Float vs. Ferry

Subtle difference.  "Floats" are usually an unpowered barge and "Ferries" are usually a powered ship or boat.

Yes, car ferries can be very large.  There was car ferry service to Cuba and Alaska and large ferry service across the Great Lakes.

Car ferries

Can't say that I've ever seen one, or a railcar float in real life, though I have pushed many barges up and down inland waterways; but the float vs. ferry explanation sure sounds logical. All the ones I've "seen" have been photos but they look like they would be fun to model.

The large ships they are building would model out as virtually small freight yards. An alternative way to display one's nicest looking freight cars, though they are packed in so close that I guess only the modeler's skill at weathering roof tops would be seen.

Car floats

They were along the Mississippi, on both coasts and the Great Lakes, so there were more ferry/float operations than one would imagine. 

I actually model a car float operation on my layout.

Car Ferry to Mexico

The Genesee & Wyoming and SEACOR were involved in a joint venture to provide railroad car ferry service between Alabama and Mexico using two double decked ships capable of carrying 115 Railroad cars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CG_Railway

It would only be 3.6875 feet

It would only be 3.6875 feet in N!

Who will be the first to do a full size model? (Think the ship itself would be a "small layout")

  "The large ships they are

I think an interesting  layout could be made of a large car ferry or ship and the along shore loading yard and ramps. The nicely weathered cars could be admired as they are switched from the yard onto the ferry and when they are unloaded. Perhaps a three module layout with a home port yard on one side, the ferry or ship on a moving section and the away yard on the other side of the room. The really ambitious modeler could make the car ferry a floating powered model and make the route module hold real water so the ferry could be RC controlled to depart home and turn around and run to and tie up at the away port.Then after unloading and reloading sail back home...DaveB 

Aqua Train

As far as I know the Aqua train is the largest rail barge in the world. It travels between Prince Rupurt BC (CN) and Whittier Alaska (Alaska Railroad)

I have always thought it would be cool to model the CN at Prince Rupert to include the Aqua Train.

Aqua Train

I just copied this off of the internet:

How big is the barge of the AquaTrain?

The Aquatrain barge was built in 1982 by South Korea's Shin-A shipbuilding, and is 400 ft × 100 ft (122 m × 30 m). Since 1993, the Aquatrain's maritime tugboats and tug crews have been provided by Foss Maritime.

Foss Maritime

Speaking of Foss Maritime, since I'm in the Puget Sound area where there are lots of Foss tugboats operating (and have for many, many years), and since I had a harbor on my last layout, and since I had built a small tug boat that needed a name, I named it......   the Nona Foss, named after my wife.  When I showed her, the reaction was a bit frosty....

Al Carter, Mount Vernon, WA

I've been amazed

at the number of women that don't appreciate having a tugboat named after them.

Aqua Train

An interesting short write up about the Aquatrain. 

Alaska Railroad Industries AquaTrain (alaskarails.org)

At Freddy Port on The AnneliesVille RR & Nav. Co.

Not prototypical but a fun project and pleasant to operate. It adds to another exchange without taking a lot of space. See my Blog.