TSS Earnslaw - Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand
Apr 2, 2014 21:11:51 GMT -8
Scott, Low Light Mike, and 2 more like this
Post by northwesterner on Apr 2, 2014 21:11:51 GMT -8
I wrapped up my trip to New Zealand in the South Island city of Queenstown. Situated on Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is one of the most vibrant and happening cities in otherwise sleepy New Zealand. It is primarily a tourist destination, having become ground zero for adventure tourism. Skydiving, bungee jumping, downhill mountain biking, jetboat rides. As long as your budget can accommodate it, you can do it in Queenstown. The city is on Lake Wakatipu, a 50 mile long lake surrounded by tall mountains. For those on this board who are familiar with Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington ... well ... I basically traveled halfway around the world to spend time on the New Zealand version of Lake Chelan.
One of the tourist attractions in Queenstown is the TSS Earnslaw, a 1912-vintage coal fired steamship. Originally built to serve as a ferry to the assorted settlements along the lake, she has been preserved doing daily lake cruises. I'm not much for overpriced tourist boat rides, but I was intrigued by the Earnslaw and went for a ride.
I took a late afternoon lake cruise. The trip lasted about 1hr and 45 minutes. When we left Queenstown we had a pretty full load. Turns out, that particular departure makes a stop at a sheep farm down the lake and could be booked in conjunction with dinner at the farm restaurant. Having purchased only a round trip cruise, I found myself with the ship basically to myself on the trip back to Queenstown.
She has one of the very few coal powered steam engines in existence, worldwide. For years I've seen documentaries, mostly about steam locomotives, that use a dubbed sound (over photos) of a coal shovel scraping the floor. I've never actually heard that sound in person. Shortly after we left the pier, I heard it, and instantly knew what it was.
Another neat thing about the Earnslaw is the catwalk about the steam engine (accessed off the lower passenger deck) is open and accessible to all passengers. I spent about half the trip down there, watching the engineering crew shoveling coal, oiling the rockers, and watching (and hearing) the telegraph change.
The TSS Earnslaw returning from a lake cruise in Queenstown.
Information board about the ship.
Looking aft, port side, lower passenger deck.
Steering cables?
Rudder motor?
Inside the lower passenger cabin, aft of the engine room.
She's definitely coal fired.
Lower wheelhouse.
The bridge.
Bridge telegraph. This has an interesting set up as this telegraph system does not allow the engine room to answer (and thus confirm to the captain) that the order was received.
Plenty of smoke. Also check out the whistle.
One of the two engine room telegraphs (one for each engine). It seems so obvious but until I spent some time in the engine room, I never realize the telegraph bell was internal to the telegraph and actuated by the telegraph needle moving.
Chief engineer standing by with his engine controls, waiting for the bell to sound.
I have a video of the engine room from the catwalk on flickr. Can't embed a flickr hosted video into format, so you have to follow the link.
flic.kr/p/mAAmYe
Cargo boom on the bow.
The bow.
Doorway from the bow to the main passenger cabin.
Looking up at the bridge.
The funnel.
Upper passenger cabin. To the right you can look down into the engine room. The catwalk into the engine room is one level below on the lower passenger deck.
Looking down into the engine room. Catwalk is visible.
Upper passenger cabin.
Steam whistle.
Looking ahead from the starboard bridge wing.
Anchor windlass.
Anchor on deck. Looks like a bit of work to deploy if needed in an emergency.
One of the tourist attractions in Queenstown is the TSS Earnslaw, a 1912-vintage coal fired steamship. Originally built to serve as a ferry to the assorted settlements along the lake, she has been preserved doing daily lake cruises. I'm not much for overpriced tourist boat rides, but I was intrigued by the Earnslaw and went for a ride.
I took a late afternoon lake cruise. The trip lasted about 1hr and 45 minutes. When we left Queenstown we had a pretty full load. Turns out, that particular departure makes a stop at a sheep farm down the lake and could be booked in conjunction with dinner at the farm restaurant. Having purchased only a round trip cruise, I found myself with the ship basically to myself on the trip back to Queenstown.
She has one of the very few coal powered steam engines in existence, worldwide. For years I've seen documentaries, mostly about steam locomotives, that use a dubbed sound (over photos) of a coal shovel scraping the floor. I've never actually heard that sound in person. Shortly after we left the pier, I heard it, and instantly knew what it was.
Another neat thing about the Earnslaw is the catwalk about the steam engine (accessed off the lower passenger deck) is open and accessible to all passengers. I spent about half the trip down there, watching the engineering crew shoveling coal, oiling the rockers, and watching (and hearing) the telegraph change.
The TSS Earnslaw returning from a lake cruise in Queenstown.
Information board about the ship.
Looking aft, port side, lower passenger deck.
Steering cables?
Rudder motor?
Inside the lower passenger cabin, aft of the engine room.
She's definitely coal fired.
Lower wheelhouse.
The bridge.
Bridge telegraph. This has an interesting set up as this telegraph system does not allow the engine room to answer (and thus confirm to the captain) that the order was received.
Plenty of smoke. Also check out the whistle.
One of the two engine room telegraphs (one for each engine). It seems so obvious but until I spent some time in the engine room, I never realize the telegraph bell was internal to the telegraph and actuated by the telegraph needle moving.
Chief engineer standing by with his engine controls, waiting for the bell to sound.
I have a video of the engine room from the catwalk on flickr. Can't embed a flickr hosted video into format, so you have to follow the link.
flic.kr/p/mAAmYe
Cargo boom on the bow.
The bow.
Doorway from the bow to the main passenger cabin.
Looking up at the bridge.
The funnel.
Upper passenger cabin. To the right you can look down into the engine room. The catwalk into the engine room is one level below on the lower passenger deck.
Looking down into the engine room. Catwalk is visible.
Upper passenger cabin.
Steam whistle.
Looking ahead from the starboard bridge wing.
Anchor windlass.
Anchor on deck. Looks like a bit of work to deploy if needed in an emergency.
