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Old telegraph key and sounder set PDF Print E-mail
Written by VE7FXY   
Friday, 25 February 2005

Last weekend my family and I went on a day trip to Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver. On the way, we noticed an antique store and decided to visit on our way home. I scanned the store for any telegraph apparatus but saw none. I was about to leave and decided to ask the owner if he had come across any such items.  He sent me into a dark corner of the store and said there might be something under a bunch of other junk. Lo and behold...out came a Canadian Pacific Railway key and sounder set, complete with a resonator box. 

The big relay on the front of the set has been marked underneath that it was repaired in 1933 in the CPR Signal Shops.  The brass straight key is a JH Bunnell and the brass sounder is made by Electric Supply Company (both from New York).  These items could date back to the 1920's, almost for sure.
 
I am now a member of the Morse Telegraph Club and am sure I can get some more history on this set from some of the older members.  Most of the members of this club were professional telegraphers, many working for the railways.  The last message sent by American (or Railway) Morse Code was sent by Stan Humphrey. The message read "What you are hearing is a live, working Morse telegraph wire on this day, Thursday July 12, 1973 on the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Division of the Canadian Pacific Railway at Victoria, BC".  He also added "On this day, this Morse circuit is to be terminated and that sound will not be heard again; it will become part of our history."  I got this information from an article submitted by Lavina Shaw to the winter issue of the Dots and Dashes magazine.  This is a newsletter/magazine that you receive when you are a member of the Morse Telegraph Club. 
 
This key and sounder set is one of the older pieces in my collection of telegraph apparati.  I am always on the look-out for these items and would be very interested in any Morse Code related stuff (keys, toys, books, etc.) that you may have or come across.  Swap meets and flea markets are great places to find these items.

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Comments
Wanted: CPR Telegraph Key.
Written by 'Guest' on 2008-01-20 00:29:00
Hello from Victoria B.C. I am restoring a CPR Caboose (built 1947)and am interesred in acquiring a CPR telegraph key for a related station agents display. 
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Thanks: Tom
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My email is This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  
Cheers! 
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