This is extracted from the prospectus of a proposed 2005 tour by a USA group.  The trip was deferred to 2006, then to May 07.  The organiser is a Paddleducker, so the details should appear when the plans are finalised.

The last route in the world where sidewheel steamers provide point-to-point transportation to towns and villages, some of which have no access by road.  Two paddle steamers of 1957, built in Budapest, serve the route from Ust-Kut (Osetrovo) to Yakutsk on Lena River.  The downriver voyage takes ~5 days.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Great to hear about the trip Roderick - Sounds very interesting, but sadly even if it comes off I won't be able to make it... Too many family problems to deal with that prevent trips away for more than a couple of days

I'm sure it would be the trip of a lifetime, so it will be a shame to miss it, but hopefully someone that goes will take LOTS of photos and report back to us here?

Here is a b&w of a paddlesteamer in Moskva, used as a floating restaurant (and do note that its name is not Pectopah; this is the cyrillic for restaurant, transliterating as Restoran).  On the day when I was going to eat aboard the power was off, and the owner took me out to lunch in a basement restaurant in the old part of the city.  I don't know if it could cruise in summer.

Bill W has advised me: 'This is likely N A Dobrolyubov, one of the same 737 class as the Lena River steamers.  Her career ended when she burned, but I don't know the date of the fire.  She's the only 737 which seems to be listed as having served as a restaurant at Moscow; the restaurant name was apparently something like Bourgas'.


Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
updated 20.11.06

This website shows details of these type 737  paddlers, mainly built at Budapest in the fifties
http://www.riverships.ru/english/specs/?grp=737
while this is the photo gallery index page on this  site
http://www.riverships.ru/english/photographies.shtml
You have to dig around a bit here to get paddler  photos here
http://www.riverships.ru/english/albums/ileskin_2.shtml has some and there are other dotted around other entries in the  list
 
Alistair
 
 

Quote----- Original Message -----
  From:    Roderick Smith (preserved@paddleducks.co.uk)
  To: preserved@paddleducks.co.uk (preserved@paddleducks.co.uk)    
  Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 10:05    AM
  Subject: RE: Russian paddlesteamers
 

 
Here is a b&w of a paddlesteamer or paddle vessel    in Moskva, used as a floating restaurant (and do note that its name is not    Pectopah; this is the cyrillic for restaurant, transliterating as Restoran).    On the day when I was going to eat aboard the power was off, and the owner    took me out to lunch in a basement restaurant in the old part of the city. I    don't know if it can cruise in summer, and what the propulsion    was/is.

The colour photo doesn't show the paddle    wheels.

Probably this was from my 1985-86    holiday.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria    Editor



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Exported by Paddleducks Mail System.

http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9513#9513

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Bill has informed me by direct e-mail that the decommissioned PS, used as a floating restaurant on Moskva Canal, has been destroyed by fire.  Here is the colour photo which I took.  About eight of the original nationwide fleet of 76 were decommissioned in the Moskva area.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
updated 21.11.06

Paddlesteamer "St.Nicolay". Krasnoyarsk. Enisey river

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.krasplace.ru/paroxod-svyatitel-nikolaj
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.krasplace.ru/neplavayushhij-paroxod
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B9_(%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B4-%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%B9)

googlemaps link

It's happening, but what remains to be visited?
http://siberiantimes.com/business/investment/features/introducing-the-great-new-siberian-railway-opening-soon.
I can't find the post from Bill which suggests tourism charter only, not route service.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor