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(Click on image to see larger image.)
The Lunkenheimer Company was, without a doubt, the most prolific of all of the whistle manufacturers, having been in business continuously for over 125 years. It is still in business today as a manufacturer of specialty valve products. The company had its beginnings when a young German emigrant by the name of Frederick Lunkenheimer, came to Cincinnati Ohio in 1854, via New York, St Louis and New Orleans where he survived a devastating epidemic of yellow fever.
 Apparently the south and slavery did not agree with Lunkenheimer and he headed north at the age of 36 and soon found himself in Cincinnati Ohio, the metal working capital of the new frontier. He went to work in a large metal foundry run by Miles Greenwood and soon worked his way up to foreman. Because of the impending civil war, the Greenwood foundries had more business than they could take care of and possibly, because of this Lunkenheimer left the Greenwood foundry in 1862 and established his own business, which he called Cincinnati Brass Works.
In spite of intensive competition from other metal foundries, Cincinnati Brass did well. An ad in the Williams Cincinnati Directory from 1864 for Cincinnati Brass Works offers globe valves, water, gas, and beer and steam cocks. In 1865 Lunkenheimer added steam whistles to his product list. During the post Civil War years, business thrived as the lubricators and oilers produced by Cincinnati Brass were in great demand in the burgeoning steam engine market.
On Feb. 4 1889 The Lunkenheimer Brass Works Company was established with $250,000 of capital divided into $100 shares. Frederick Lunkenheimer retained all but 4 of the 2500 shares and became president and general manager. Unfortunately ten weeks later Lunkenheimer died, leaving his shares to his wife and children. The family business was left in the hands of his ambitious son Edmund, who in 1884 patented several improvements to lubricators and valves and by 1900 he had 35 patents to his credit.
In 1893 the company changed its name to The Lunkenheimer Company. The Lunkenheimer Company is still in business today occupying some of the same building that housed its beginnings, over 125 years ago. The company has survived two World Wars and the Great Depression. Its primary product remains specialized valves. While it still makes a few small whistles, the demand is not great and whistle production has been relegated to a very small portion of the company’s commercial production.
The Catalogs
The first Cincinatti Brass catalog that I have copies of is from 1874. In this year there are four whistles illustrated. There are three plain bell whistles, a standard bell and a long bell, both without valve, and a standard bell whistle with integral valve. The lever on this plain bell whistle is a very long and delicate looking. It is questionable whether this lever was actually ever produced as it appears rather fragile.
The fourth whistle is listed as a “Telescopic Whistle for Signals” and has a telescoping bell that actually allows the bell to extend or telescope out changing the effective bell length and therefore the sound or frequency of the whistle.
Also depicted are two whistle valves with fixed single fulcra with “lever up” or “lever down” versions.
Lunkenheimer - Part 2
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