As a follow up with last week's photo of a 1932 vintage ferry boat, this week's photo is a great colorized image I scanned from a 35mm slide of the Presidente Porras ferry boat. The Panama Canal purchased the Porras which was once called the Nassau and was used for New York City and New Jersey runs in it's earlier days.  The Presidente Porras was purchased by the PCC as a tourist boat rather than a ferry boat to replace the older ferries.  Making it's run daily from Pedro Miguel to Gamboa and back carrying school kids from both the Zone and Panama along with tourists.  The Porras could hold up to 500 people at a time.  The Porras was retired in 1960 and was put up for sale because the 33 year old vessel was in un-safe operating condition.  It would cost a 1/4 to 1/2 a million dollars to bring her up to safe operating condition and the PCC could not warrant the expenditure.  With that little bit of background, this photo of the week is indeed a very special one as this capture by Perry Truxton in January 1948 shows the Porras being used as a vehicle ferry.  I read in the Panama Canal Review that the Porras would fill in for the regular ferries when they were being serviced.  

Another WOW capture in time!