senco sound/coal tender

[Anonymous]

searching through a box of old stuff I found this old coal tender.  Let me discribe this further. the box (metal of some kind) does lift off the bed in which there are 4 posts (each corner) that line up with the 4 holes on the bed.  The bed is metal as well. on the underside of the bed is stamped Senco sound Incorperated, Patent appld for, made in U.S.A. . Moving on, the trucks are made of metal and have the brass contacts for the center rail (they move up and down), I noticed it has little brass springs (all are present) on each side of the truck. Yes the couplings are present and both move.  There are no other markings, labels or stamps on either the bed,truck or box.   Can anyone help with the age, gauge etc.  I found this forum on the web.

I do appriciate any help

[Jumijo]

If not mistaken, this was a very early attempt at adding sound to a toy train.

 

[LL675]

the "other " train mag had a small story on this tender a few years ago. If you want, email me, and I'll dig it out and send you the details.

       Dave

[e-mail]

[LL675]

found the info,if you'll email me your address, I'll mail it to you.

[prewardude]

CTT did a piece about these tenders a few years ago, too. I think it was in the Q&A section. All I can remember is that these tenders were, indeed, an early attempt at adding realistic sound to toy steamers. I think they used a phonograph record to broadcast the sounds to the tender. Also, I think they were made in the early '50s. I'll see if I can find the article.

 - Clint

[prewardude]

Okay, I found it in the February '06 issue of CTT. Here's the direct quote:

"... Senco Sound Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa. produced the tender. To the best of our knowledge, it was the only train item Senco made. Available for seperate sale, the tender was intended for use with Lionel locomotives. The unit was an early attempt at providing rolling-steam sound effects for tinplate railroads - hence the pickup rollers.

I'm not sure how it worked exactly, but the tender had a smaller speaker inside and came with an in-line "transmitter" and a 10-inch record that played on 78-rpm turntables.

The concept was ahead of its time and the mechanism somewhat cumbersome, so sales were slow, and the tender was on the market for a relatively short time.

Our research came up empty as to the date of manufacture, but our best collective guess would be the early 1950s..."

There was an update in the July '06 issue of CTT:

"Ron Rupp of Canton, Ohio, was kind enough to send us all the information available on the Senco Sound tenders... Our estimated time frame was a bit off - the literature mentions 1947 - but the overall concept was close.

The Senco system provided pre-recorded, real-railroad sound effects that rolled behind the locomotive as it traversed an O gauge pike. Without question, this was the first attempt to add realistic sound effects to a toy train layout, which we all take for granted today. Two different tenders were offered, one for 3-rail AC operation and another for 2-rail DC operation.

The Senco line included a Pennsylvania Railroad-style die-cast tender, with a speaker and condenser pack inside; a "mixer" box; a 10-inch, 78-RPM sound effects record; and even a small turntable/phonograph, if the customer didn't already have one. The components could be purchased seperately as needed or as a complete package for $54.45, quite a lot of money in those days.

Apparently, the electronic output of the phonograph was carried through the rails until it reached the tender, where it was converted into audible sound.

The theory was not very different from Lionel's Electronic Control Set of the same vintage, which carried electronic uncouple/unload/whistle/reverse impulses superimposed over the track current.

Legend has it that Lionel had to quit manufacturing the Electronic Control Set to avoid a possible patent-infringement lawsuit. Perhaps the same fate might have befallen the Senco tender."

Hope that helps.

 - Clint 

[Jumijo]

Thanks for the clarification, Clint. I wanted to say it was a phonograph-based system, but wasn't sure. I remember reading about it in CTT.

Jim