[GreenKeys] Western union telegram printer

[Russ Miller]

I knew this as a Western Union 2B strip printer.  I’m a bit surprised that they are not better know. Each branch office had at least one. The reperf center on the second floor of the main office in Philadelphia was loaded with them. 

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> On Oct 1, 2023, at 10:34 PM, Jeffrey Golas <jeffg at junknet.net> wrote:
> 
> Cool, so...technically...if one could disable the punching of a 14, and feed it skinnier tape, that would replicate the WU printing (although figures/numbers wouldnt work).
> 
> Makes you wonder why they never just put the stock into a page printer, but the later variety of designs and themes I guess played into that.
> 
> The 14 I have seems to use the standard 5-bit size tape, Ill have to double check that though. (I actually have..3 14s now, but the collection I acquired earlier this year included a fully working 14).
> 
> My one struggle with it is the printing quality; I think I figured out how to set up the ribbon but it was fairly washed out, the newer/modern ribbons are probably too dry for it. I set it up another way which worked much better but left smears on the tape.
> 
> 
> Jeff
> 
>> On Oct 1, 2023, at 9:24 PM, Duncan Brown <duncanancy at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> 
>>  The unit that printed WU messages on a narrow strip of gummed paper from 1926 to c1960 was the Western Union Model 2B (WU's model number), which was first manufactured by the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Corp. (after 1928, known as the Teletype Corp.).  With the addition of punching ability, it became the Teletype Corp. M14.
>> 
>> 
>> <WU gumdesk.jpg>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Both the tape printer version and the reperforator version of the M14 were produced by Teletype Corp at the same time.  "Model 14" was a Bell designation. Teletype Corp. used a letter combination for model designation ( M14 = "Fxx"; M28 = "Lxx"; etc).  I don't know offhand what the different designators were for the M14 tape printer and reperf.
>> 
>> The M14 tape printers were also used by Bell TWX operators to communicate with TWX subscribers. The tape printer was much cheaper and more compact than a M15.
>> 
>> 
>> Have fun,
>> 
>> Duncan
>> K2OEQ
>> 
>>>> On 30-Sep-23 23:39, Jeffrey Golas wrote:
>>> Just curious, what printed the text that would go into a western union telegram? Obviously it was printed on tape, but that wasnt on a Teletype, right? Even the tape models like the 14 punch as well.
>>> 
>>> Jeff
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> 
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