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This Steamboat Hjejlen is propelled by two paddle wheels, one on each side,
driven by a two-cylinder steam engine. The Paddle Steamer Hjejlen is the
oldest paddle steamboat still in operation in her original form.
Time passes and the Paddle Steamer Hjejlen still sails, actually being the
oldest paddle steamer in the world. The steamboat is nowadays registered for
165 passengers and four crews. The crew consists of captain, chief engineer,
stoker and ticket collector. A trip with the Paddle Steamer Hjejlen is a unique
experience with the combination of the vicinity of the great Mid-Jutland
scenery and being aboard a great technical wonder as the steamboat Hjejlen -
the ship's original steam engine since 1861, day after day propelling the
steamboat and with only one serious technical accident; the crankshaft cracked
in 1946 and was replaced. The Steamboat Hjejlen still sails on her original
rout, Silkeborg - Himmelbjerget - Laven.
The engine room aboard Steamboat Hjejlen
The coal fired steam boiler and the furnace door aboard the Steamboat
Hjejlen.
The steam engine crankshaft, with the exentrics for the Stephenson link-motion.
The steam engine manoeuvring place with the wheel for reversal of the eccentric
motion.
The steam chest with the slide valve for one of the pistons is visible just
below the reversal wheel.
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