BusTalk

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(SEE EARLIER POSTS) The only SI ferries to be equipped "SKINNER UNIFLOW" engines were those of the "KOLF" class (1950-1951); interestingly-only one trans-Hudson railroad ferryboat (an ERIE boat) was powered by the "SKINNER"-type engines; this boat went on to later run for the E-L (to Barclay Street) until she was retired in late 1965)------------"NYO"

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It should also be noted that not a few tugs in New York Harbor also were powered by "SKINNER" engines; as these powerful engines were known for their flexibility-it is no wonder that such engines were also used in harbor tugs------"NYO"

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The SI Ferry has the distinction of today being the last "traditional" public ferry operation in NY Harbor-using double-ended boats; all other "ferries" in NY Harbor(and there are quite a few!) today are basically "water shuttles"; to Your's Truly-a TRUE harbor ferry is double-ended (of course-these little boats do not carry autos); the SI boats stopped carrying cars back in 2001----after the 9/11 attacks (this wasn't a good decision-at least as far as Your's Truly is concerned)-----auto ferries-I feel-should again be part of harbor transportation; look at the busy (and popular) double-ended ferry operations out in in Seattle-----San Francisco Bay-was once crosshatched by dozens of double-ended ferries (the last operated in 1958) like the New York passenger ferries-only single ended boats operate on the Bay today-------"NYO"

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The first "ELECTRIC FERRIES"in NY Harbor-interestingly enough-were powered by WW1 surplus DELCO sub diesel engines; the boats-in their original configurations-did not feature an upper deck passenger cabin (the lower deck was for cars and trucks only); it was not until later in the 1920's that upper deck cabins were installed for passengers-----"ELECTRIC FERRIES" once operated two routes on the Hudson: the busy 125th Street line (1943-1950: PSNJ operated this ferry prior to 1943) and the line between W 23rd Street in Weehawken (1927-1944)-----the latter line was also known as the "Undercliff Ferry"------------"NYO"

[traildriver]

NYO--
You seem to be "the ferry historian extraordinaire" on this forum, so I wondered if there was ever any direct Jersey City to Brooklyn routes in the past?

I don't know if there would be enough traffic to make it viable, but it would be a big time saver if there was...

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Further: Interestingly-after the PRR ferries to Cortlandt Street were closed down in 1949-the NYCRR (West Shore) shifted operations "next door" to the abandoned PRR slips; the PRR slips were equipped with upper deck loading aprons; the NYC did not utilize upper deck loading (in fact-of all the NYC boats-only the newest boat-the "ALBANY"-was designed for possible upper deck loading in the future); the upper concourse at Cortlandt Street was closed off-and the NYC boats loaded on the lower deck only; by this late date-the intricate copper arches that spanned the two PRR slips were gone---- the slips now had a rusting (skeletal) appearance-------around 1963-both the old PRR and NYC ferry stations at Cortland Street were razed------"NYO"

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Further on thePRR ferry fleet: At its peak-the PRR operated the largest fleet of ferryboats on the Hudson-a grand total of 20; the last NY Harbor ferryboat built for the PRR was the twin-stacked "NEWARK" of 1902 (interestingly-the PRR was the only railroad on the Hudson to operate twin-stacked ferries; though PSNJ did operate twin-stacked boats until 1943-when the line was sold to "ELECTRIC FERRIES"----it should also be noted that there were also single-stack boats in both the PRR and PSNJ fleets)----------"NYO"

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Electric lighting--------the first railroad ferry on the Hudson to be equipped with electric lights was the Jersey Central's sidewheeler "FANWOOD" in 1883 (the rest of the CNJ ferry fleet were also upgraded with electric lighting by 1885; by 1890-electric lighting aboard the Hudson's railroad ferries was now the rule-rather than the exception----in 1886-two new steel sidewheelers began operation between Whitehall Street and St George; these boats also inaugurated electric lighting in the B&O/SIRT's fleet---------------"NYO"

