Shipping Out, Part 5: Filling Tow Boat with Diesel Fuel May Cost Over $200,000

Story and photography by Frank Lessiter. Narrated and produced by Paul Markgraff.
With our tow boat and 15 barges filled with corn, wheat and soybeans now heading downstream, Captain Rider says 100 miles represents a good day on the Upper Mississippi River. South of St. Louis on the 730-mile journey to New Orleans and with no locks to slow down the tow, it's a different story.

[@tilerman]

The power of these tow boats is amazing. With all that power must be a hoot with no barges attached! Bit like a dodgem car but on water.

[@LadyMarie880]

Knowing this info is 9 years old it still is interesting views awesome also thankyou.

[@supreme.deevlogs1949]

Facts I’m just seeing this video

[@MikeSmith-ei9pj]

When talking in a lock no one says to the left or right. They say port or starboard. But most of the time they say how far above or below the long wall and how wide in feet

[@torquetrain8963]

Towboats are still the most efficient haulers and use way less fuel than all the trucks used to haul the same amount of cargo.

[@donjuwanna1]

i was a deckhand on the dan mcmillen... 10'500 triple screw BIG.. 56 barges

[@robfraley4210]

I have seen an 1,800 foot long line... 1600 in barges with a 200 foot Towboat

[@doughesson]

195' by 35 ' for rake barges and 200' by 35 ' wide for box end barges. The largest tow I know of was pushed by the MV Miss Kae D(ACBL) back in 1978 when she took 72 barges past Memphis.Bet that was a lot of fun to check for water and tighten rigging every watch.

[@lesliegough9953]

2 way radio.....we used to do it by hand signals back in the day

[@donjuwanna1]

i hear ya. alot of sounder cord too!!!

[@doughesson]

I'm still marvelling that he didn't use river terminology for the narrative.

[@epicdriver4g]

EMD 645's, made by General Motors, are in this towboat, not Detroit Diesel.

[@scootertrash911]

These engines are also used in locomotives so parts are plentiful.

[@doughesson]

I did ,too.Too many pilots got together and bought me my first walkie talkie because they couldn't tell how many fingers I was holding up when I signalled them.

[@TugboatMatt]

the engines are GM/EMD's

[@fatnstupidstreams5959]

Come on down to New Orleans I live there

[@donjuwanna1]

i remember hand signals too

[@generationll]

Stretch out nearly 1,000 feet.Thats almost the length of a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier

[@Itsforyou2122]

Yeah buddy that would have been his first and last day talking a pilot through . 5 on ya left that's funny stuff

[@Dylbob14]

"5 feet to the left" hahaha

[@TheLouisamite]

Those are not Detroit brand engines ,,those are known as EMDs built by GM , maybe in the city Detroit ,,very reliable engines hands down,I'm not sure but I think there more than 4000 horse power also

[@whorayful]

EMDs are not Detroit Diesels. also you may want to run a calculator over the number of hours claimed in a 'towing season', there's only 8760 Hrs in a year.

[@shawnllorca4768]

You can even see the name at 7:10 lol

[@ironhidetheautobot]

what boat are they on?

[@doughesson]

MV Show Me State

[@daviddorrell5819]

Funny, those Detroit Diesels look a lot like EMDs.

[@donjuwanna1]

fore and aft!!!

[@stopcallingmeshirley]

WA-PA-LOW

[@daleolson3506]

Lots of incorrect info here

[@_DST0NE_]

Barge season? Haha

[@gobigblue911]

lol if I heard a deckhand talk like he did 'making a lock' I would walk over and smack the radio outta his hand and take over, comon ppl reserch a little!! left and right does not exist on any professional workboat....port and starboard!!

[@doughesson]

Left & right are directions. Port & Starboard are sides of the vessel.

[@StaceyV51]

Those are EMD's not detroits..

[@jacquesblaque7728]

Those diesels are definitely Detroits. Back when, they'd have been called Clevelands, but now EMDs. Just FWIW.

[@jeffmiller3150]

Joe Biden did that!!!

[@danvanhoose6783]

Music sure wasn't needed.