Time for another Mystery Photo!

Delta Queen

I think its the calliope. Dont know what is different in the last photo.

Dang it, Mike beat me to the punch. Jon did you hold your camera under the whistle to get that first one? No way to lay down up there?

Aaron

My guess it's calliope parts, but not the DQ unless in recent years they installed something that looks like hog chain braces.

I'm wrong

The more i look at it the more i don't think its the DQ.

Lexie,
That's the back side of the calliope where the forward facing "Delta Queen" giant nameboard was/is......I think. The small pigtail pipe I would assume is for the gauge at the keyboard? Jonathan, care to clarify?

Aaron

What gave it away was the scrollwork seen at the bottom corners of the first picture, then I remembered the giant nameboard at the stern, which is what all that angle iron is supporting.

I won't comment...cause I know what they all are, where they were taken and can pretty much surmize when.

I will let someone else have the great big snickers bar!

Travis

Stab in the dark here, but I think it's the MQ Calliope, and the pressure regulator pic appears to be some temporary fix, judging by the bag pipe support. All that piping and bracing just doesn't look like the DQ to me. RATS, can't find my roof pics! I like the misspelling on the junction box warning.
S'
David D.

Kudos to Mike / AJ - it is... The Delta Queen calliope! (What else would you expect from me??)

The first photo indeed shows the steam line and regulator going back underneath the bracing that supports the gingerbread. There is a panel that swings open just above the center of the bracing to give access to the plumbing.

The second photo is the main junction box for all the solenoid valves on each whistle. Nice catch on the spelling error, David!

What makes the final photo special has to do with the angle it was shot from, as it is the only way to visually identify what's unique about that whistle. (Here's another hint: you sure wouldn't be able to tell the difference by comparing the sounds of this whistle to the others, because they are darned near identical!) Still entertaining guesses on that one!

Special thanks to Travis for not letting the cat out of the bag. 🙂 Feel free to correct me on any of the above info...

Here's three more photos of the same things.

1) Access panel swung open to reveal regulator, gauge, etc.
2) Closeup of plumbing fixtures on the calliope steam line.
3) Location of the junction box. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the whistle to the right is the whistle in question from the original photo.

Upon closer examination I'd say the whistle bowl or cup has been replaced/and or repaired. I can faintly see some letters but can't make them out. Can't lighten up the picture any here at work. If the bowl has been replaced they did a nice job, despite the lack of corrosion when looking it that whistle compared to the one next to it they look the same. Remembering from my short time on the DQ as deckhand there isn't a whole lot of room up there especially aft of the calliope.

Thanks for sharing these Jon.

Aaron

I'm going to side with Travis on this one too..
Cuz I Sure know what it is !!

Dave Morecraft;21671 wrote: I'm going to side with Travis on this one too..
Cuz I Sure know what it is !!

I'm going to guess that it's because you Mr. Morecraft are responsible for this whistle and its place on the manifold?

Phillip, you've got it! This is the new whistle "Craft"ed by our own Dave Morecraft. It is the low C#, or the second largest whistle on the instrument. AJ is spot on - the only noticeable difference is the lack of corrosion, because Dave's whistles are exact - and I mean exact - replicas of Thomas J. Nichol calliope whistles.

Underneath the bowl, you can see PERU IND on one side. Dave, what is it that it says on the other? I can only make out what looks like "S S 4".

Well I'll be danged--I was thinking about that replacement whistle, but the regulator just didn't look right to me. It was rather windy when I was up there, so didn't nose around a lot! I know the original whistle was given to someone--but I can't remember whom.
S'
David D.

Which begs the question: what happened to the original low C# on this instrument?

Phillip: yes .

Jon: 1994 .. I have some pix of it when it was new.. Will dig them out and scan um..

Bob: It was a retirement gift to Capt. ??? Anyone ??

The shot from the bottom of the Whistle is a little fuzzy, but the print reads.
Morecraft Mfg. -- Peru,In -- 1994

Which begs the question: what happened to the original low C# on this instrument?

I wish that I could somehow convey here Cappy Louden telling about Betty Blake exclaiming, "GABRIEL!"

In all truthfulness Gabe was given the whistle by the Company. The occasion was duly reported in the DQSC employees' newsletter "The Robin Street Rag".

And how deserving, especially in light of the DQ's present state and uncertainty.

Well, it has been a looong time since I sniffed around the DQ's calliope, and never with a camera. What?! I never took multiple pictures of calliope parts? What a travesty. But I did know how to shut the thing off. Now why on earth would I want to shut off the calliope? Hmmmm. Travis?...

Does anyone here know why it was specifically the C# given to Capt. Chengery?

Over-enthusiastic Calliope Playing during maneuvers??
🙂
David D.

Matt,

It was for his 25th anniversary with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Well, it was pretty much theirs, too! He was with them more years...they were just counting theirs!

Travis