Jody,

You wrote:
>   Until I went to the band organ rally in Flint last
> month, I'd only ever seen one calliope.  I saw it
> in Issaquah Washington (near Seattle) in late summer
> of 1983.  I was visiting a park there that had a steam
> locomotive on display and was attracted to the sound of
> the calliope playing elsewhere in the park.  It was on
> a trailer and had been brought there by its owner as an
> inoffensive place for him to play it.  It had a keyboard
> but was being played by an 8080 (or maybe an 8008)
> microprocessor.  I believe that he said that he'd built
> the whole thing.  I did not get to see the computer,
> nor did I get to see the valves or manifold, but I did
> get a peek at the back side.  It was driven by a small,
> modern, propane fired, residential steam boiler.

If you can figure out how to valve the pipes with some sort of electrically
operated valve, the WIMP system I have discussed can do MIDI to pipes.  The
restrictions are about 24 VDC and 3 amps maximum.  I an having an air
callopie built with the WIMP.
>
>    I've been disappointed to have never another calliope
> until the rally, and then to find only air calliopes.  The
> air ones were certainly fun.  But there's a mystique to me
> (and a richer sound according to David Wasson) about steam
> power.
>
>    Does anyone know who's calliope I saw in Issaquah ?
>
>    Are steam calliopes still commercially produced ?
>
>    Some places have very strict pressure vessel and/or
>    boiler laws.  What regulatory hoops does one have to
>    jump through to bring a steam calliope to a rally,
>    parade, or other public event ?

I doubt there would be any official problems, but you do want to test your
boiler if it is handmade. I believe the miniature steam train folks test at
about 2 times the expected pressure.  If the setup you saw used a commercial
boiler, then you are probable OK.

Will Dahlgren