The Welte Style 6 Concert Orchestrion
Arrives in Baltimore, Maryland

(Photograph courtesy of Ken Goldman)

The Welte (in wooden packing crates) arriving at the front door of Durward Center's restoration shop in Baltimore, Maryland.

(Photograph courtesy of Ken Goldman)

A penciled note (enhanced for legibility) by Ben Abbott, dated May 16, 1903, was found inside the Welte. He probably serviced the Welte a few years after it was installed in 1899.

(Photograph courtesy of Ken Goldman)

The Welte's large, slow speed wind-pressure feeder assembly (upper level) and vacuum feeder assembly (lower level) extend the full width of the chassis. The feeders are powered by a tiny electric motor, which through round leather belts in turn drives the crankshafts and connecting mechanical linkages. The action is rather slow, so it tends to be very quiet when in operation.

(Photograph courtesy of Ken Goldman)

The two-tiered pneumatic stack is connected to the music roll frame's tracker bar by means of brass tubing. When a hole in the music roll passes over a tracker bar opening, a corresponding valve in the main valve chest (or pneumatic stack) operates a pneumatic motor. When this little pneumatic collapses (when a vacuum is applied) it pulls a wire down that is connected to a small bellcrank at the backside of the pipe chest, which, in turn, pulls a horizontal wire that opens the appropriate pallet valves for a given note.

(Photograph courtesy of Ken Goldman)

Lying flat on the floor is the vacuum pump assembly. Long leather flap valves, located on the top side of each of the three vacuum feeder bellows, provide an exhaust outlet when the bellows are alternately pushed closed by means of mechanical linkages, expelling most of the air inside the bellows. Then, when the bellows are pulled open a partial vacuum is created, as air rushes into the bellows through another set of valves, which are located deep inside and that are not visible here.

The wind-pressure feeder is shown behind the vacuum unit and is standing upright on its backside. The rows of circular holes in the pressure bellows are the intake ports for an intake leather flap valve, so that the bellows can fill with air when they are pulled open. Then, when they are mechanically forced to close, wind-pressure to blow the pipes is created.

Excess vacuum and wind-pressure is stored in separate spring loaded "reservoirs" that expand and/or contract as necessary. This keeps the vacuum and wind-pressure levels constant, preventing surges that would adversely affect the quality and tone of the music.

(Photograph courtesy of Ken Goldman)

Looking inside the wind-pressure reservoir, an elegant Welte advertising poster (circa 1899) can be clearly seen. It was glued inside the wind-pressure reservoir to seal the wooden construction, thereby preventing leakage through cracks and joints. It was common practice amongst orchestrion builders to coat the insides of feeders and reservoirs with glue and at least one ply of durable paper, although in most cases the paper used was not waste printed material.