Spirit of Peoria
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The Spirit of Peoria is a riverboat that normally runs in the Peoria, Illinois area. The boat participated in the 2004 Grand Excursion. As one of its main features, the Spirit of Peoria is a true paddleboat, actually using its paddlewheel for propulsion, unlike some modern riverboats with purely cosmetic wheels.
The boat was designed by architect Alan Bates, and built in 1988 at the Walker Boat Yard in Paducah, Kentucky, making it the first paddleboat vessel to ever be built there. The propulsion system was designed by Norm Rittenhouse, with steering by Custom Hydraulics.
The Spirit has no props or thrusters, and is powered by twin Caterpillar 3412 diesel gensets, producing 700 kW combined in 208 3-phase voltage. The power is rectified using railroad-style rectifiers, probably from a GM GP38. The DC voltage goes to two traction engines, also from a GM locomotive, which drive the paddlewheel via two forty-foot-long by one-foot-wide chains. This allows the boat to be comparatively fast and efficient, burning approximately 15 gallons of diesel fuel an hour, with a top speed of over 15 mph. The dry weight is about 275 tons, with a passenger capacity of 487. The boat carries 3500 gallons of fuel and 2500 gallons of water.
The regular area of travel of the boat ranges from the Pere Marquette State Park, near Grafton, IL to Starved Rock State Park, near Ottawa, IL. The boat is owned and captained by G. Alex Grieves, and co-captained by Harold Breitenbach. John Janicke worked as a deckhand on this boat for 2 seasons, believe it or not.
[edit] See also
- Julia Belle Swain, a paddleboat that docked in the 1980s where the Spirit of Peoria docks now
[edit] External links
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