Railroad Ferry Solano

[E-Challenged]

I watched a Huell Howser "California Gold" episode on PBS last night where they traveled to view and discuss the remains of the huge railroad Ferry Solano ( 1879-1935) This and other railroad ferries look like a challenging and unusual project for a scale model boat builder. Old model/scaletoy train cars are readily available on Ebay. ( I have been a collector of Marx toy trains). The huge walking beam engines and paddle wheels could be modeled and linked to electric drive motors. Might make a good club project.
I am an avid electric and glow scale plane or I might be tempted to try it. :)


http://cprr.org/Museum/Solano/

PS:Click below for photos of working detailed scale model of the Solano. Wow!!!!

http://cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Solano_Ferry_Model.html#Top

[steveciambrone]

Looks really wide, it would make a very stable model, and a rare subject.

Steve

[patmat2350]

IIRC, she was the largest ferry in the world for a time, 4 tracks wide... idea was to minimize time getting those transcontinental passenger trains across the river, didn't have to break them down so far, or make multiple trips. Her old landings are within view of my dad's house, which looks out over the Carquinez Straits.

I've got some drawings of a Grand Trunk ferry that crossed the Detroit River near my current abode- only 2 tracks, a smaller project... been tempted, too many other projects!

Pat M

[Boatfox]

OK..what I'd like to know is how do you offset the weight of a steam locomotive rolling onto the decks. They didn't have ballast tanks back then did they? I'm sure that much steel would cause the boat to get lower in the water....so what happens at the dock connection? Anyone know?

[patmat2350]

Not exactly sure... but they pinned the vessel to the water end of the ramp, and the other end of the ramp was hinged to the fixed pier. Water end of ramp would float vertically with the vessel, and there is also some sort of counter-weight mechanism on that end of the ramp- perhaps that was only needed to support the ramp when the ferry wasn't there?

PM

[steveciambrone]

They could have balanced the loading of the ship by placement of the cars accordingly. I do not think they hauled that many locomotives, since the main point was to move the cars freight and passenger.
Ballasting is also possible. But being that wide the ship probably had a high tolerance for load difference.

Steve