Riding the Oldest and only coal fired ferry in the USA. The SS Badger
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ย. 2024
- The SS Badger runs from Manitowoc Wisconsin to Ludington Michigan. It is the last coal fired ferry operating in the USA. The trip was about 4 hours long and was worth the money. It was a experience that almost took you back in time. I tried to get permission to get into the boiler room, but it was not possible due to liability.
Me and my brother took that in 1976 to see the U-505 in Chicago. The car ferry was inexpensive back then. We took my 75 Chevy Nova then but I have a 2015 Toyota Corolla now. I don't want to take the trip because it's not only expensive now, but my car is a stick shift and I wouldn't take the chance of a worker trying to drive it on board that doesn't know how to drive it.
Used to love watching them load and unload rail cars. Us kids put pennys on the track
We rode it years ago, didn't realize it was coal fired. Very enjoyable ride.
Since 2016 or so the SS Badger no longer is allowed to dump coal ash in Lake Michigan and will be changing over to a different fuel source away from coal. It’s promising to see. The future is bright for the SS Badger . 😃Nice vid.
We did that trip back in the 90s when I had family in the Milwaukee/Port Washington area. One time we tried the ferry just for something different and not to have to drive back through Chicago. It was great fun.
My wife and I spent 5 hours sitting on the bow of that thing waiting for it to be fixed so we could go across the lake. Never got it fixed so we had to go to plan B on our vacation motorcycle trip. It was around 80 degrees.
$380 for 1 SUV and 3 people?! That seems like an eye-popping amount of money for a 4 hour ferry ride. Is that at least Round Trip? Can you take a round trip as a foot passenger (no vehicle) just for the boat ride?
It was $315 one way before taxes and fees, including fare protection since we were traveling far from home. You don’t have to take your vehicle, you book a ticket separate for yourself and your vehicle. We did it for the experience more than anything. It also avoided the hassle of driving through Chicago and the opportunity to move around while traveling which is a lot nicer than being cooped up on the road!
Yes you can. You do not have to have a vehical to ride the ferry. Yes 380 is alot.
It is pricey. I took the trip the other direction, from Luddington to Manitowoc 3 years ago. One person and one truck was less than $200. That's less than the faster ferry that goes from Muskegon and Milwaukee (and requires a 2-week lead time reservation). I got my reservation the day before for the S. S. Badger and spent the night in Luddington. It's more a "the journey is the point" kind of thing. Is it cheaper to drive around the lake? Absolutely. But that means driving through/past Chicago (and the constant construction on I90/I290/I294/I80), etc. Being able to just relax (after I bought a pullover in the gift shop because I was way underdressed for a 4-hour 15-knot lake crossing over 50-degree water) and enjoy the voyage was great. I plan on one day doing a partial lake loop, crossing on the S. S. Badger then driving north across the U.P. (or doing the U.P first then cross the lake).
Yes, you can ride as a walk on passenger.
You can do a round trip as just a passenger for about $110. Also realize that Manitowoc to Luddington is about the middle of Lake Michigan. It is a 7 hour drive not including Chicago traffic if you go around the bottom and an 8 hour 30 minute drive if you go across the top of the lake between these two cities. That is a lot of driving that is being eliminated plus you get to rest as well. So it may well be worth the cost for some people.
Super cool! Never heard of her ,definitely an old school icon!
I remember as a kid walking to the light house in ludington in 73,74,75 and when the badger was going by we would jump up on the railing that ran center of the breakwater because of the wake I see there is no railing anymore
Safety is overrated
The inhibitor of evolution
SS Spartan is used for parts.
Very good video!!Did not realize that this boat was in service. What type of engines does it have? Are they steam turbines ?
The engines are Skinner UniFlows. The last operating type of these engines in the country.
I'd like to see how they fuel this time machine.
In Manitowoc they back in a belly dump semi trailer onto the car deck and it falls into the storage bunkers. Originally when the C&O Railroad built it rail cars were used.
Cheap fuel. Would cost a fortune to run on oil.
I thought that is was converted to oil
I am sure you meant "SS" Badger. The prefix "USS" would imply that it is a U.S. warship.
I did ha ha. Thank you for that info
A awful polluter with many tons of coal ash disposed of in the lake!Good old Lake Michigan - source of all my drinking water!
That dirty fueled antique should be permanently docked and used in some other way.
No. Never happen. A national landmark. The offset is the fuel used and exhaust driving around the lake, especially for large trucks.
Has "UP DATED" pollution controls on her. Ashes are "RECYCLED."
how about you educate yourself on the subject before making a post and showing everyone your ignorance, greenie.
Please say you use a bicycle and never a car to go anywhere. I don't mean anything that is electric powered either since that uses fossil fuel to charge it. If you don't then you are a hypocrite.
No