84 I World of Ships I Paddle Steamers
BLUMLISALP
BUILT 1906 by Escher Wyss, Zurich
DIMENSIONS Length 62.7m, width 6.8m (hull), 13.1m (over
paddles)
MACHINERY Compound diagonal by builders, 600hp
SPEED 26.kmh (14.7 knots). Passengers 1,000.One of the earliest triumphs for the then
still blossoming Swiss steamer preservation
movement came in 1992, when the last
Thunersee paddle steamer, Blumlisalp,
withdrawn in 1971, returned to service after
ownership had been transferred to the Swiss
Steam Engine Museum Society Vaporama.
Restoration started after the vessel was taken
out of the water in late 1988 to enter a dry
dock newly dug out by a dredging company.
Blumlisalp reappeared after undergoing
a substantial renovation, including being
lengthened by 8ft to improve her stability.
Blumlisalp sailed on a second maiden
voyage on 22 May 1992 to rejoin the BLS
fl eet. There was further renovation funded by
Vaporama in 2005-06 before the organisation
transferred ownership of the vessel back to
BLS. Blumlisalp, with a pale blue band at main
deck bulwarks level, sails daily in summer
except Monday from Thun to Interlaken West,
completing the journey along the Aare Canal
to berth alongside the West Rail Station. As
there is insuffi cient space to turn the vessel,
when departing Blumlisalp reverses back
down the canal to rejoin the lake.and exhausting from the centre. The boiler has
used oil fuel since being converted to run on
the fuel in winter 1953-54. Described as being
one step from a diesel, Stadt Luzern’s engine
is still serving her well. In 1980-81 the metal
crank cases were replaced by Perspex covers.
When the vessel became due for a major
overhaul, the work took place in two
successive winters, with normal sailings in the
summer months before a full return to public
service on 20 May 1989 after the Steamer
Friends contributed almost SwFr1 million to
costs. A new funnel and masts were fi tted,
there was some hull replating, and much of
the original steel superstructure replaced in
alloy. The two former fi rst class saloons on
the upper deck were combined and extended
further aft to form a Queen’s Saloon, used by
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh
when they travelled from Lucerne to Rutli
during a State Visit to Switzerland. At the
end of the 2018 summer season Stadt Luzern
stands down for a life-extending refi t that
could see her in the SGV’s Lucerne shipyard
for up to 30 months.LAKES THUN
AND BRIENZ
The twin lakes of the Bernese Oberland have
the popular resort town of Interlaken between
them and are connected by the fast-fl owing
but unnavigable River Aare running from Lake
Brienz into the far larger Lake Thun. Services
have long been under the control of the Bern-
Lotschberg-Simplon Railway, and each lake
boasts an immaculately turned out paddle
steamer running through the summer season.
The much celebrated return of the
1906-built Blumlisalp in 1992 gave services
a shot in the arm, and the veteran handles
Thun’s main morning departure to Interlaken
West. Soon after departure, a superb
panorama of the snow-topped peaks of the
Wetterhorn, Jungfrau, Eiger and Monch opens
up on the starboard side. From Interlaken Ost,
the 1914-built Lotschberg travels over the icy
blue waters of Lake Brienz to Brienz, which is
the starting point for the still partially steam-
operated rack railway to the top of Rothorn.ABOVE There was a major preservation triumph when Blumlisalp, withdrawn in 1971, returned to Lake
Thun service in 1992. (Russell Plummer)Blumlisalp leaving
Beatenburg. (Russell
Plummer)ABOVE Passengers leave at Interlaken West from where
Blumlisalp will reverse down the river. (R. Plummer)12 Paddlers_Switzerland_NL.indd 84 17/04/2018 12:21