Ferries, Ferries, and still more Ferries

[Rambling Robert]

On a lighter note; on my second $20 DownEaster round trip (the first was to Brunswick) I went from Haverhill to Portland with two objectives- to take the CascoBay Ferry to Peakes Island - and have a meal on the mainland at Becky’s Diner.

The ferry was under $3 in 30 minutes. I grabbed a descent sub at Harrington’s while on Peakes - apparently all that was open. The temp for 2/23/22 was 65F but had a very strong wind too - so I decided to return on the next boat.

North of the mainland ferry is a narrow gauge railroad museum re-opens in April. Features a restored steam locomotive and a ride up the coast. I’m guessing there’s already a thread.

I did the Becky’s/Ferry in an overnight: as I did the Brunswick trip. I now know I could get off the train in Portland taxi/Lyft to Becky’s, walk to the ferry briskly - 30 minute crossing - get a 30 minute tour by car of Peakes Island - have a beverage somewhere - 30 minute crossing back and even check out the railway museum. The Lyft from the Portland Casco Bay Terminal to the Portland Amtrak station was $18.

Kudos to Amtrak for positive thinking of the stimulus of a $20 roundtrip fare in January and February - but alas for me - two overnights - meals - ground transportation- parking - about $400 to the good of recovering well loved places in Maine.

I’m longing for the return of the ferry to Halifax Nova Scotia/ then ViaRail/Amtrak cross country with a ferry finale from Vancouver to Victoria on Vancouver Island.

 

[BlackDiamond]

I’m longing for the return of the ferry to Halifax Nova Scotia/ then ViaRail/Amtrak cross country with a ferry finale from Vancouver to Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Sounds cool. I would like to see "the Cat" return although probably not anytime soon. Be aware the Cat docks in Yarmouth NS and I'm not sure what transportation other than car rental if that is available to get to Halifax. Too bad the RDC that used to run Yarmouth - Halifax isn't around anymore. Atlantic Canada has always been the red headed stepchild in Canada and that is reflected in the public transportation network.

EDIT: Looks like the CAT is coming back in May, from their web site guess I should have checked first.

Another EDIT: Also it is only running from Bar Harbor at present.

 

[Rambling Robert]

Sounds cool. I would like to see "the Cat" return although probably not anytime soon. Be aware the Cat docks in Yarmouth NS and I'm not sure what transportation other than car rental if that is available to get to Halifax. Too bad the RDC that used to run Yarmouth - Halifax isn't around anymore. Atlantic Canada has always been the red headed stepchild in Canada and that is reflected in the public transportation network.

EDIT: Looks like the CAT is coming back in May, from their web site guess I should have checked first.

Another EDIT: Also it is only running from Bar Harbor at present.

That’s next years trip / maybe. Rough plan park at Wells ME and the DownEaster to Portland ME; bus to Bar Harbor then CAT to Yarmouth, I’d take a local bus Yarmouth NS to Digby NS (couple of stops - I’m a fan of primitive artist Maud Lewis). B&B I know. Ferry Digby to Saint John NB. Then somehow connect with ViaRail and head east to Toronto ON then to Buffalo NY Amtrak LSL (stay in Depew NY) to BOS to BON to Wells ME.

Schedules will prolly change so if needed I’ll find a hotel hostel or bench. haha. In Digby there’s a bunch of little ferries to the west - but I’d need a car ..

I heard there’s an extra nice ViaRail - “The Ocean”?

 

[BlackDiamond]

I heard there’s an extra nice ViaRail - “The Ocean”?

Check this out: VIA Rail Ocean

Looks like there is a bus from St. John to Moncton where you could pick up the Ocean.

 

[Rambling Robert]

Check this out: VIA Rail Ocean

Looks like there is a bus from St. John to Moncton where you could pick up the Ocean.

. Thanks. Both sleeper and Coach look very nice and separate but equal lounges! I’d prolly go counter clockwise but depends on schedule - the Ocean being once a week. I’ve driven to Moncton, St. John, Montreal and Toronto and prefer Toronto as a multi day stay over - maybe for the Film Festival - I know a friendly hostel in Toronto and I’d rent a bike.

