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I knew E.J. Quinby for years.  I have been to his home in Summit,
New Jersey.  He lived in a restored servant's quarters he had purchased
in Summit, and had built a musical instrument that would sound like a
full orchestra playing.  This was long before the "sideman" devices
on organs of today.  He had wind and wood instruments that would play
from the keyboard.

I was also amazed at his train collection of the electric trolley
lines.  There were tracks all around the inside of his house, and he
was always playing the calliope when on the Delta Queen.  I spent
many years visiting the Delta Queen, and on many occasions I was lucky
enough to see Quinby all dressed out like a Southern Gentleman with top
hat, spats and all.  Cmdr. Quinby was an amazing man, and I am honored
that I had the privilege of having met him and knowing him for over
20 years.

Mayor John Lewis
City of Bridgeport, Alabama

 [ Comdr. E.J. Quinby, U.S.N. Ret., was Chairman of the Board of Greene
 [ Line Steamships, the owners of the Delta Queen steamboat.  Ed Gaida
 [ wrote in 990704 MMDigest that he was also a longtime rail fan, pipe
 [ organist, and general all around "character", and the Delta Queen's
 [ calliope was his brain child: "The story is told that he had the
 [ highest pitch whistle gold plated, and then informed the person in
 [ charge of keeping the whistles polished, 'Make them all look like
 [ the smallest one!'"
 [
 [ Historian Travis Vasconcelos wrote, "Quinby had played the calliope
 [ on the Showboat Lulu Belle in the early part of the century and
 [ felt that his investment in the Greene Line warranted inclusion of
 [ a calliope on the boat."  More about the Delta Queen calliope at
 [ http://mmd.foxtail.com/Calliope/DQ.html
 [
 [ Mayor John's first job on a riverboat was aboard the Delta Queen.
 [ See his web pages about "The Steamboat Era of Bridgeport" at
 [ http://www.bridgeportal.org/history/steam.htm
 [
 [ -- Robbie