[GreenKeys] Teletype Simplex Printer 2-B aka M14

[Duncan Brown]

To clarify a couple of things about the early M14:

In the mid 1920's, Western Union had been asking for a stop-start tape 
printer for immediate, written communications. Both Morkrum Co. & 
Kleinschmidt Electric Co. had been working on designs to meet this need. 
After the two companies combined in December, 1924, and became the 
Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Corp., they could combine their plans into a new, 
type bar, start-stop, keyboard tape printer, which became the M-K "Model 
14" aka "WU model 2-B". After tests & evaluations in about 1926, WU's 
first order was for 10,000 machines at $317 each – a total of $3.17 
Million. No such quantity of a printing telegraph had ever been ordered 
before!

Enclosed is a copy of the first page of Bulletin 1031, Aug 1927, showing 
that they were using the name "Model 14".  Also note the "Teletype" 
scroll logo. Morkrum had previously been using it as a brand name. In 
late 1928, the cumbersome "Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Corporation" name was 
changed to "Teletype Corporation."


WU's use of the term "Simplex Printer" was equivalent to "Start-Stop 
Printer" and was to differentiate it from the multiplex equipment 
invented by Emile Baudot and used during the previous 30 years. Teletype 
Corp. used the term "Single Magnet" (as in the RPE "Single Magnet 
Reperforator", c1935) for "Start-Stop" machines as the multiplex units 
had 5 selector magnets, one for each bit (parallel operation).

Have fun,

Duncan
K2OEQ




On 2/5/2026 3:19 PM, Duncan Brown wrote:
> _It is a WU 2-B _ (see image #7) and also it is a Teletype Corp. M14.
>
> Western Union had their own model numbers for equipment designed for 
> them. There is a name plate just right of the Space bar that says 
> "SIMPLEX PRINTER 2-B"
>
> The original "Model 14" (don't know if they called it that then) was 
> designed by Morkrum-Kleinschmidt for Western Union in about 1928. WU 
> called it the "2-B". It typed on a narrow (originally 3/8", later 
> "cost-reduced" to 5/16"), gummed paper tape for telegrams.
>
> Sometime around 1940, Teletype Corp. modified this printer to also be 
> a reperforator.
>
> I have always  thought of the "WU 2-B" as just being a tape printer 
> and the "M14" as being a typing reperforator.  But this unit shows 
> that WU was still using "2-B" model name for a typing reperforator.
>
> Also, Nick's reference 
> https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/sales/tty-descr-iss2-4806.pdf
> shows, on pdf p13, a "TELETYPE MODEL 14 SENDING-RECEIVING TAPE 
> PRINTER" .  So here is a tape printer, that is not a reperf, as part 
> of the "Model 14" family. Probably the same as (or very similar to) 
> the WU 2-B model.
>
> Have fun,
>
> Duncan
> K2OEQ
>
> On 2/4/2026 11:19 PM, Jim Cooper wrote:
>> That is not a 2-B printer ... that is clearly a Model 14 typing reperf  FPR
>>
>> On 5 Feb 2026 at 2:05, Thalia Archibald via GreenKeys wrote:
>>
>>> A nice-looking green Teletype Simplex Printer 2-B is up for auction,
>>> currently at $0 and closing on Friday.
>>>      https://www.k-bid.com/auction/62722/item/105JT
>> ______________________________________________________________
>>
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