paddlesteamers.info : The Internet's leading website for
Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
Lake
Zurich,
Switzerland
Steamer services
run from Zurich, Switzerland's major city, along the Lake to
Rapperswil, with certain sailings continuing into the "Obersee". This
south-eastern part of the lake is reached by a narrow channel, with
the steamers passing under the road and rail bridge linking
Rapperswil with Pfaffikon. Normally only one steamer is in operation
at any one time but two days a week in July and August, both are
usually in operation.
The value of the two Paddle Steamers, Stadt Zurich of 1909 and Stadt
Rapperswil of 1914 to the region's tourist economy is well understood
and the ZSG is currently formulating plans which will see significant
work done on both paddlers to imporve passenger accommodation and
restaurant facilities by 2006. The last major refits were in 1989/90
and 1985/86 respectively. It is anticipated that once the work has
been completed, the paddlers will see more use. In 2001, each was in
service for only 64 days and were by a large margin the most lightly
used units of the regular
fleet.
OPERATIONAL PADDLE
STEAMERS
Stadt
Zurich
Stadt
Rapperswil
FURTHER
INFORMATION
Historical
Paddlers on Lake Zurich
Steamer
Comparisons
Steamer
Engines - the visible crankshaft
area
ZSG (Lake Zurich Shipping Company) open day
at Zurich on 24th March 2012
The major Swiss passenger steamer operators have
regular open days when the public is invited to wander round the
companies' yards, workshops and many of their ships in days which
act as excellent customer service opportunities. Thanks to
Enrico Crosti for these photos of PS Stadt Zurich in the yard's
dry dock,where the public was able to get the rare opportunity to
walk around "underneath" a paddle steamer. Click
here for more photos
LAKE ZURICH PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION
Go to the Photograph Collection
INTERNET RESOURCES
ZSG Official
Website
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Salondampfer
"Stadt Rapperswil" - seit 1914
By Charlotte Kunz
Published in 1986 by Hans Rathgeb, Rapperswil / Verlag Verkehrsverein
Rapperswil-Jona
ISBN 3-907758-01-0
Detailed history of the lake's last Paddle
Steamer
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
Sciffahrt 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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Steamer List