LUZERN: Blick hinter die Postkartenseiten SCHWEIZER MARINE ...

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The Lake Lucerne Navigation Company
My day as an operator
of the steamboat Stadt Luzern
It's going to be a glorious
summer day. The steamboat
Stadt Luzern, built in 1928,
is docked at the pier in front
of the Culture and Convention
Centre Lucerne.
It is still quiet on the adjacent
large plaza. I am the first to
board the powerful steamboat
capable of carrying 1,200 passengers.
The first thing I do is
to open all the doors and windows.
Cool morning air streams
in, replacing the warm air in
the rooms.
At 9 a.m., my co-worker and
deputy arrives and our shift
on the steamboat begins. My
workmate immediately begins
his work around the steam
boiler and lights the furnace.
Since the ship has already
been put to work yesterday,
there is still plenty of pressure
left in the two steam boilers.
Very gradually, the steam
pressure begins to rise, and
we are on track to raise it to
the operating pressure of 11.5
atmospheres by 10 a.m. Meanwhile
my co-worker keeps
busy by checking the two
huge paddle wheels and tidying
up the machine room –
particularly those sections visible
to passengers. Apart from
all this he also finds time to
check over the water purification
system.
I use this time to raise the
main engine and electric gen-
erator to operating temperature
with steam from both
boilers. At the same time, I
tidy up around the machine
and painstakingly look for
loose or damaged parts.
10:10 a.m. Everything is ready
and the engines can be put
into operation. As soon as the
electric generator has taken
over power generation for the
ship, my workmate disengages
the power connection
to shore.
The auxiliary engine begins
pressurizing the hydraulic oil
system which is used for controlling
the steam intake
valves and is needed for general
lubrication. It also supplies
the coolant water which
eliminates the engine exhaust
and in doing so creates a vacuum
in the exhaust system,
which in turn significantly improves
the performance of the
large main engine.
Satisfied that everything is
running smoothly, I very slowly
engage the main engine
with the paddle wheels, which
ensures that there is no condensation
left in the cylinders
and that the engine can warm
up slowly.
It’s time now for my workmate
and me to test the functioning
of communications
between the captain’s bridge
and the engine room and to
test the functioning of the
steering paddles.
There is usually time before
the boarding manœuvre for a
coffee break with the rest of
the crew. Besides myself and
my fellow steam engine operator,
the captain along with his
assistant, the cashier and his
ticket inspector are sitting together
at the breakfast table.
We spend some time chatting
and sharing news about our
work on the steamboat.
10:40 a.m. This is the time to
begin our procedure for taking
our passengers on board. My
workmate feeds the furnace
and I set the main engine to
“half steam backward”. We
accelerate until the steamboat
Stadt Luzern is sailing at
10 kph in reverse. This is the
minimum speed the captain
requires to be able to steer
and to turn the ship using the
rudder. There is no strong
wind pushing against our ship
today, which is why after a
short time the “forward” command
is issued – to turn the
ship around and allow us to
reverse and dock with the
passenger terminal. For the
docking manœuvre with the
terminal, where crowds of
passengers are eagerly awaiting
us, I have to be very precise
in following the steering
commands issued by the captain.
This helps the captain
achieve a tidy docking while
reversing, which is always
somewhat tricky.
I help out at the passenger
terminal up to our departure,
and this enables me to enjoy
some sunshine too. I greet the
passengers I know, and note
down passenger numbers or
answer any questions they
may have.
11:10 a.m. Our departure
draws near and I return to the
engine room, where the temperature
has reached 30 degrees
Celsius. My fellow
steam engine operator has
adjusted the furnace in preparation
for our departure. Sufficient
water for steam genera-
bordmagazin 2009
Measuring instruments.
tion has been fed into the
boilers. At 230 degrees Celsius,
we now have enough hot
steam for our departure.
The large steam whistle at the
smokestack announces our
immediate departure. My captain
gives the “full steam
ahead” command and lets me
know how many passengers
we have on board. I use this
information to adjust the power
output of the steam engine
and calculate our required
travel speed so that we can
bordmagazin 2009
avoid delays. If we have a lot
of passengers, this affects our
embarking and disembarking
times considerably. We compensate
for this by increasing
our cruising speed accordingly.
Faster cruising requires
more steam pressure, which
my workmate regulates by adjusting
precisely how much he
feeds into the furnace that
heats the boiler. Every ten to
fifteen minutes we dock at a
stop, and this ensures that
we are kept busy during the
The Lake Lucerne Navigation Company
five-and-a-half-hour round
trip from Lucerne to Flüelen.
We take turns eating lunch
in between stops, but when
it comes time to perform
manœuvres with the machine
again, both steam engine
operators need to be at their
posts.
During the course of the
whole trip I go around and
keep checking the engines.
For instance I sometimes refill
the lubricant reservoir for
cylinder lubrication or perform
minor repairs on the little
workbench in the engine
room with my workmate.
4:47 p.m. We are back in
Lucerne with the steamboat
Stadt Luzern.
As soon as the passengers
have disembarked, my workmate
reconnects the power
connection to the mainland.
We switch the power back
from generator to mains, then
power down the generator,
the main engine and auxiliary
engine. We use a hydraulic
hose to pump the collected
sewage into the sewer system.
Meanwhile the furnace
has been put out at the steam
boiler and all steam valves at
the boiler dome have been
shut off. No further steam can
escape now. The last few
squirts of oil are cleaned off
the engine and the engine
room floor is cleaned to avoid
someone slipping and having
an accident.
At the end of a hard day we
enjoy a cool beer with our
workmates on the deck. This
is when we get to hear about
all those funny, interesting or
otherwise notable events of
the day that are hidden from
us engine operators while we
work below deck.
Somewhat tired, but filled
with the satisfaction of having
served another lot of happy
passengers, I head home. Full
of expectation I look forward
to the next day, since no one
day is like any of the others.
Heimo Haas,
Steam Engine Operator
Fotos: SGV
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