(erielack) NY Harbor

["Paul Brezicki" <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net>]

I wonder if EL (or LV or PC) ever considered converting some carferries to
truck ferries? The increasingly common 13'6" high trailer  could bypass the
circuitous routing via the GW and been driven onto the floats after
grounding at Croxton, for a quick ride to Mhtn. The 28th St yard could have
been used as a staging area. The infrastructure was there, and the three
roads could perhaps have made it a joint effort.

On a related matter, the transportation bill to be signed into law today
apparently includes funding for the long-discussed freight tunnel under NY
harbor. Does anyone know details on this, such as does it include rail?

Paul B

Erie/EL and Lifschulz recognized, in spite of the common trend to the
contrary, that special circumstances made boxcar and float the most rational
way to get the freight out of the garment district and off the island.  They
had hundreds of customers sending thousands of shipments of tens of
thousands of packages to thousands of customers all over the continent.
Sending hundreds of little trucks scurrying around and then through the
tunnels to New Jersey was not -- and still is not -- economical, and the
higher volume trailers coming into vogue for TOFC wouldn't fit through the
tunnels:  Holland can't take anything over 12'6", if that, and Lincoln can't
take 13', if that.  A 13'6" trailer would (does) have to go up the congested
island of Manhattan, across the Washington Bridge, and back down the equally
congested roads on the New Jersey side.  In comparison, boxcars on floats
still seem a good alternative.

I don't know that they ever considered loading big TOFC trailers at, say,
28th Street and then floating them across.  I would imagine that labor
jurisdictional disputes would have strangled that idea aborning.





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