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Also of interest: Unlike the DL&W at Hoboken and the CNJ stations at Jersey City-PRR's Exchange Place station did not require passengers to detrain and then utilize inclined passageways and/or stairways to reach the upper decks of the ferryboats; here (as the PRR tracks used a long trestle to reach Exchange Place) passengers debarked the trains and walk through the concourse and then straight through to the upper decks of the boats---------(it should also be noted that-after 1905 passengers of the El lines that then ran to South Ferry-also could transfer to the upper deck of the ferries without the need to use stairways--though the ERIE's newer boats were designed for upper deck loading-the only facility they could utilize upper deck loading facilities was at W 23rd Street; the ERIE abandoned the line to W 23rd Street in 1942)-----the ERIE's ancient Jersey City station (ferry concourse area) was totally unsuitable for upper deck loading; a new facility would need to be constructed-------"NYO"

[traildriver]

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It's always a pleasure to share such info with a fellow transit historian! Long ago-I HAD heard a blurb about a NY WATERWAY ferry possibly being started between Jersey City (or was it Hoboken?) to Brooklyn-clearly that idea did not see the light of day-------"NYO"

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Diesel ferries on the Hudson: the only railroad ferry on the Hudson to be powered by diesel was the DL&W's "LACKAWANNA"; this 1890s-era boat had diesel engines installed in 1949; her high-pirched whining engines resulted in the "LACKAWANNA" being referred to as "Whining Willie" by crews and passengers alike (her engines sounded quite like the old "KENNEDY" Class boats on the SI run-----I recall this haunting sound well); diesel ferries on the CNJ were unheard of until the railroad leased "THE TIDES" and "THE NARROWS" (both ex-69th Street boats) in early 1965-for the Jersey City-Liberty Street crossing; the crews (who had no prior experience with diesels) HATED these boats; they were also greatly disliked by CNJ's hoards of suburbanites-as-unlike the old CNJ boats-the ex-Brooklyn boats lacked passenger cabins on the lower deck and the upper deck cabins did not boast of the high capacity of the cabins on the older CNJ boats; the CNJ had to fabricate passenger cabins on either side of the lower deck-reducing the car lanes to two instead of four----with the exception of the "ELIZABETH" all the old CNJ coal-burners were gone by 1965 (the "WILKES-BARRE" was docked at Jersey City as a spare)---------"NYO"

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Upper deck loading on the Staten Island Ferry began in 1905 when the new "5 BOROUGHS" class boats replaced the old SIRT sidewheelers; these stately new boats were-when they debuted-the largest double-ended ferries on the East Coast (and the first SI boats not to utilize sidewheels); the new Whitehall Street station was equipped with upper deck loading-as was the adjacent facility-which then was used by the City-run ferries crossing to Brooklyn (last ran in 1942)-interestingly-the 1890s St George rail/ferry station (destroyed by fire in 1946) was built with upper deck loading capacity to be added at a later date); regarding the "5 BOROUGHS" boats-the "BRONX" was destroyed by fire while undergoing repairs in a Staten Island shipyard in the early 1930s-by the 1940s the only "5 BOROUGHS" boats still in the fleet were the "QUEENS" and the "BROOKLYN"; both boats were then in "standy-by" status at Pier 7-but again began regular running during the War----in 1947-both boats were retired and later scrapped-------"NYO"

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The PRR ushers in upper deck loading to NY Harbor ferries------As the construction on the new Exchange Place station (Jersey City) was ongoing-the PRR began rebuilding their boats for upper deck loading; the "NEW BRUNSWICK" was the first PRR boat to be rebuilt for upper deck loading; the slips at W 23rd Street/Debrosses Street/Cortlandt Street were also rebuilt for upper-deck loading-----interestingly-the last sidewheelers built for the PRR entered the expanding fleet in 1890; the PRR's first propeller ferry was the "CINCINNATI" of 1890-setting the standard for the ferries which would be later built----last boat built for the PRR was the "NEWARK" (II) of 1902----------"NYO"