Interesting carved Victor machine Southern Ontario

[OrthoFan]

An orthophonic machine, similar to the HMV 157.

I think you might have meant the HMV 156.

The HMV 157 -- http://www.gramophones.info/gramophones.hmv.157.html -- had a mid-size (appx. 5 foot) metal exponential horn folded in two sections, while the much smaller Victor Consolette (4-3) was fitted with a wooden straight (non-folded) exponential horn measuring about 3 feet long, including the tonearm. The 157 has a greater sonic range than the Consolette.

The HMV 156, with a cabinet nearly identical to the Consolette, was one of the "Improved Gramophone" models, equipped with the "new style" swan-neck tonearm, #4 sound box, and an elongated, tapered metal horn fitted to wooden louvers at it's mouth --SEE: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7717

The HMV models that come closest to the Consolette, in terms of technology, are the HMV 145 and the HMV 152--both of which were fitted with non-folded exponential metal horns -- https://www.rewindmuseum.com/gramophones.htm & viewtopic.php?f=11&t=33659 -- and the #5a sound box patterned after the Orthophonic sound box.


HTH,
OrthoFan

[Torjazzer]

An orthophonic machine, similar to the HMV 157.

I think you might have meant the HMV 156.

Yes, of course. My mistake. I have a 157 and must have had it stuck in my head whilst typing.
Thanks for the links.

[Torjazzer]

Mystery almost solved.
I'm now convinced that the machine started off as a McLagan. See Keith Wright's blog:

http://keithwright.ca/CAPP/McLagan/McLagan.html

For whatever reason, the works have been swapped out. Maybe someone had a trashed Consolette and dropped the motor board into a McLagan cabinet.