Do you know where there are Teletype machines for sale? [Telecom]

I subscribe to a mailing list for Teletype users, called GREENKEYS.

One of the readers posted a request for info on whether a Model 15 Teletype is available for purchase, and it got me wondering if any of the Digest's readers have knowledge in this area.

Does anyone know of any repository of Teletype machines? I can't help but wonder if some Baby Bell has a warehouse full of them, and there's a fair number of users who'd be delighted to get at them.

Thanks for your time.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Horne
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Googling on the search string [ Model 15 Teletype for sale ], I find:

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.

So, two and a half years ago, there certainly was one. Might be sold, by now, though :-) .

Cheers, -- tlvp -- Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

***** Moderator's Note *****

Thanks, I'll check ;-).

The question is "What did Ma Bell do with all the machines that used to crank out service orders"? If they were scrapped, that's a shame, but it wouldn't surprise me to find at least _one_ warehouse ...

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
tlvp

It's unlikelty they're laying around in a warehouse, since they would be assets in the rate base that the company needed to be earning on, and they would bring in no revenue. Incidentally, I'm 81, have a landline and cellphone, and like a lot of fast food. McDonald's has outstanding quality beef.

Wes Leatherock snipped-for-privacy@aol.com snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

**** Moderator's Note *****

Come on, Wes, didn't you ever hear of the "Magic Pencil"? There were probably more items "retired" that way than we could imagine: when I was in Engineering, we occasionally found electromechanical equipment sitting on floor space which had been "cleared" years before. Some of it had been hidden by engineers who wanted a private stock of parts (D1 banks were a favorite target), and some was "removed" by foremen and supervisors who owed their crews a favor and used the OT as Christmas money.

In any case, I don't care who _owns_ the warehouse (or barn, or attic): I'm just trying to find it. There was a _lot_ of old gear that fell off the truck on the way to the junk dealer, and even a few old Switchmen who constructed complete SxS telephone exchanges in their basements when SxS was "retired".

BTW, I bet you order off the "less than a dollar" menu at McBurger, and avoid the ultra-high profit items like shakes and french fries.

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
Wesrock

I suspect that until the 1990s, the Bell System and baby bells warehoused old components for parts use or to be reconditioned. Until then there was a great deal of old legacy equipment in active daily service.

However, by circa 1990, new electronic equipment, both for public service and internal processing, was flooding the baby bells, [and] the old gear was completely obsolete. Computerized order systems replaced Baudot teletypes. Further, the baby bells and Western Electric were breaking away from their Bell System legacy of a very rugged infrastructure to a much leaner streamlined approach. At that time I suspect the stockpiles of old gear, be it Teletypes, Strowger switches, rotary telephone sets, etc. were declared obsolete and scrapped, even the warehouses themselves sold off. Several old telephone buildings were sold off to become luxury condos.

***** Moderator's Note *****

During the 1960's my uncle was flying a surplus Cessna "Bamboo Bomber" twin-engined airplane from Texas to Massachusetts, while on vacation with his wife. The aircraft, which had seen long service in World War II, was no longer in the government inventory, so parts could only be obtained from the secondary market.

My uncle blew the landing gear fuse, and therefore couldn't use the electric motors which raised and lowered the landing gear. The fuse was a special part that wasn't used for any other airplane, or any other *anything*, so he had to have his wife crank the gear down (and up) manually, using the emergency, hand-operated gear mechanism. Needless to say, his wife was happy to do it the first time, but not the fifth or sixth, etc.

My uncle, who had spent 20+ years in the Air Force, stopped at Westover Air Force base and sought help from the Senior Master Sergeant in charge of aircraft maintenance. The "top" sergeant took him into an old hanger, and showed him a hidden trapdoor that led to the "attic", where a long line of Master Sergeants had hidden all the parts from all the "Retired" airplanes. They found the fuse my uncle needed, and a couple of spares, _and_ the gear lubricant that the landing gear motors _really_ needed (it was made to perform properly at altitude and still be non-conductive, which was a rare feat back then) and my uncle never tired of telling the tale.

The moral of this story is that I *KNOW* that somewhere, there is a warehouse full of Teletype machines, packed in Cosmoline, ready to go into service. The "pack rat" nature of techies dictates it, and I'm going on a mission to find them! ;-)

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
hancock4

For decades, waves of WWII "Command Sets" -- modular aircraft radios of solid but simple construction -- would appear on the surplus market. The general view was as bases closed down/ cleaned house, another warehouse full of them had been found and sold off.

Reply to
David Lesher

Years ago we found a case of Candle Stick phones in a old CO that had been converted into storage, box was still sealed from factory, the dates on the box and phone was from the 20's so we figured they had been stored during the depression by a California Water Telephone or who CWT bought. The Phones never made it back to anywhere except out work group. I was out past Palm Springs last year on a remote site job and found an old Valley Home Telephone, sign is in very good condition for being there since the 50's. There is a company located in Wisconsin located in an old barn that has just about anything telephone related.

Reply to
Steven

Back in the 1980s-1990s the sour economy forced many large companies to get lean and mean. They took a hard look at warehouse or surplus space they owned or leased and determined whether it had any realistic economic value. In many cases it did not (in their eyes) and the properties [were] disposed of. Two casualties of this were (1) old hardware of various types and (2) corporate archives. Being lean and mean meant that a company no longer supported (with manuals or parts) ancient equipment still in service out there. From blast furnaces to bookcases, stuff was scrapped or trashed.

The two historic telephone groups, ACTA and TCI, may be able to help. There are antique radio collector groups and ham radio groups who may be able to help. Sometimes stuff is posted on e-bay.

