> In Michigan where I am, it's nearly impossible to get a privately
> owned steam engine or steam boiler inspected and state approved.
> They've even come down on two friends of mine that own Cretor's Steam
> Pop Corn machines as well as another fellow that built his own steam
> generator.

State, local and Federal government doesn't fool around with steam
boilers or other pressure vessels.  There have been too many accidents.

In fact, steam boiler inspection laws were the first Federal safety
laws -- steamboat operators fought it all the way through the Supreme
Court in the 1800's and finally lost.

The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, where I volunteer (my main job is
staying out of the way) has had a good deal of experience along this
line.  We have a magnificent old Baldwin steam locomotive, which we
proudly ran for many years.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) normally requires a yearly
boiler inspection on steam locomotives.  That means that you've gotta
tear the entire locomotive to bits.  So the FRA exempted tourist
railroads, figuring that the engines didn't run very long or very far.

That was fine until a couple of years ago.  The guy who was running
the Christmas train at a tourist railroad in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
apparently didn't watch the water level.  Blew the boiler right off the
locomotive.  The FRA then mandated an immediate boiler inspection for
every steam locomotive in the USA.

While steam engines, calliopes, steam popcorn machines, and other
steam-driven stuff is inherently lovable, the boilers that are
necessary to drive them are not.  Even a small boiler operates under
considerable thermal and mechanical stress, and failures are likely
to be catastrophic.

If you're interested in learning more about boilers and steam operation
in hobby-type machinery, you might wish to post your questions to the
Usenet group rec.crafts.metalworking.  Several highly-skilled live-
steam enthusiasts monitor the group, and steam boiler discussions are
fairly frequent.

Mark Kinsler
Interpretation and instruction of physical science and technology.
Athens, Ohio, USA.     http://www.frognet.net/~kinsler