Because of the high cost of fuel the size of barge strings on the river have been curtailed ;-)
@rdaily How are long barge strings steered? Not just from behind, right?
@kentborg the barges are all tied together with large pins that mesh if loaded the same depth and/or 1 inch steel cables wenching them tightly into a unit. Worked as a deckhand one summer and many in my family had careers on the rivers.
@rdaily So firmly steered from behind.
With some wise reading of the cross-forces and turns in the river, with a relaxed alertness for surprises.
(Sounds like you and yours had some fun, while working hard.)
@rdaily But what about the front barge? It feels like an railroad engine pushing freight cars without any railroad track. Or, are the barges wide enough, and is the snake of barges never so long that it can snake? (Except when the resulting failure hits the news.)