On the Development of Train-ferry Installations in the Last Hundred Years

Abstract

A hundred years ago, a train-ferry service across the Firth of Forth in Scotland was born, and fourty years have passed since the Japanese Government Railways inaugurated a car-float service between Shimonoseki and Moji.
On this occasion, it is of interest to look back on the development of this facility in foreign countries and in Japan.
Since the first train-ferry the “Leviathan” crossed the Firth of Forth (1), similar services were inaugurated on the River Rhine (2), the Susquehanna River in the United States and also across the Nile Rever (3) in Egypt.
In this paper, the stages of this development are arranged as undermentioned, and various kinds of landing means are classified as follows :
1. The cradle age of train ferries. -In the first 16 years, the train ferry services were in their infancy, all operating across rivers or firths.
2. The epock making train-ferry. -In 1868, this facility was carried out on the Lake Constance in Switzerland (4), where the crossing was exposed and rough, so that people got an idea on the trustworthiness of the train-ferry service even on an open sea.
All these installations were commenced in the last 17 years, paving the way for the train-ferries of the future.
Kinds of Landing Arrangement of train-ferries : -
(1) Shipway or Slope Type a. Shipway and Travelling Platform.
b. Stepped Slopeways.
(2) Crane or Elevator Type a. Elevator ashore.
b. Elevator aboard.
(3) Elevating or Tidal Deck Type
(4) Movable Bridge Type
3. The development of train-ferry services in Denmark.
4. The development of the train-ferries on Lake Michigan.
5. The technically noteworthy development of the installations of the Warnemunde-Gedser and Sassnity-Tralleborg lines.
6. The popularization and development of train-ferries in twentieth century.
7. Train ferries in Japan.
From the history of train-ferries, the methods of laying tracks on deck are classified as follows : -
1. Through Track Type T
2. Head Terminal Type B (from bow) S (from stern)
3. Isolated Track Type I
4. Athwart Track Type A
The types of tracks on deck are mostly determined by the local conditions of the berths ; some were obliged to select an inferior method due to the original landing arrangement when further improvement was required. This is a point worthy of special consideration when designing ferry boat and landing arrangement in the future.