[Click here for high resolution image wilde1.jpg (271kb)]
 

A steam calliope was spotted last week at "RailFair 99", the
festival of the California Railway Museum in Sacramento, CA.
The calliope was playing on the wharf in Old Town Sacramento,
a short walk from the museum.  The hand-lettered sign said:

  "The Wilde steam calliope (32 whistles)

  "Built by Mr. Wilde in the mid 1930's, Cincinnati, Ohio.
   After Mr. Wilde had died, it was sold to B & B Riverboat in
   Cincinnati.  Then in 1996 [?] it was sold to Hal Wilmunder
   in the Sacramento area."

The calliope is on a trailer for parade use.  I don't think it was
running at full pressure, because wasn't in very good tune, and you
could stand next to it while it was playing (it's hand played only).
I have attached a couple of pictures for the MMD web site.

Marc Kaufman

[ Travis Vasconcelos, who keeps track of riverboat calliopes, says
[ that hobbyist Ernest J. Wilde built at least three similar calliopes
[ before his death in the 1960s.  His widow kept one instrument (which
[ may be the one seen in Sacramento), and one is now owned by Capt.
[ Gabriel Chengary, of the steamer Delta Queen out of New Orleans.
[ The whereabouts of the other instrument(s) is unknown.
[
[ -- Robbie
 

[Click here for high resolution image wilde0.jpg (288kb)]