They next year I’ll be 75 - yikes - and - a month of travel by train hostel to hostel is a dream.

 

[Willbridge]

There used to be a train ferry from
Mukran I’m Germany to Russia . The ferry itself was broad gauge and there were thus broad gauge tracks and broad gauge switching engines used within Mukran docks .

There are a fair number of border crossings between standard gauge European countries and Ukraine , Bielorussia etc . The smaller ones sometimes do not have a physical track connection but passengers walk from one train to another and freight is similarly trans shipped. The bigger ones can also switch out trucks on both passenger and freight cars . Something similar happens on the border between Russia and China .

There are also plenty of examples of gauge changing trains . The most famous of these is the talgo but there are many others . For example in Japan to permit thru running between the classical network and the Shinkansen . Also Spain has some non talgo trains that switch gauge and Switzerland has one too . Typically these involve wheels that can slide on the axles or independent wheels without an axle that can be moved by any of a number of mechanisms .

The Mukran 1520 gauge ferry was developed -- like the Nordstream gas pipeline -- to bypass the problem people in between.

 

[cirdan]

The Mukran 1520 gauge ferry was developed -- like the Nordstream gas pipeline -- to bypass the problem people in between.

I think the Mukran ferry is far older than the political problems in between. It was definitely already running in communist times when all the people in between always did pretty much exactly what the Kremlin told them. I think the ferry was just a question of practicality.

 

[Willbridge]

I think the Mukran ferry is far older than the political problems in between. It was definitely already running in communist times when all the people in between always did pretty much exactly what the Kremlin told them. I think the ferry was just a question of practicality.

Here's a Wikimedia image of the 1986 grand opening of the Soviet Union <> GDR car ferry. I would agree that the Warsaw Pact nations took orders from Moscow, but there were reasons to doubt the reliability of the Poles in carrying them out.


This operation had a brief life. After the Soviet Army was withdrawn from Germany the port went into stagnation. It was re-opened in 1998 due to capacity constraints at nearby ports and as part of the Nordstream pipeline project and the development of the new Silk Road container traffic with China.

Official history of the Port of Mukran

 

[cirdan]

This operation had a brief life. After the Soviet Army was withdrawn from Germany the port went into stagnation. It was re-opened in 1998 due to capacity constraints at nearby ports and as part of the Nordstream pipeline project and the development of the new Silk Road container traffic with China.

Official history of the Port of Mukran

I believe the article isn't up to date.

From what i am told, the ferry is still running as a ferry but ceased to ship railcars on a regular basis a few years ago due to low demand.

The capacity to take them has not been dismantled and could be resumed at any time should it be required.

 

[PVD]

Saw a post that dismantling of the Burlington-Port Kent ferry "Adirondack" has begun. First sailed in 1913, been on Lake Champlain since 1954. Now I have to dig through old photos to see if that is the one I rode.

 

[Maglev]

More problems on the Washington State Ferries, and tempers are running hot:

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/fe...el-yakima-damaged/5HSDOMKDE5H6TEKY2CIHYLLJNI/

 

[Bob Dylan]

More problems on the Washington State Ferries, and tempers are running hot:

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/fe...el-yakima-damaged/5HSDOMKDE5H6TEKY2CIHYLLJNI/

Yikes!!

 

[Asher]

More problems on the Washington State Ferries, and tempers are running hot:

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/fe...el-yakima-damaged/5HSDOMKDE5H6TEKY2CIHYLLJNI/

Just caught a late ferry to Bainbridge Island the other night. No shenanigan.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Ferry news from "Downeast":

Lubec to Eastport ME ferry is supposed to resume its seasonal operation mid June.

