Wilmington Carfloat

I'm sort of surprised that no one has mentioned the carfloat in Wilmington. The Reading used to take full and empty tank cars across the Delaware River to duPont Chambers Works. I remember that these tanks usually carried anhydrous ammonia or antiknock compound.

I have some stories about the carfloat, tugboat and the dock, if anyone wants to hear them.

I find it fascinating that the float is still there. I look for it every year or so when crossing the Memorial Bridge, and it's there, year after year. I remember around 1978 or so, when the yard was still there... about four or five tracks, right? Which tug was usually there?

I don't remember which tug was there, but I do remember I was hanging aroung one day and the captain of the tug asked me if I wanted to take a ride across the river. I was about 12 or 13 at the time and I loved every minute of it.

The yard had about 4 or 5 tracks. The crews were very nice to me, the would let me throw switches sometimes. I really thought I was a big "man".

I'm sort of surprised that no one has mentioned the carfloat in Wilmington. The Reading used to take full and empty tank cars across the Delaware River to duPont Chambers Works. I remember that these tanks usually carried anhydrous ammonia or antiknock compound.

I have some stories about the carfloat, tugboat and the dock, if anyone wants to hear them.

I'm having a hard time picturing this. How precisely did the carfloat work?

There are (current) pictures of the carfloat at http://www.forgottendelaware.com/pigeon/float.html. I know one of the Morning Sun Reading books has a picture or two of the float in operation.

Being a volunteer fireman, we were cleaning one night when a car pulled up and statred yelling about someone hurt at the carfloat. We responded and to our surprise, we found that some young men climbed the superstructure of the carfloat. One of these guys put his hand on the cable that moved the concrete counterweights right after a ship went by. Unfortunately the cable moved and caught his fingers of his left hand under the pulley. Chopped them neatly at the first knuckle.

On March 15, 1975 the tug Brandywine was tied up at the float bridge.

Were cars floated between the Port Richmond, Camden, Bulson St. area and the Wilmington, Deepwater area?
How was the float bridge near Gibbstown, N.J. served?

Were cars floated between the Port Richmond, Camden, Bulson St. area and the Wilmington, Deepwater area?
How was the float bridge near Gibbstown, N.J. served?

As far as I know, the carfloat only served duPont's Chambers Works.

The float at Wilmington also served another float operation in South Jersey close to Bridgeport NJ. I've never or heard anything about this operation but have seen it depicted on an old (circe late 40's/early 50's RDG map). I'm wondering if it was close to where the Monsanto plant is today. The Walther's float bridge HO model is a very close replica to the RDG's style used at Bulson St., Port Richmond and Wilmington/Pigeon Point.

Drew

On which side of Bridgeport? Dupont has another plant at Thompson's Point, north of Gibbstown, originally the Repauno Chemical Works. It's served on the landward side by a spur from the Penns Grove Branch at Gibbstown.

choess wrote:On which side of Bridgeport? Dupont has another plant at Thompson's Point, north of Gibbstown,

Delorme's street atlas shows track on a pier at Thompson's Point, N.J. (opposite Crum Lynne on the NE Corridor) and also a short distance North at Crab point. I saw the float bridge from an airplane about 1980, but don't know the name of it.

I looked at Google Maps, and the pilings for the trestle approach and ferry slip are clearly visible at Thompson's Point. Crab Point is just a pier.

JimBoylan wrote:Were cars floated between the Port Richmond, Camden, Bulson St. area and the Wilmington, Deepwater area?
How was the float bridge near Gibbstown, N.J. served?

Jim,
I think the Port Richmond car floats only went to Bulson St. Yard and Linden St. yard in Camden. The almost forgotten Linden St. float slips were a very small operation and sat not quite under the Ben Franklin Bridge and served the old Cooper St. yard area. I remember seeing both when I was a youngin'. My father was a frieght agent for the P-RSL for 43 years and I got to see alot of stuff in the '50's and '60's that is now long gone.