Hello all, I recall in my early days having problems with pianos always
seeming to be bigger than the space available.

My very first player piano was delivered by the piano store and left
in the hallway by the movers because there wasn't enough clearance to
swing it into the desired room.  We were being very careful because
the previous owner of the house said his piano fell through the floor
because of termite damage (not on the piano!).  Later we removed a
large part of the adjacent wall and solved the problem that way.
Fortunately this alteration was planned anyway!

A little later, I sent a large German upright player to Sydney using
"El Cheapo" movers, the piano arriving with a driver and no one but my
brother to help unload.  Many older Sydney homes like his are "terrace
houses" built long before player pianos were thought of and are quite
narrow.  The driver disappeared, leaving the piano on the footpath with
an unhappy new owner.

Thanks to a few neighbours, they got the piano into the narrow hallway
but it was far too wide to get into any room.  It ended up opposite a
room with just enough space for people to slide past and any
"pianolist" having to sit in the doorway, blocking all other access.
This sad state of affairs lasted many months until a theatre rigger
friend spotted the problem, tipped the piano up on its end and pivoted
it into the room.  Brother wished his friend had come around a lot
sooner!

I have seen early "ship's pianos" with folding keyboards to get them
into tight spaces but I doubt if any were player pianos.  I have also
seen an antique "square" piano on a paddle steamer which would have
been a challenge to install.

Cheers,
Darrell Clarke
Clarke's Corner, Adelaide
South Australia