The battle for a year round ferry between Campobello Island NB Canada to the mainland continues. Federal government says this is a provincial matter, not our problem. Province says there's no money and besides, you can drive the hour or so across the bridge into the US and back to Canada at St. Stephen. Islanders say this is unacceptable as demonstrated by all the issues they had during the pandemic, for example when US authorities were intercepting mail going to the island and opening it. The ferry being proposed is a direct one from Campobello to Letete on the NB mainland avoiding the need to go via Deer Island and a second ferry as is required when using the current ferry which was seasonal but did actually operate this winter. It will shortly be shut down for a few weeks for maintenance.

On an unrelated note, my wife and I are planning a trip in September where we plan to travel from the UK to Ireland via the Irish Ferries "Ulysses" from Holyhead to Dublin Port. If this comes to pass I will write up a trip report on it.

 

[Matthew H Fish]

The last time I was on a ferry was last September, and it was the Buena Vista Ferry, located in Buena Vista, Oregon.
There are currently three ferries across the Willamette River in Oregon: the Canby Ferry, the Wheatland Ferry, and the Buena Vista Ferry (from North to South). These are all cable-guided, roll-on/roll-off flat ferries that take about 5-10 minutes to cross the Willamette River. These are also on-demand: basically if they see a car or two on the other side, they will cross to pick it up.
In most cases, they are remnants, and are only used for people in specific locations. There are many bridges across the Willamette, especially in the larger cities, so most of these bridges would be for people going from one low-density area on one side of the river to the other. But for various reasons, the ferry system is kept running.
The Willamette River used to have countless ferries, dating from the earliest time of European settlement, and some of these are still remembered in placenames, such as "Boone's Ferry Road", named after a ferry founded by the grandson of Daniel Boone. The completion of Highway 101 also closed the many ferries over the bays and inlets along the Oregon Coast.
I know that 10 minutes on a river ferry isn't exactly an epic sea voyage, but at least I can say I have been on a boat in the past year!

 

[Willbridge]

The last time I was on a ferry was last September, and it was the Buena Vista Ferry, located in Buena Vista, Oregon.
There are currently three ferries across the Willamette River in Oregon: the Canby Ferry, the Wheatland Ferry, and the Buena Vista Ferry (from North to South). These are all cable-guided, roll-on/roll-off flat ferries that take about 5-10 minutes to cross the Willamette River. These are also on-demand: basically if they see a car or two on the other side, they will cross to pick it up.
In most cases, they are remnants, and are only used for people in specific locations. There are many bridges across the Willamette, especially in the larger cities, so most of these bridges would be for people going from one low-density area on one side of the river to the other. But for various reasons, the ferry system is kept running.
The Willamette River used to have countless ferries, dating from the earliest time of European settlement, and some of these are still remembered in placenames, such as "Boone's Ferry Road", named after a ferry founded by the grandson of Daniel Boone. The completion of Highway 101 also closed the many ferries over the bays and inlets along the Oregon Coast.
I know that 10 minutes on a river ferry isn't exactly an epic sea voyage, but at least I can say I have been on a boat in the past year!

A highlight coming home from Salem to Portland, if we kids were behaving, was to drive via the Wilsonville ferry over the Willamette. It was replaced by I-5.

 

[MARC Rider]

The last time I was on a ferry was last September, and it was the Buena Vista Ferry, located in Buena Vista, Oregon.
There are currently three ferries across the Willamette River in Oregon: the Canby Ferry, the Wheatland Ferry, and the Buena Vista Ferry (from North to South). These are all cable-guided, roll-on/roll-off flat ferries that take about 5-10 minutes to cross the Willamette River. These are also on-demand: basically if they see a car or two on the other side, they will cross to pick it up.
In most cases, they are remnants, and are only used for people in specific locations. There are many bridges across the Willamette, especially in the larger cities, so most of these bridges would be for people going from one low-density area on one side of the river to the other. But for various reasons, the ferry system is kept running.
The Willamette River used to have countless ferries, dating from the earliest time of European settlement, and some of these are still remembered in placenames, such as "Boone's Ferry Road", named after a ferry founded by the grandson of Daniel Boone. The completion of Highway 101 also closed the many ferries over the bays and inlets along the Oregon Coast.
I know that 10 minutes on a river ferry isn't exactly an epic sea voyage, but at least I can say I have been on a boat in the past year!

