I recently did a workshop for the East Coast Chapter MBSI about
automatic musical toys.  One of the items demonstrated was the
Tuneyville Player Piano.  Tomy also made a Tuneyville Choo-Choo
and Pipewagon.

Here are some details, including US Patent numbers.  The patent
diagrams may be viewed by going to the web site of the US Patent
and Trademark Office, http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/srchnum.htm
and plugging in the patent number as instructed.  You may need to
download and install a TIFF image viewer; instructions for that are
also included on the Patent Office site.

- Tuneyville Player Piano, No. 1024, Made by Tomy Corp., Carson, Calif.,
manufactured in Thailand, c. 1978.  A battery-powered motor operates
a fan that provides air to blow through two plastic pipes.  Holes in
the pipes are covered by pads to create the eight notes, as a real
flute.  Can be played by the eight white keys as a real piano or by
the operation of a 3-inch diameter tooth-edged plastic disc (4 discs
included), each disc programmed with two songs, one on each side.
A music book was also included.  US Patent 4,185,533 filed Nov. 13,
1978, by Kenzo Akiyama and Masaru Ogihara of Tokyo, assigned to Tomy
Kogyo Co., Tokyo.

- Tuneyville Choo Choo, No. 1006, Made by Tomy Corp, Carson, Calif,.
manufactured in Thailand, c. 1980.  Similar to the Tuneyville Player
Piano, without keys, but operating from the same discs.  Uses eight
pipes, rather than only two.  This toy adds the motion of the moving
train engine across the floor as the musical disc is played.  US Patent
3,982,459 filed Feb. 13, 1975, by Kenzo Akiyama, Long Beach, Calif.,
assigned to Tomy Kogyo Co., Tokyo.

- Tuneyville Pipewagon, Made by Tomy Corp., Carson, Calif., manufactured
in Thailand, c. 1989.  Similar to the Tuneyville Choo Choo but adds
visual colored balls in the clear pipes above the cab that go up as the
associated note is played.  Additional movement is in the car itself
and the moving figures on the front and sides.

The patent diagrams clearly identify how the mechanisms operate.

Musically yours,

Bill Wineburgh
http://members.aol.com/WWineburgh/