Rigi back to steam?

[Bill Worden]

Discussions are underway at Lucerne to consider the return of paddle steamer Rigi of 1848 to the lake and to steam.  She has been on display in the courtyard of the Swiss Transport Museum for just under half a century, but the museum would like to open up that space and most visitors to the museum more-or-less ignore her.  So the museum, the Dampferfreunde Vierwaldstattersee and the SGV are dicussing returning her to service as an operating museum.

There has been talk for some time that a small paddler would be useful for short tours in the harbor area of Lucerne, and some advocated retaining the hull of motor vessel Waldstattater, built as Ben Jonson for the Thames, as a basis for such a vessel.  Waldstatter was scrapped, but now Rigi appears to fit the bill.

Her wooden hull was built in Britain in 1848; her Swiss-built oscillating engine is from the early 1890s.

A press conference on January 19 will announce the study of her return to service.

Photos and information, in German, at http://www.dampfschiff.ch/webpac/default.asp?id=48&mnu=48

Bill Worden

[Eddy Matthews]

Great news to hear that yet another paddler is going back into service Bill. Those Swiss paddlers are just gorgeous, a really stylish looking ship.

Regards
Eddy

[Bill Worden]

Just want to make clear that no decision has been made as yet, and that this will take some time.  The SGV (the ship operating company) and the Dampferfreunde Vierwaldstattersee (the non-profit support group) are committed to a down-to-the-rivets reconstruction of Unterwalden, which will be the last of the five operating paddlers to undergo a multi-million rebuild.  Only then will they be able to turn their attention to Rigi.  So if the studies turn out well, it will still be something like 2008 or 2009 before Rigi steams.

[Eddy Matthews]

Thanks for clarifying that Bill - At least it does sound promising though! Something else that we modellers can get our teeth into :-)

Regards
Eddy