paddlesteamers.info
:
The Internet's leading website for
Side-Wheeled Paddle SteamersGleaming engines, moving
pistons and connecting rods and a swinging crankshaft - possibly the
major attraction of paddle steamers but always at risk as operators
struggle to run these ships sustainably. Not just expensive to
operate, the capital required to replace major parts, in
particular the boiler, the real Achilles Heel of paddle steamers,
can be extremely difficult to raise. With increasing restrictions on
the use of fossil fuels adding to an uncertain future, how can such
vessels and their magnificent machinery best be preserved ? COST REDUCTION AND CLEAN ENERGY : An innovative solution for the retention and reactivation of vessels at risk The
beautiful paddler Italie, originally built in 1908, evokes a real
"Belle Epoque" feel at the tourist hotspot of Montreux in Switzerland People
cannot fail to be impressed watching the arrival and departure of
Italie or to see the lovely and often spectacular shores of
Lake
Geneva from her decks and comfortable enclosed saloons. She
and
her sister ship Vevey (of 1907) are highly-successful survivors and the
multi-purpose vessels in the Lake Geneva fleet. They are usually in
service all year round and are easy to fire up
for winter cruises whether it be lunch and dinner cruises or just to
give ever-changing views of the snow-covered hillsides enclosing the
lake. Their success can be ascribed to their low operating costs.
Italie and Vevey's fuel
consumption is approximately one third of that of
their paddler fleet-mates and total operating costs around 40 % lower In
their Annual Report and Accounts, the Compagnie General de Navigation
sur le Lac Leman (now known as Groupe CGN SA) publish the operating
costs of the ships in their fleet. They show the total variable costs
and of which, fuel, in Swiss Francs per kilometre sailed. In the 2019
report, the figures were as follows for Italie and Vevey and for their four steam-powered paddle steamers.
Vevey 33.7 of
which 5.5 ( 7.6 litres of fuel per kilometre)
Italie 34.2
of which 5.0 ( 7.0 l/km)
La Suisse 53.2 of which 15.2 (20.3 l/km) Simplon 56.3 of which 17.1 (22.6 l/km) Montreux 57.8 of which 20.9 (27.4 l/km) Savoie 53.6 of which 12.4 (16.4 l/km)
The cost saving in direct
operating costs across a season of average 25,000 kilometres per vessel
compared with the next most economical vessel is approximately CHF
475,000 which equates to around £ 385,000 with an annual saving of
over 200,000 litres of fuel.
How is this possible ? In
the mid 1950s, considerable investment was needed in the
two elderly ships. No new paddle steamers had been built in
Switzerland for 25 years. Replacement by more modern vessels appeared a
distinct possibility as new technologies had opened the way to
considerably lower operating costs. However, pioneering work on Lake
Geneva had already
seen two paddle steamers successfully converted to electric
propulsion. The same treatment was chosen for Italie and Vevey and was
later applied to two further paddle steamers giving each a new lease of
life without which they would not have survived into the modern era of heritage preservation.
As the price of survival, Vevey
and Italie had their gleaming engine parts removed and destroyed. That would be almost
unthinkable now. Paddle
Steamer engines are regarded as of considerable historical and
educational value,
are popular tourist attractions and objects of emotional attachment for
a large band of enthusiast supporters. Operators must consider how
their vessels can successfully sail on long into the future without
sacrificing the visible engines which are the unique selling point of
the ships
Paddle
Steamers face two main challenges : Financing major repairs
followed by operating in a financially sustainable way with a much
reduced carbon footprint.
Paddle
Steamers operators will face a tough decision and a massive financial
hurdle when boiler installations become life-expired or
unrepairable. Preservation groups hoping to return laid-up
paddlers to operational service face the same issues. The unexpected withdrawal of the Clyde's paddle steamer Waverley prior
to
the 2019 season resulted from the discovery of unrepairable damage,
manifesting
after only twenty years of boiler service.
Waverley's problem required an
immediate public appeal to raise in excess of £ 2 million and she was
saved only by a major intervention by the Scottish Government. With
steam power
possibly unsustainable financially without major subsidy, there
will be
at risk of damaging the business case for any new investment. Carbon
emission legislation could be tightened further making boilers
unviable. The expected reduction in marine engineers qualified to
maintain their engines adds to the uncertainty facing steam ships.
Boilers are the major
weakness of Paddle Steamers
New
boilers will allow Waverley to sail again, but her fuel, marine gas oil, is
a pollutant subject to strict legislatory controls and the new plant is
not expected to yield significant improvements in fuel consumption.
