1915 Tagley Calliaphone

Vehicle
1915 Tagley Calliaphone
In 1914, Norman Baker of Muscatine, Iowa, founded a company to mass produce a compressed air calliope instrument that he called a Calliaphone. These popular original Tangley Calliaphones were produced…

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In 1914, Norman Baker of Muscatine, Iowa, founded a company to mass produce a compressed air calliope instrument that he called a Calliaphone. These popular original Tangley Calliaphones were produced until 1931.

The most popular model of Tangley Calliaphone was the 43 whistle model, CA-43, that used a Type “a” player piano roll. The CA-43 models could also be played by hand on a keyboard, and could be purchased built into a car or, for advertising purposes, built into a vehicle that resembled a product. This Tangley was built into a custom trailer.

The Tangley name and Calliaphone production are now owned by Dan Dobman, Miner Company, West Point, Iowa.

Highlights:

  • The Tagley Calliaphone is an air-driven version of the original steam calliope
  • Made in Muscatine, Iowa by the Tangley Company.
  • The original Calliaphones were produced from 1915 to 1931.
  • Contains 43 brass whistles and runs on compressed air
  • Designed to be heard from long distances, the “Soft” Calliaphone can be heard from ¼ miles while the Excursion Boat Special can be heard for a mile.
  • “Calliaphone” is a registered trademark of the Tagley company, so similar products cannot legally be called a Calliaphone
  • This Calliaphone was built around 1915 and put into a custom wagon