paddlesteamers.info  :  The Internet's leading website for Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers


Skibladner                                                                                           Operating Area : Lake Mjosa, Norway


Above : Skibladner at Hamar on 13th August 2006
Built in 1856 by Motala Shipyard, Sweden, assembled at Minnesund, near Eidsvoll
Engines : Triple diagonal by Akers mech. Verksted, fitted in 1888, replacing original double diagonal set
Length : 165 feet

Ordered in 1852 and finally delivered by her Swedish builders (by rail to Eidsvoll and onward by horse and cart) in 1856 for assembly at Minnesund
Owners were the Oplandske Dampskibsselkap, set up to rival railway company which had bought out the private owner of the two existing Lake Mjosa steamers.
Maiden voyage was August 2nd 1856, shortly after her fleetmate PS Faerdesmanden
In service up to 9 months a year whilst the lake remained ice free. Passenger numbers fell after the railway was extended from Eidsvoll to Hamar in 1894.
Reengined with a triple diagonal unit built by Aker in 1888 for greater power, and the hull lengthened by 20 feet
Reboilered at the same time, reemerging with one funnel instead of the original two
Converted to oil fuel in 1921
A major restoration took place in 1967 after a public campaign to save her after she sank at her berth at Minnesund
In the heavy winter snows, sinking becomes a major risk - and Skibladner had suffered the same fate in 1937
Since 1974, she has been substantially supported by a local preservationist society and has become increasingly popular
Reboilered in 1983
Missed the 1984 season with a broken crankshaft suffered near the end of the 1983 season.
Significant work was undertaken between 1992 and 1995 to restore her to near her 1888 condition
In 2005 she was adopted by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage for preservation

Go to the photographs of Gordon Stewart's cruise from Eidsvoll to Hamar on 13th August 2006
Return to
Paddle Steamer List