Neotype Machine

[Dave Hughes]

Posted on Flickr recently, a Russian copy of the Elektron.

Built in Russia in 1966, used in East Germany!

This linecaster was built in Soviet Union, 1966. It is a clone of the Linotype Elektron, from Mergenthaler Linotype in the US. This machine was used in the GDR. It was later acquired by the Linotype Museum in Schopfheim. During its usage days, it was installed at Kasterpack in Grimmitschau (Thüringen).

Neotype machine by TypeOff, on Flickr

[Mechanic]

While on the subject of Rusian Linotypes This may be a good place to post the following information.

Extractions from The Free Dictionary:-

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Printing+Equipment,+Production+of

The reports come with a warning that they might be outdated or ideologically biased. I have biased these extraction toward Linotype machines.

In 1972, more than 2,000 typesetting machines and 2,400 printing presses were manufactured. Among the typesetting machines are the four-magazine, Linotype semiautomatic N-140 and N-240, the eight-magazine semiautomatic N-144 and N-244, the Linotype automatic NA-140 and NA-240, the small-scale Linotype N-121 and N-124, and the phototypesetters 2NFA.

and
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Linotype

The output of the semiautomatic Linotypes depends on the skill of the operator and is usually four to five lines per minute. The maximum output of the NA-140 and NA-240 automatic machines is 16 lines per minute. The best automatic Linotypes produced abroad are the American Electron and Monarch and the West German Europa; their output is 14–15 lines per minute.

[Elrodfk]

A friend of mine Dave Young did his time at Linotype and went on to be the head mechanic at the Daily Express, he volunteers alongside me and most of the ex-Express men at Amberley Museum in West Sussex, thats why we have the best working machines in the country, but aside from that Dave told me that the commies used to order one of each new model but were always told minimum order was 100 machines, its funny but the poor old Ruskies to this day still think they invented everything - "good ol'e Joe"

[Elrodfk]

They still couldn't get the clam shell lamp shade right, I don't think any machine ever worked properly after they changed that to the fluorescent lights! I did my time on 48's with quadder but I did like the Electrons they were good to see running on tape and cranked up to 15 lpm but they weren't anywhere near the Monarch on tape, still happy days!

[Dave Hughes]

More pictures of the Linotype Museum at Schopfheim have been posted on Flickr by the same guy who posted the original photo of the Russian machine.

I've got to say that I'd never heard of this museum before, but I definitely want to visit it now!

It's near the German-Swiss border. If there's a Metal Type regular who is planning a visit there I would be very interested in getting some pics on the site 


Row of Linotypes by TypeOff, on Flickr

This picture of a row of Linotypes appears to have been taken from the "modern" end


Row of Linotypes by TypeOff, on Flickr

Not so modern, I think the green one is a Model 1