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 > The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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