[GreenKeys] Model 32 in TX

[Cory Heisterkamp]

Nice grab- Glad someone could save it!

-Cory

On 1/7/13, COURYHOUSE at aol.com <COURYHOUSE at aol.com> wrote:
>
> Congrats Kevin!
>
> Neat to have something come alive and work!
>
>
> I have a general question We have a Western Union but ours is a 33 which is
>
>  ASCII.. at what point did they start using 33's or was there an overlap??
>
> I am curious...
>
> Thanks Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org/)
>
>
>
> In a message dated 1/7/2013 8:50:51 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
> kh-phillips at 9-5usa.org writes:
>
> I  thought I would post a note to the list to give a report on my "rescue
> expedition".  I picked up this machine this morning.  If anyone  is in
> the Austin vicinity and needs office equipment, I would recommend a
> visit to this place.  It reminded me of the "warehouse scene" at the  end
> of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" except without the boxes and  crates.  Lots
> of "stuff".  When I began talking about Teletypes,  the young man waiting
> on me said that they *used* to have some of those  but an inquiring with
> an older man with longer tenure at the company  confirmed those had all
> been sold long ago.
>
> The machine is  definitely a 32.  It didn't look quite as good up close
> as I had  convinced myself it would be from looking at the picture (my
> eyesight is  obviously failing) but it was mostly exterior dirt and
> grime; the inside  appeared surprisingly clean.  The cover was in good
> condition (no  cracks, etc.) with only the plexiglass window over paper
> area being loose  from the cover at one end.  I was told that it had
> occasionally been  rented out as a prop for movies.  Despite that, it was
> in good  shape.  The cover still had stickers with numbers for
> "International  Messages" as well as the local Western Union Telex number
> and local  service numbers.  Some other local numbers had been penciled
> in.  It still has the four-wire telephone cable with connector  attached.
> The print hammer looked virtually unused.  The  ribbon was on a plastic
> spool so it seemed as if it had been in use not so  long ago (??).  The
> keys have a "frosty" look and will need  cleaning.
>
> Wayne has, as usual, been very helpful.  After getting  it home I powered
> it up and closed the loop by rotating the dial.  I  put a piece of tape
> over the dial to keep the loop closed so I could  type.  At first, I
> noticed several problems.  CR wouldn't work;  I had to release it
> manually with a screwdriver.  The bell didn't  ring.  LTRS worked fine
> but the FIGS shift wouldn't work; it printed  LTRS instead.  Typing rows
> of RY's initially produced inappropriate  responses but eventually it got
> back to normal.  After letting the  machine idle or run "open" for some
> time, I began exercising it  more.  I repeatedly pressed CR (and applied
> a few drops of oil with a  pen oiler) and it started working,
> sporadically at first but then  regularly.  Then, while typing more and
> more rows of RY's, the bell  started dinging.  FIGS shift took a bit more
> work but it too  eventually loosened up and worked normally.  The "Here
> Is" also began  working normally.  It returned REPUBLICBK AUS.  I believe
> this  was one of the ill-fated banks (Republic Bank) which crashed in the
> economic crash of the mid '80s.  I believe I used that bank when I  lived
> in Austin so this is a nice souvenir along with being a working  machine.
> If memory serves (which at this stage it may not), lurid  tales
> circulated about the owner/President of the bank and what happened  in
> his penthouse suite high atop the bank building.  From this  vantage
> point in time, it seems much better than what we have to read in  the
> newspapers these days.
>
> I will try to spend some time cleaning  the machine and applying some new
> lubrication to bring it back to life but  it seems to be working pretty
> well even now.  I've been trying to  find some way of transitioning into
> a new line of work so while working on  this machine it occurred to me
> that perhaps I could open a tavern and call  it "The Code Bar . . . the
> place where everyone knows your range."   Well, maybe not!  Thanks to the
> list for everyone's help with this  and other machines.  It is currently
> in my radio shack where I  managed to find a few square millimeters of
> "open" space (after moving  some of my old musical instruments because my
> shack also serves as my  practice room).
>
> 73
> Kevin
> W5TTY
>