Paddle Steamer Resources by Tramscape

Lake Brienz, Switzerland
PS Lotschberg
Lotschberg 2001.jpg
PS Lotschberg at Oberried in 2001, her first season after her major refurbishment. A new green colour scheme reviving a much older arrangement and a less conspicuously glazed upper deck saloon give the paddler a look matching her early years much more closely. Photo by Gordon Stewart
Built by Escher-Wyss, Zurich
Length : 55.6 metres (overall), 53.5 m at the waterline
Breadth : 6.8 m (12.94 m overall)
Draught: 1.17 m (empty) - 1.40 m (loaded)
Capacity - 800 persons
Machinery - Compound diagonal
Cylinders - 550 and 950 mm x 1050 mm
Boilers - 2 x max 11.5 atmospheres pressure
Paddles - 9 steel floats of 230 x 66 mm
Paddle wheel - 3.51 m diameter
Maximum speed - 26 km/h
Entered service in 1914 (In revenue operation from July 25th)
Served only 9 days before the outbreak of World War I brought the season to a close
Returned to service only for the 1923 season.
Converted from coal to oil firing in 1967/68.
Major renovations - 1988/89 and 2000/01
During 2000/01 the origianl boilers were replaced by a single new boiler
The opportunity was taken to restore many of the original features and "feel" of the ship
Her original dark green / light green color scheme was also restored.

Lotschberg at Brienz-Dorf in 1996
 

The upper deck cafe in 1999 before the major refurbishment

By 2001 the cafe had a much more traditional and airy appearance

Steamer Comaprisons
Steamer Engines - the visible crankshaft area
Other Links
Lake Brienz - Historical
Photographs

More photographs (thumbnails) in the Photograph Archive

Bibliography

Die Geschichte der Schiffahrt auf dem Thuner- und Brienzersee
By Erich Liechti, Jurg Meister and Josef Gwerder
Published in 1986 by Ott Verlag, Thun
ISBN 3-7225-6334-8
Ship-by-ship chronologies, copiously illustrated and including line diagrams of vessel layouts.
Lotschberg - Memoiren eines Dampfers aus der Belle Epoque
By Rolf Grossenbacher
Published in 1992 by Verlag Schlaefli AG, CH-3800 Interlaken

Detailed study of the last of Lake Brienz's paddlers
Brief details of the vessels can be found in the following more general Swiss steamer guides:
Dampfschiffe Schweiz
Anton Raber and Peter Horlacher
1982
Verlag Dampferzeitung, Luzern, Switzerland
Brief detals in four languages including English
Paddle Steamers of the Alps
Leslie Brown and Joe McKendrick
Ferry Publications
ISBN 1-871947-19-7
Illustrated profiles of the steamers and operating areas
Schiffahrt auf den Schweizer Seen
Anton Raber
1972
Orell Fussli Verlag, Zurich
ISBN 3-280-00285-0
Illustrated round up of Swiss lake vessels, with fleet lists and sections on vessel design and engineering.
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