Revenue is still not
expected to cover her operational costs, with her future always likely
to be
balanced on a financial knife-edge. She is not alone. Converting
water into steam to expand and push pistons and ultimately turn wheels
represents
the simple principle behind the first mechanical engines. Despite
continuous refinement it remains a relatively inefficient use of fuel
and boilers are a major weak point in steam propulsion set up. They are
simple in theory,
but require close monitoring, maintenance and inspection not least
because of the potentially critical safety consequences of any
malfunction of the boiler itself or associated high-pressure steam
equipment.
Waverley's expensive problem was not the first time that this relatively new
boiler installation had caused trouble. Re-tubing had been undertaken and in latter
years, boiler control issues led to the loss of numerous sailing days
and the associated revenue. These issues had not compromised passenger
safety, but had led to passengers being stranded
aboard for several hours with the associated problems of their being
returned to their point of departure. Other paddle steamers have had
issues with their boilers requiring expensive rectification and lost
business. The risk of such incidents is
that lasting damage is also done to the vessel and operating company's
reputation. Electric drives are quiet
and smooth and can be powered by the cheapest and cleanest
fuels available
Electrically-powered
engines are compact, clean and quiet with fewer moving parts and potentially
simpler and cheaper maintenance than a steam engine - a major
benefit when it would appear that there is rapidly diminishing
availability of qualified steam engineers.
Diesels,
as fitted to Vevey and Italie, remain the
simplest solution to on-board power generation, but the future for
diesel would appear to be limited by environmental concerns and
restrictive legislation. Batteries are now an
increasingly feasible way of storing and supplying electricity
and recharging can be achieved in a potentially
carbon-free way.
Should a plug-in electricity supply be available, the need for an
on-board generator can be
reduced or eliminated. On-board hydrogen fuel cells are a likely future
route to electricity generation or battery top-up. Solar cells
provide a further option for battery top-up.
An innovative alternative is needed
when deciding whether to invest in a new boiler The case for electricity is compelling, but could the historical machinery be kept in situ and moving as well ?
Drive
shafts are turned through direct coupling to an electric motor or
through chain or belt drive if necessary. A turning crankshaft could
pull the visible machinery rather than being turned by it. The moving
parts would no longer be critical elements of the power train,
but
still be in motion to provide the visual spectacle for intrigued
passengers and to demonstrate for educational purposes the movement of
the original engine. The principle of turning a crankshaft by an
electric has been demonstrated in a static environment, being used
on the paddle steamer Lincoln Castle during her period of preservation
at Grimsby and by a number of museums exhibiting steam engines (such as the Bolton Steam Museum).
Steam
itself is not visible to the passenger.
Removing steam need not change the engine room gallery experience.
There will still be a requirement for the retained moving parts to be
lubricated and there could still be the aroma of warm oil.
Rapid
technological advances will surely see ever increasing power to weight
and volume ratios for electric drives and batteries allowing the
retention of most of the visually representative parts of any paddle
steamer's engine without damaging the ship's performance. Much
weight would be saved through not carrying a boiler (two in the case of
Waverley), the water required to produce the steam and much of the
complicated machinery associated with steam generation (condenser,
pumps etc).
Fewer
engineering crew would be required as the engine would be controlled
directly from the bridge. As the retained moving parts do not form part
of the power train they will not be operationally or safety-ctitical,
require little more than cosmetic maintenance and not be subject to
vigorous external inspection and certification. ELECTRIC PADDLER PARADISE Vevey,
seen at Yvoire in 2000 with Italie approaching behind, is relatively inexpensive to operate
and maintain. She has a high degree of reliability, provides an
excellent "Belle Epoque" experience for her passengers and is a
tremendous sight for those just looking on as she arrives. Vevey's operators saw no benefit in retaining obsolete machinery in the forward-looking 1950s, but times have changed. Paddle
steamer operators faced with the high expense of a
boiler have a new option which ticks the financial, environmental
and heritage boxes Notes on vessels Vevey and Italie
Length of ship overall : 66 metres
Displacement tonnage (empty) : 300-312
Passenger Capacity : 560, of which 194 seated
inside the ship Twin Electric Motors : 515 KW (Vevey) and 540 KW (Italie) - 700 HP (Vevey) and 735 HP (Italie) Traditional Paddle Steamer engines are already being turned by electricity
Above;
The engines of Lake Lucerne paddle steamer Pilatus were saved for
display in the Swiss National Transport Museum (the Verkehrshaus) in
Lucerne. They and one of Pilatus' original paddle wheels are able to be
turned by electricity. For obvious reasons they are turned slowly but
are capable of turning at the necessary rate for use within a vessel
hull with a suitably uprated power input.
Above
: The Mississippi-style side wheeler Molly Brown (1992) at Disneyland
Paris is operated as a diesel-electric paddler but also has a replica
beam engine aboard. The engine, traditional on paddle steamers in
eastern USA even if not for vessels on the Mississippi river basin, is
powered by electricity and moves to give those on board a close
representation of the experience of steamboating.