Unfortunately, private collections are sometimes sadly destroyed as this article describes:

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Reply to
hancock4

In article ,

_IF_ there is such a warehouse, you're still gonna be out of luck. The techie guarding it is preserving them for telco use, not for surplus sales.

*GRIN*

***** Moderator's Note *****

Nope, I don't believe it. Techies want things to be _used_, not just stored, and they'll welcome me when I show up bearing lubricants and anti-fungal agents.

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
Robert Bonomi

I converted an old power room, [which was] in the basement of a CO, to keep a stock on the main parts we used in Co Installation - because the GTE supply system went computer, and it took a week to get materials to the field, not just one day [as it was] under the old system. Over time I [stored] all kinds of stuff, including old SXS parts which we no longer used (including a test train rack, which I took home just before I retired).

That room was intact until 2006: ten years after I retired, no one knew about the room, and in fact no one even knew where the key to it was. It was only found when they went to convert that area into CLEC cages, [and] a friend called me, asking what I know about it since I ran the room: I was really surprised it was still there. I went ot the office and got the key, right where I had left it, and we opened the room.

It had a couple of inches of dust, but appeared to be the way I left it. Most of the parts in there were returned to stock, [put] in supply, or [sent] to the field, but some of the material was old Step parts, and [they] were taken by employees who wanted to remember the old days. I took some lubs that I wanted for my Test Train and a couple of switches and parts for them. I also took an old Microfiche reader, and the 1996 catalog that went with it. I also found 6 Apple II computers that we had used for turning up the GTD 5 switch; the engineer was an Apple freak, [so] I also got those for my Apple II collection.

Reply to
Steven

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That was the barn where the RESISTORS computer club met in the 1960s and 1970s. See
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which happens to be hosted on the same computer as the digest's mailing list.

Claude, who owned the barn, had collected a great deal of equipment that had been discarded by Western Electric and NJ Bell, but as he got old and infirm, he wasn't able to take as good care of it as he'd have liked. Back in 1998 most of it was in poor shape, with mice having chewed through insulation and so forth, and I expect it was in much worse shape by the time the barn burned down last week. It was still a shame for it to go, though.

R's, John

Reply to
John Levine

I have a Model 15 that has been in storage for years. The plan was to get it up and running again one day, but given how long I've had it and not touched it - this is pretty unlikely.

I was thinking of offering it for sale on ebay (having no idea how to get in touch with a more specific interest group).

The catch is, while it is a black US model (i.e., it needs 110v), it is located with me, in Australia.

I dont know if these are rare enough that someone would fork out for the shipping, but if anyone is interested, please contact me.

Thanks,

ben

Reply to
anomalous

Yes I have 6 or 8 of them. I am located in MN and want to sell them. Please Email

Reply to
Tim Wolseth

Here is a link to photos of a Teletype Model 15-RO I am selling. It is a former United Press machine.

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***** Moderator's Note *****

I don't usually run "for sale" posts, but I'm going to make an exception, since I asked for leads in the first place, and I already posted the info anyway.

I'm not going to open Pandora's Box: this is a one-time event.

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
Dave Armon

I will take the information to the mailing list snipped-for-privacy@mailman.qth.net That is where most of the Teletype enthusiasts hang out.

***** Moderator's Note *****

Thanks, I appreciate that. I tried to subscribe again, but the Mailman robot doesn't seem to like me anymore.

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
Jim Haynes

Well, here we go again: I was doing Spring cleaning yesterday, and I came across a couple of treasures that I had thought were lost. In that spirit, I'm repeating my 2009 request for information: does anyone know of any old Teletype machines that are being stored/sold/given away?

It doesn't matter what model: 14, 15, 19, 28, whatever: *someone* is looking for it.

Bill Horne

Reply to
Bill Horne

I found one on Craigslist in Phoenix, but you will have to pick it up locally.

You can search the various locales by using Crazedlist.org.

Brad Houser

Reply to
SVU

Hello everyone, I am new to this site but after reading what's on here. I have a few teletype machines in my barn not really sure the condition. Probably 4-5 of them they are older like you used to see in the movies . I live in Massachusetts if anyone has a use for them I would rather they not hang around waiting for the barn to fall down also a lot of ham radio stuff too if anyones interested let me know thanks

joe

Reply to
Joessassy73

If you still have any TTY machines or parts, any condition, I'd like to talk.

Tnx

Jess (at) acresoflove.com

***** Moderator's Note *****

This post is in response to one from 2011, and I'd usually ask that it be sent directly to "Joessassy73", but I have a soft spot for Teletype machines, since I learned to type on a Model 19.

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
alpacas

I have a 35 KSR TTY that was only used 3 months before the CRT terminal came out.

Ron Holbrook

***** Moderator's Note *****

Ron, please tell us what speed the unit is geared for, and if it has a current-loop interface, an RS-232, or a modem.

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
gemrjh

Please send posts to telecom-digest.org, with userid set to telecomdigestsubmissions, or via Usenet to comp.dcom.telecom

The Telecom Digest is made possible by generous supporters like the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at M.I.T.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > I subscribe to a mailing list for Teletype users, called GREENKEYS. >

I am in the market for a 33 ASR which is not a project machine, but fully operational...

Please email or reply.

Thanks,

Ken

***** Moderator's Note *****

Please tell us what you'll be using it for: given that Teletype is out of business, and parts may be hard to find, you'll almost always do better with [any PC] and [any printer].

Bill Horne Moderator

Reply to
gv.kwiebe

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