There are some similar ferries on the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware and Maryland. There are two cable ferries over the Wicomico River in Maryland (Ferry Schedule | Wicomico County, MD - Official Website) and the Woodland Ferry (The Woodland Ferry) over the Nanticoke River in Delaware.

Also the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry over the Tred Avon River, but that's not a cable ferry. (Oxford-Bellevue Ferry | America's Oldest Privately owned Ferry Route)

 

[Rambling Robert]

The Whites Ferry - 40 years ago - was a few times a year for me. It switched sides - the Virginia side runs it. Only remaining Cable crossing of the Potomac.

 

[jiml]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/cana...k-collins-seeks-renewal/ar-AAZRMAh?li=AAggNb9

The British Columbia Ferry Services Board says it has ousted its president and CEO, effective immediately amid staffing shortages and ferry cancellations.

 

[PVD]

Not sure if I mentioned this already, apologies if I have, but NYC is planning on taking bids for the design/construction of a replacement for the Cosgrove, which ferries work crews to Hart Island from City Island (mostly burial detail) Looking at around 80 feet, double ended. I am unsure of the current status of this project.

 

[BCL]

Haven’t taken a local ferry in years and decided to take a day trip to San Francisco taking SF Bay Ferry.

I’ve been by the Ferry Building but didn’t pay to much attention to what they did with the old building next door. Sinbad’s Restaurant was forced out and Amtrak left their bus only station building. The building doesn’t seem terribly well used and is fenced off. They set up gates for the ferries where the restaurant used to be. Overall it looks like something that was added piecemeal.

 

[BCL]

It was a little bit different taking the SF Bay Ferry yesterday. My ferry to San Francisco was newer and had USB outlets all over. On the way back it was clearly an older ferry and I was looking around for anything. There were some power outlets against the wall, but only a few. Then I dug around and found that there were some newer retrofit boxes with power outlets and USB outlets, but they were under tables and mounted on the supports. It would be easy to miss them. The employees didn't even know about them when I asked about USB power.

Another thing was that I took the last ferry back to the East Bay. There weren't too many passengers, but I suppose they have to deadhead it anyways even without passengers. But they asked who was going to Oakland or Alameda, and when there was only one for Alameda they decided to go to Oakland first even though the schedule was Alameda then Oakland. I don't think they allow the "short hop" ferry that late anyways.

 

[BlackDiamond]

On an unrelated note, my wife and I are planning a trip in September where we plan to travel from the UK to Ireland via the Irish Ferries "Ulysses" from Holyhead to Dublin Port. If this comes to pass I will write up a trip report on it.

Just an update on this aspect of our trip. We missed our trip on the Irish Ferries "Ulysses" due to Avanti West Coast changing the timetable making the former direct train London - Holyhead to a change of trains at Crewe, without telling us of course. Fortunately Stena Line honored our Rail and Sail ticket on their ferry that left an hour later. Ferry was well equipped with restaurant and bar, game room, and TV watching area and the crossing was pleasant, aided by good weather. My only complaint was a little confusion at the end of the trip on how to disembark. Fortunately there were other passengers who had "been there done that" so we were able to follow them to the deck where we boarded a bus to exist the ship.

 

[Maglev]

It's not often that the Guemes to Anacortes ferry makes the news. But it may be the first electric ferry in the state as early as 2025:

https://komonews.com/news/local/ele...SNHYwg62q0hyPbLhuIRtAdorYZomIPbrcaeexBEvFJ8Ik

 

[Asher]

It's not often that the Guemes to Anacortes ferry makes the news. But it may be the first electric ferry in the state as early as 2025:

https://komonews.com/news/local/ele...SNHYwg62q0hyPbLhuIRtAdorYZomIPbrcaeexBEvFJ8Ik

The older ferries were powered by a Diesel Electric engine, replaced by straight Diesels. Now Electric powered. I can still hear the thump thump of the older ferries coming and leaving Bremerton. Time for a change.