What do you do all winter? Riverboat captains on the frozen Upper Mississippi River are pummeled with that question through the off-season.
This winter something very special is happening aboard the 360-passenger riverboat Anson Northrup. Little green men are hoisting four giant diesel engines from the bowels of the sturdy steel ship in preparation for dropping in four brand new green, green engines -- green for their low environmental impact and, of course, green for the trademark color of their Iowa heritage at the John Deere factory. OK, I stretched the point a bit with the green men, but you get the point.
Installation of the Northrup's new, greener engines is funded in part by the largest of more than 60 grants awarded from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Removal of the old engines and installation of the advanced, high efficiency models is being done by the Padelford engineering staff.
The M/V Anson Northrup will feature new tier 2 electronic diesel engines with newly designed after-market technology systems and engines that provide significant reductions in pollutants such as fine particles and nitrogen oxides. The clean diesel repower will result in major reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.
Padelford Packet Boat Company has been an advocate of clean water and clean air since our inception in 1969. In fact, the M/V Jonathan Padelford, an authentic paddlewheel riverboat built in 1969, boasts a unique propulsion system that was ahead of its time and continues to provide service with minimal environmental impact.
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