Re: (erielack) Wine Cars

[William Shultz <wshultz1_@_twcny.rr.com>]

Paul,

A lighter, isn't a barge or a car float or a scow. Lighters could be 
open deck or enclosed, powered or un-powered. One of the characteristics 
which makes a lighter a lighter, is having its own crane or boom for 
loading and unloading cargo. Barges, which could be open, enclosed, 
powered or un-powered, didn't have cranes and relied on the dock or ship 
cranes to do the lifting should it be needed.

Car floats have tracks, lighters, barges and scows don't. Car floats 
also come in variations; regular and station floats. Station floats were 
the ones with the center, covered walkways used for unloading across the 
cars. Very convenient when unloading at a freight house located on a 
pier. Station floats could of course be used for "floating" cars to the 
various rail terminals or ship-side, but that was the primarily the 
domain of the three track car floats. Did I mention the station floats 
had only two tracks?

At least the above applies to the Lackawanna and its contribution of 
marine equipment to the EL.

Regards,

Will Shultz


Paul Brezicki wrote:
> Interesting web page. The overall impression is that the NY Harbor rail
> traffic was quite complex. EL must have lost a lot of money floating a
> single wine car up to BTM. The intro refers to railcars being transferred by
> "lighters"; I don't think this term includes carfloats, but refers to barges
> (usually covered) that transfer freight. In other words, a carfloat is not a
> lighter, correct?
> 
> Paul B
> 

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