I caught sight of Theresa L. Wood in the fading light as she was about to transit the Fort Madison Bridge.  More on that double-decker bridge here.

Note the wake pattern.

See the lights both on the towboat and the motor vehicles waiting on the bridge.  I’m told one person operates this bridge at a time, both managing the swinging truss and collecting the tolls.  Being accustomed to automatic tolling, I was caught off guard by having to hand over some cash;  fortunately, I had bills in my pocket.

John D. Nugent came up on lock 19 through the mist of midday.

Wood is currently in the Marquette Transport Company fleet;  Nugent in the American Commercial Barge Line fleet;  both MTC and ACBL are huge.  

Here Nugent passes under the 1985 toll-free bridge.  Prior to 1985, automobile traffic crossed on the top of the double-decker bridge just north of the one depicted.

The following day I drove up to lock 18, just as Nugent was approaching.

Note the lock crew in chartreuse and the Nugent crew calling out distances on VHF.

 

 

 

All photos, any errors, WVD.

Theresa L. Wood:  1979.   140′ x 42′.   6140 hp

John D. Nugent:  1975.   138′ x 52′  (or 134′ x 48′??).  6140 hp

Related through ACBL:  an 11,000 hp ACBL towboat