A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores.
Winding mechanism on the in, There are three types of cable ferry: the, which uses the power of the river to tack across the current; the powered cable ferry, which uses an engine or electric motors (e.g., the ) to wind itself across; and the fast-disappearing hand-operated type, such as the in the UK and the Chain Ferry in, USA. Powered cable ferries use powered cogs or drums on board the vessel to pull itself along by the cables. The cables or chains have a considerable amount of slack built into them, in order to sink below the surface as the ferry moves away, allowing other vessels to pass without becoming grounded, snared or trapped. Where a ferry carries both passengers and vehicles the car deck occupies the centre (helping to balance the vessel) and two passenger areas are at the sides, over the tunnels for the chains and the engines. As the ferry cannot steer, a ramp is built at both ends and there is usually a set of controls facing in either direction. Cable ferries are common where there is little other water-borne traffic that could get snagged in the cable or chains, where the water may be too shallow for other options, or where the river current is too strong to permit the safe crossing of a ferry not attached to the shore. Alignment of the platform at each end of the journey is automatic and, especially for vehicle ferries, safer than a free-moving ferry might be in bad conditions.
A special type are electrically powered overhead-wire ferries like, which have an onboard propulsion unit and can float free, but are connected to the overhead wire for power supply, using an electrical cable that slides along the wire as the ferry moves. Simple cable ferry,, 1939 Cable ferries have probably been used to cross rivers and similar bodies of water since before recorded history.
Examples of ferry routes using this technology date back to the 13th century ( in England). In the early 1900s a cable ferry designed by Canadian engineer was installed on the near in Canada. There are now eight cable ferries along the system in southern New Brunswick. In Canada a cable ferry is proposed to transport automobiles across the in. There are several in: two on the, one at Lytton, one at Big Bar, three on. A suspended cable ferry worked until the 1980s in Boston Bar. A small seasonal carries cars across the from ( ) to (part of ).
Cable ferries were particularly prominent in early transportation in the of. Dozens of cable ferries operated on the in the US northwest, and most have been rendered obsolete by bridges. A suspended cable ferry for crossed the in Northern California.
Most of the road crossings of the in are cable ferries operated by the state government using diesel engines. The platforms at the ends can be moved up or down according to the water level. At one time, cable ferries were a primary means of automobile transportation in in Australia. In, for a century before 1934, the Risdon Punt at was the only fixed method of crossing the within Hobart city limits. In the fishing village of on, Hong Kong, the (橫水渡) crossed the Tai O River before a bascule bridge was built.
The largest and busiest cable ferry is the Ferry in Plymouth, England. It was first converted to cable operation in 1831 and currently operates 3 ferries, carrying 8000 vehicles per day. Ownership [ ] The earliest punts were privately owned by local landowners, and charged a toll. Autodesk. As governments started to build roads, they started to build and operate punts as required. Private punts might be bought out, or made to impose more standard tolls. Hazards and incidents [ ] • torn by broken cable, and cast adrift. • out of use due to low water level in river.
Duplicated punts can be provided if capacity of one is not enough. Twin ferries allow one to operate while the other is being maintained. List of cable ferry routes [ ] Current cable ferry routes include: Albania [ ] •, across the near Australia [ ]. Riverhurst Ferry •, across in •, across from to in. The longest cable ferry in the world as the time of its opening. •, across in •, across the at, British Columbia •, across the near, •, across the near, •, across near.