http://www.wcpo.com/web/wcpo/news/local ... -steamboat

The note about the "ship catching fire" was actually a minor problem doused with a fire extinguisher, blown up to suit a campaign to get her ousted from Chattanooga. As for the comment about people dying in "ships made of wood", many people die every year in houses made of wood, and we're still building them, sans all the fire control aboard the DQ.

There's a lot of work ahead, of course, and there are no guarantees, but this is the legislation without which no restoration could take place.

Literally, this is the best news I have heard all day! My wife and I have traveled on the Delta Queen twice, and both times were the best vacations we ever had. I hope for the chance to do it again.

At least the House of Representatives seems capable of dealing with something without having to stay up all night misquoting Theodor Geisel. Now would somebody please explain to me the comment 'In 2007, the steel hull was deemed a fire hazard'?
GME

She spent 61 years on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, far longer than in California. She may be a transplant but she belongs on the Mississippi and Ohio.

I've had two cruises on her and am looking forward to number three which I hope will be her first under the new owners. I was on her 75th Anniversary trip and did a video of that one. Also chased her last overnight cruise in 2008, a 10 day run from Cincinnati to Memphis by way of Maysville, Ky, Louisville, Henderson, Paducah, Cape Giradeau, and New Madrid. Released a 3 DVD set of that trip. At Memphis her extension time ran out and she departed empty for New Orleans in tandem with the American Queen which was soon mothballed.

The Delta Queen was later leased to interests in Chattanooga where she traveled under her own steam in 2009 and is now open as a hotel and maintained in nearly serviceable condition. If you're in Chattanooga chasing TVRM's 630, you should spend a night aboard the DQ. But be warned- she will grab your heart as soon as you step aboard.

The America Queen has already returned to service under new owners and recently rode her from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. She's a fine boat but the DQ is the real deal.

The Delta Queen is an American treasure!

And speaking of the American Queen...guess who was in Chattanooga last Saturday? You guessed it. The American Queen was reunited with the Delta Queen for one day while AQ was docked in town during a Civil War cruise. Unfortunately the big AQ doesn't fit under the Market Street Bridge, so there was no opportunity for a side-by-side view. In the attached photo, AQ's stacks have already been lowered in order to pass under the Olgiati Bridge. And, hence the reason for this photo, Delta Queen is in the background.

Doesn't fit under or is too wide? That is a lift bridge in background.

Maybe it does open enough for this kind of river craft.

see Wikipedia: Market Street Bridge (Chattanooga)


Picture from Wikipedia Commons.

Yes it opens as evidenced by the photo, but usually only twice a year for inspections. (One of the inspectors is a volunteer locomotive engineer/fireman at TVRM.) Not sure if the American Queen would fit with the spans raised, but even if it did, there's no sense in all that fuss just so she can turn around on the other side. As has been done many times before, sliding under Olgiati Bridge, docking at Ross' Landing, and turning around between Olgiati and Market, works just fine. There could also be limitations in the channel. Delta Queen fits under Market Street with the road deck in place by tilting its stack extension.

I am thrilled that the Delta Queen will (most likely) be cruising again. I expect that she'll be moving back to Cincinnati. This is a more appropriate "home base" for cruises than Chattanooga. I enjoy seeing her here (and thank goodness she was moved from New Orleans before something terrible happened)....history abounds!

It appears there was some (perhaps deliberate) misinformation going around about the Delta Queen's fire safety measures. She does indeed have sprinklers, a separate fire suppression hose system, AND two slides deployable aft with two large rubber rafts, either of which could take off all passengers--assuming that in an emergency the captain couldn't just beach her so everyone could step off. Since she's half a mile from land at the widest part of the Mississippi, and more like an eighth of a mile here on the upper Ohio, the objection made little sense until the politician arguing most passionately complained about the possible damage to another river cruise's business.
Oops.

Interesting photo found on http://www.save-the-delta-queen.org/ shows the difference in size of the Queens.

Now just add the Belle of Louisville and Natchez to that scene and we have a show! The Belle is tiny compared to the American.

The Belle of Louisville will be 100 years old next year and a celebration is being planned. The American Queen will be there and hopefully, the DQ too.