[GreenKeys] Western Electric Model 15B Main Line Telegraph Sounder, 1875-1900

[Richard Knoppow]

    A main line sounder was used directly on the incoming line although 
it might be operated by a relay. The usual arrangement was to have a 
local sounder operated by a local battery and a relay. The relay was on 
the incoming line. Local sounders are typically low resistance (maybe  4 
ohms) while main line sounders are high resistance (anywhere from 50 to 
400 ohms). There are several good books on telegraph engineering which 
will explain all this. One is by Maver, I think American Telegraph 
Practice is the title, was in many editions and is free via archive.org.
     I have several sounders of both kinds and some relays. I have 
trouble reading a sounder, quite different than tone. I can run a 
sounder from a code practice tape sender but have only Continental Morse 
tapes, no American Morse. A sounder in a resonator is quite loud. I am 
rather deaf and have no trouble hearing it but they give me a headache. 
Big telegraph offices must have been very noisy places. The resonator 
seems to have been introduced about the time that typewriters were but I 
have no specific history. A resonator is a sort of open box with the 
sounder in it. It concentrates the sound. There were many different 
designs. The myth is that operators always put a tobacco can in with the 
sounder to vary its tone but I have never seen an authentic photo 
showing one. Usual cans in modern pix are Prince Albert.
    FWIW, telegraph equipment seems to have been big business around the 
turn of the last century. WE was a major manufacturer, originally a 
division of Western Union. There were many others, Bunnell being one of 
the largest. You will find many sounders, keys and relays marked NYRS 
meaning New York Repair Shop, this was a large repair operation of the 
Western Union company, typically, anything that's been through the NYRS 
will have  been cadmium plated. Most W.U. items are marked W.U. with 
their type number.
    Dating these things is not easy, they were made for many decades and 
those belonging to W.U. appear to have rebuilt more than once.
    Anyone who worked for W.U. as an operator could always find a job 
and fast ops could make a good living at it. There is a perfectly 
enormous amount of lore about land line telegraph around but you must 
take some stories with a grain of salt.
    When I was a kid smoking and chewing tobacco and snuff were often 
advertised on barns. The deal was that if the farmer allowed the sign 
the company would paint the barn free. I am sure with a little cudgeling 
I could remember a bunch of names. Copenagen, Red Man, Prince Albert, oh 
dear.

On 11/9/2023 6:14 PM, Roy Morgan wrote:
> I have one of these:
> Mainline Sounder 15B
> Marked "30 Ohms"
> 
> I have read that often these were run by a local battery switched by a "sensitive relay" in the main telegraph line.
> 
> It seems like this 30-ohm coil would be in series with the main telegraph line, and coils of higher resistance would be used with a local battery and relay in the line.
> 
> Anyone have more information!
> 
> (Asking prices for these seem to range from $80 to $130! This one is not collector quality but with work would clean up nicely.)
> 
> Thanks.
> Roy
> 
> https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/388676#slide=gs-300550
> 
> 
> Roy Morgan
> K1LKY Western Mass
> K1LKY68 at gmail.com


-- 
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
SKCC 19998