Edison No. 6 Dry Cell Battery

[Chuck]

The last real #6 drycells I ever purchased
were made by Ray-O-Vac. The cases for them were
patterned in yellow and blue. They were labeled
as "Ignition" batteries. When I purchased them
around 1992 or so, they cost about $4.50 each, which
I thought was outrageous at the time.

There were 8 of them in series to make a total of 12
volts to run my home-made model 2 inch gauge trolley
line.

That whole railroad was built to the plans
outlined in Alfred P. Morgan's book
"The Boy Electrician"

In that book, in the section on building a model
railroad from scratch, there is an illustration
showing the finished trolley car running on a
circular track, powered by a bank of #6 drycells.

The first time I ever saw that that illustration
as a very young boy, I was determined to some day
make that picture come to life.

Now, real #6 drycells are not being made any more.
There are some fake ones around which sort of
masquerade as #6 drycells, but they are not in any way
real.

By the way, the above mentioned Mr. Morgan
outlines in that same book, the procedure for
making a #6 drycell from scratch!

Back at the time that book was written, there was
no need for that because you could still walk
down to the local hardware store and pick up some
nice new #6 cells.

However, now that we are officially living in
the "Beyond Thunderdome" epoch, about the only
way anyone will ever see another new #6 drycell
is to start making them from scratch.

Chuck

[fran604g]

Sure would love to know specifically what Edison used in the C 250 equipped with their Electric Automatic Stop.

[winsleydale]

Now, real #6 drycells are not being made any more.
There are some fake ones around which sort of
masquerade as #6 drycells, but they are not in any way
real.

By the way, the above mentioned Mr. Morgan
outlines in that same book, the procedure for
making a #6 drycell from scratch!

Back at the time that book was written, there was
no need for that because you could still walk
down to the local hardware store and pick up some
nice new #6 cells.

However, now that we are officially living in
the "Beyond Thunderdome" epoch, about the only
way anyone will ever see another new #6 drycell
is to start making them from scratch.

Chuck

Alas, there is one that I have found, but at nearly $40 each, I haven't bothered to order one to see it in person.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... arbon.html

The website's description:

"This 1.5V Type R40 Zinc Carbon Battery from Exell Battery is a direct replacement for the Energizer EN6 or Eveready No. 6. It is used to power many different devices, including antique radios, telephones, and clocks. The battery features a capacity of 40000mAh."

[fran604g]

Sure would love to know specifically what Edison used in the C 250 equipped with their Electric Automatic Stop.

[Governor Flyball]

Duplicated response. See my post below.

[Governor Flyball]

I would like to address a few comments made earlier in this thread.

My C-250 Burgess No 6 dry cell I feel was the original and only battery the machine ever had. The battery has printed Madison Wisconsin and Burgess relocated to Illinois in 1922. Also the Duncan stop works but the C-250 owner could and I think did ignore it if and when the battery expired.

As to how long would a no.6 cell last? Because of the very intermittent use (only to fire a solenoid at the end of a record), I think the battery lasted beyond the time to when the radio boom by 1924 had taken hold of the public. Apart from Edison afficionados, the Diamond Disc had passed its fad by the mid-twenties.

As for the Edison No.6 I do not think chronologically the battery matches the C-250. The patents for a zinc carbon battery were held by others. I think Edison only acquired a license to began manufacturing the no.6 after Edison acquired Splitdorf or Edison simply relabelled another brand. Remember TA Edison Inc was thinking of diversification in the late 20's as the phonograph business was dying. I will stand corrected if someone can prove otherwise.

[fran604g]

I would like to address a few comments made earlier in this thread.

My C-250 Burgess No 6 dry cell I feel was the original and only battery the machine ever had. The battery has printed Madison Wisconsin and Burgess relocated to Illinois in 1922. Also the Duncan stop works but the C-250 owner could and I think did ignore it if and when the battery expired.

That's certainly a possibility, as I stated toward the end of my earlier post. Although I stand by my earlier assertion "[...]that anyone could've put the battery in your C 250 cabinet[...]", yours certainly could be one of the very rare instances in which the battery survived intact in its original installation. I was speaking from a purely hypothetical point of view, and meant no offense. I actually think it's pretty neat that you potentially have a C 250 with the Edison E.A.S. and it's original battery still intact.

As to how long would a no.6 cell last? Because of the very intermittent use (only to fire a solenoid at the end of a record), I think the battery lasted beyond the time to when the radio boom by 1924 had taken hold of the public. Apart from Edison afficionados, the Diamond Disc had passed its fad by the mid-twenties.

I agree. I believe the battery life would have been virtually as long as if it had sat on a shelf unused. How long would it take for one to decay on its own? I don't know. I'm also sure that some Diamond Disc Phonographs were used well into the 30's - just as other manufacturer's machines were - maybe even longer. The C 250 was a pricey, and I think generally highly regarded machine. I believe that's a testament as to why so many of them have survived in relatively exceptional condition. This also suggests they were admired and well maintained long after they became obsolete. If you think about us, they still are one hundred plus years after being produced.

As for the Edison No.6 I do not think chronologically the battery matches the C-250. The patents for a zinc carbon battery were held by others. I think Edison only acquired a license to began manufacturing the no.6 after Edison acquired Splitdorf or Edison simply relabelled another brand. Remember TA Edison Inc was thinking of diversification in the late 20's as the phonograph business was dying. I will stand corrected if someone can prove otherwise.

I posted the pages from Railway Signalling to bring that very point to the forefront of my post. It suggests that the Improved No.6 Dry Cell battery I had initially found images of, and posted in the beginning of this thread, was produced much later than I had presumed - around March 1939.

The installation instructions for the kit form of the Electric Automatic Stop, merely states: "Connect the free ends of the two wires to the terminals of the battery and stand the battery in the rear left hand corner of the horn compartment". I've found no documentation that specifically identifies the battery, or batteries, to be used - hence the entire point of my OP.

Image courtesy George F. Paul

In his patent (U.S. No.1,346,082 - granted July 6, 1920), Duncan simply specifies "[...]a dry battery[...]", and clearly illustrates what looks to be a No.6 dry cell battery (No.48 in the drawing).

But, Edison's competing Shelly patent (U.S. No.1,395,017 - granted Oct.25,1921), simply states "[...]a battery[...]" The illustration contained within the document shows what appears to have been 2 (rechargeable?) battery cells connected in series (no.36 in the drawing). It appears that Edison may have intended an Ni Fe battery to have been used, at least in theory. Who knows?

Unfortunately, until evidence is discovered that clearly states exactly what T.A.E. co. intended to be provided with the Electric Automatic Stop, we'll never know for sure. It is my hope that this post could eventually be a conduit for such a discovery.

Best regards,
Fran

P.S.: I see you're in Syracuse. I'm not that far from you in Hemlock, just a short drive down the thruway. Howdy neighbor!