Can You Identify This Model?

[Dave Hughes]

Berry de Jong contacted me by email from France and wants to identify these Linotypes.

I thought that the first photograph was very interesting, taken in an engineering, rather than printing, environment.

The nameplate on the distributor bar seems to have an additional line at the bottom.





I'm confident this one will be quickly resolved!

[Dave Hughes]

George Finn has contacted me with the following, and some interesting pics:

The Linotypes maybe Russian. Looking at the name plate it does not appear to say LINOTYPE. I'm sure that prior to 1917 Linotypes manufactured in Russia would have had Linotype on the name plate, after that I wouldn't be too sure. Below are two machines from Russian web sites. Note the name plate on the tape machine. So I think it could very well be a Russian Linotype Factory. But then I've been wrong before.

Regards

George


Typesetting machine strokootlivnoy AT-140: 1 - keyboard, 2 - temperature,
3 - Reception Table 4 - Block kegelnyh knives, 5 - control unit, 6 - stick;
7 - metallopodavatel; 8 - razborochny apparatus; 9 - collector; 10 --
punched tape.

[Mechanic]

Well I said I had been wrong before and It looks like I am at least consistant.

This photo was taken at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2008, Note the Linotype name plate shape and the pulley arrangement.

It looks like they are German, as to model I have no idea.

[Dave Hughes]

Berry has emailed me with the following info:

Just to let you know more about the photo which is most probebly taken in de years begin 50.
The location is in Amsterdam and the sales office for grafic systems is named HAGRA.

[Dave Hughes]

Berry has contacted me again with the following:

Dave, found the second line in the Linotype name plate also on the Linotype
in the Deutsches Museum.
This line is in German language: Geschütztes Zeichen.

Which means in English: firmasymbol-Copyright.

Thanks to George Finn who gave me the hint with his last Linotype photo made
in Germany.

So, do we have here a model from the German sector?

regards
Berry

[Mechanic]

Berry your guess is as good as mine.
They are certainly not like American Linotypes. The machines photographed and illustrated, except for the tape machine, use a pulley on the distributor and keyboard drive shaft to drive the assembler and matrix delivery belt via idle pulleys that turn the belt  90 deg.. Any machines I've worked on use bevel gears on the distributor and keyboard pulley shaft to drive the assembler pulley shaft which uses a belt to drive the assembler and the matrix delivery belt. They could be Austrian. I worked with an Austrian Linotype Engineer in Canada and I believe he worked in a plant that made Linotypes. They certainly rebuilt them.

The machine below  is a Linotype manufactured in 1965. The machine is in the German Museum, complete with a Fairchild tape operating unit.

[Patrick Leary]

The array of new machines in the first photo appear to be similar to Mergenthaler's Model 15. My understanding is they were produced during World War I and their short height reflected shortages of critical materials. I set type for a small tabloid one week (at night) on a Model 15 . . . I think the short magazines held only 14 or 15 mats per channel.
                                                            Patrick Leary, Harold's Printing Co., Brookings, S.D.

[Mechanic]

Check this web site:-

www.life.com/image/50616408

I believe these Linotypes photographed on April 1st, 1948, could be the same model as those pictured in the original photo

Helsingin Sanomat is the biggest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma.

On the otherhand Patrick could be right, they could be model 15 Linotypes. I stripped one down for shipping in 1957. I believe that machine is now in the Gulgong Museum in New South Wales. Maybe they could send in a photo. Dave may have a contact email address for them.

I previously said that any machines I've worked on use bevel gears on the distributor and keyboard pulley shaft to drive the assembler pulley shaft which uses a belt to drive the assembler and the matrix delivery.I was wrong again, any machine that allows you to swing the assembler entrance open is belt driven from the distributer drive shaft. eg. The American Linotype Comet, the English model 78. I must be getting old.

[mikefrommontana]

Interesting that in the bottom photo, the machine has a Visilte style magazine.  Linotype (U.S.) apparently never secured the rights to manufacture Visilite magazine, which are very light (relative to a standard magazine) and light than the Alumilite style that was very popular by both makers.

Were Visiliate used by Linotype in England?  Or did the Germans secure rights somehow?

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

[Dan Williams]

Yes, Pat is right.

They are unquestionably model 15s, or at least competent facsimiles, thereof. I will reference page 22 of Mergenthalers 1916 "Suggestions to Linotype Machinists"

These are very recent versions of a relic. Fluorescent lamps in the first posted photo suggest 1950s to 1960s. And those visilites are very new, again late 50s to 60s.

I am underthe impression that Mergenthaler produced Model 15s rather late, but  through the 50s?