1-5267-6193-4.
  23. ^ "Flashback in maritime history: Toya Maru Japanese ferry sinking, resulting in 1500 deaths, 26 Sept. 1954". MaritimeCyprus. 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  24. ^ "A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharf". www.Rail-Pass.com. 1954-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  25. ^ Gregory, Hollingsworth Franklin (1976). The Helicopter. South Brunswick: A. S. Barnes. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-498-01670-7.
  26. ^ McNeil, Greg. "Remembering the sinking of the Patrick Morris". Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Skåne Multipurpose Ro-Ro/Train Ferry". Ship Technology. 2000-02-23. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  28. ^ MV Georges-Alexandre-Lebe
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Train_ferry&oldid=1250804580"