SWISS RAILWAY STATION MUSIC BOX WITH DANCING DOLLS. Ladies and gentlemen, you have arrived just in time to catch the show. You have just had the pleasure of viewing an original musical automaton, found in virtually every Swiss railway station from the 1890’s to the 1950’s. They were used to entertain children (and adults too) in the waiting rooms, and were revenue-sharing devices leased to the Swiss Railway by such entrepreneurs as Henri Vidoudez and Auguste Lasseur. They incorporated music boxes made in St. Croix to their custom-made station boxes, and once placed in service, they provided all the maintenance, and, of course, emptying the coin boxes. The music box itself utilizes a 13 nickeled cylinder, playing 8 tunes on a Sublime Harmonie format. It is driven by a double-spring motor, wound out the side by a large crank. There is an original tune sheet and a tune indicator to tell the listener which # is playing. The original casework measures 28″ wide x 17″ deep x 31 high. There is the “orchestra”, consisting of 6 bells with butterfly strikers, and an 8-beater drum. Each of these instruments has it’s own on-off lever. The piece-de-resistance, of course, is the trio of three lovely ladies dancing and twirling to the music. They actually pirouette on their feet, which are articulated and, due to a very slight difference in length, allow the dolls to spin around as they go up and down. Being over 130 years old, this has had some replacements over the years, such as the pediment, curtain, cash box lock, etc. But otherwise it is very much as it was way back when, and delightful in every respect. We are a leading world-wide dealer and specialist in mechanical music, clocks and phonographs and stand by what we sell 100%. Musical Treasures of Miami. 2940 West Lake Vista Circle, Davie, FL 33328. Antique Music Boxes – Clocks – Phonographs. The item “COIN-OP SWISS RAILWAY STATION MUSIC BOX AUTOMATON WITH DANCING DOLLS” is in sale since Tuesday, March 17, 2020. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Decorative Collectibles\Music Boxes\Pre-1900″. The seller is “musicaltreasuresofmiami” and is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland