Cars On The Waves – Car Ferry Scenes Of The 1950s, 1960s, And 1970s

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– Posted on September 23, 2025

Photo of cars on a ferry

Text by Patrick Bell.

We have something different today with a nice selection of cars traveling by water.  Ferries do an excellent job of moving cars and trucks, but you can’t hurry them.  So, sit back and relax as we float through this gallery.

Our lead image today was a Prince Edward Island ferry, per a search.  Apparently, it was not a drive-through ferry, as you can see the cars were facing to the rear.  They had to be backed down a narrow ramp onto the ferry.  I guess it was easier to back them on to load as compared to backing them off to unload.  The image date was August 17, 1963.

Taking up a good portion of the photo was a 1963 model Airstream trailer with a 1961 Ford Country Sedan for a tow rig.  The Airstream had three roof vents, a stove and or furnace chimney, and a roll up awning likely made of canvas.  Up ahead was a silver 1961 Chevrolet Nomad wagon, and on the right side a red 1958 to 1961 Volkswagen Type 1, blue 1960 or 1961 Chevrolet Corvair or Corvair 500 Club Coupe, and a tan 1955 Buick Century 4 door sedan or wagon.

This was the Conrad Wirth, which ferried between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands on the outer banks of North Carolina.  This shot was taken in 1961. The beige wagon in the left foreground was a 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air with an empty roof rack, followed by a black and white 1958 Ford Country Sedan towing a Sportcraft camper.  On the right side were two Plymouths; a 1960 Belvedere 4-door sedan, followed by a 1956 Custom Suburban 4-door wagon.  And on the right edge was a white 1960 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan.

Now we are waiting to board the St. James Ferry in Louisiana so we can get across the Mississippi River.  Ahead of us was a black 1949 or 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Business Coupe, a 1956 Buick Special 2-door Riviera, and a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Here is one of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad’s ferries, used to cross the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.  The image is on the blurry side, but I don’t see any guard rails on the lower deck where the passengers were standing at the edge.  On the left a 1953 to 1956 Ford F-Series truck with, a 1950 to 1953 Cadillac on the right.

Notes on the back of this photo indicate this was a ride in Canada that was part of a 1000 mile rally.  On the left is a Volvo PV 544 from Illinois, and to the right a worn looking 1952 or 1953 Nash-Healey with what appears to be a Wisconsin license plate.  The Nash-Healey roadster was sold from 1951 to 1955 and was rare and expensive.  Total production was in the 500 to 525 range, depending on the source.  Suggested list in ’51 was $3767; by ’54 it was pushing $6000. Compare that to about $3500 for a Corvette and an estimated $3000 for the new Thunderbird that was about to be released and you can see why so few were sold and its days were numbered.

In front of the Nash was a Triumph TR2 or TR3, and in front of that another Volvo PV, this one a 444.

We are now at the Miller Ferry Dock in Ohio, about to head to Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  Heading this way on the left was a 1958 Chrysler New Yorker sedan.  Waiting to board beginning on the right edge were a 1956 Buick Special 2-door Riviera, 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria, 1959 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible Coupe, and 1957 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan. At the head of the line is what looks like a Jeep Utility Wagon.  To the right one lane may be the white cab of a 1953 to 1956 Ford F-series, and through the Buick, I can see a 1958 Plymouth.

And another view of the Conrad Wirth on the same trip as photo #3.  You can see the Sportcraft camper that’s also in the other image.  The green car looks like a 1954 Ford Customline Club Coupe, and behind it a 1960 Chevrolet Biscayne 2-door sedan.  Behind the camper was a 1958 Cadillac sedan.

I don’t have a location on this one, but the 1962 Ford Falcon Deluxe Fordor Sedan was from Yakima County in Washington state.  Parked behind it was a 1961 Mercury Comet 4-door sedan, followed by a rare 1957 Pontiac Star Chief Custom 2-door Safari wagon, the Chevrolet Nomad’s cousin.  Only 1292 of the last year Custom 2 door Safaris were produced.  I’m not sure about the car at the end.

Another one with no search results or clues for a location.  That’s a 1962 to 1967 Volkswagen Type 2 with a kayak (?) on top and a roll up awning over the side doors. The gentleman had a pair of binoculars around his neck, so he must have been a tourist.

All I have on this one is a photo date of August 1966.  Close to the far side shore was a railroad track or tracks with several cars that weren’t connected together.  The sign on the large white building says “Riverview Hotel.”  A rudimentary ferry was crossing the river with a 1961 Buick Special wagon with several people aboard, and a 1964 to 1966 Chevrolet C10 pickup with a camper shell.  On the nearside shore were a black 1951 to 1953 GMC 100 truck and a green 1948 to 1950 Ford F-1 pickup.

Notes on this image state it was shot in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.  I see a US flag by the stack on the ferry, so I am going to say it belonged to the Alaska Marine Highway System.  First in line was a 1963 or 1964 Rambler Classic 550 Cross Country wagon towing a camp trailer, and following was a 1961 Chevrolet Parkwood 9-passenger wagon.  The white car on the right edge looks like a 1963 or 1964 full-size Mercury.

Here, passengers were crossing the south fork of Lake Charlevoix, Michigan, on the Ironton Ferry.  It is still in operation, and is a four-car, cable-driven vessel. The two cars we can see were both 1967 models; the left one was a full-size Pontiac and the right one a Plymouth Belvedere II sedan.

This one is labeled a Maine Ferry, which put the 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV in the foreground far from home, as it had a Tennessee license plate issued in Lauderdale County, where the seat is Ripley.  The 1968 Ford Thunderbird 2-Door Landau ahead of it had a different plate, but it was not a Maine issue, as they had black numbers during this time period.

Thanks for riding the waves with us and to all good day!

 

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