In the 1890s pioneers such as Edward Amet in the United States and Joseph Greenhill in England tried to develop a reliable spring motor for the phonograph. Building on their work, Edison around late 1895 introduced a large machine with triple spring motor descriptively dubbed the Spring Motor Phonograph. I don't have a picture of one to show you, but this model is quite distinctive, with all-enveloping lid and a drawer built into the front of the cabinet.

In 1901, with the introduction of the Model A machinery, the Spring Motor morphed into the Triumph, keeping its motor and the basic design of its upperworks. Model A Triumphs were fitted in a green oak case with florid banner decal. Around 1906 the Triumph was placed in a restyled paneled case. A few very late Triumphs, dating to around 1911 or later, have appeared in a case with rounded pillars similar to the Edison Opera.

The Triumph was certainly one of the most powerful machines Edison ever manufactured, and was billed as playing up to 16 records off a single winding. The basic design of the motor and upperworks remained constant through all Triumph models. The two minute - four minute mechanism with sun and planet gearing shared some components with the Edison Home Phonograph.

Most of these machines were marked with a nameplate, but if you're not sure what Edison model you have the Triumph was substantially larger than most of its siblings, around 18 inches across and a foot deep.

All the notes about Edison repair elsewhere on this site remain relevant here, but there is one miscellaneous fact which you may find helpful. Unlike most Edison models which employed a tensioner, the Triumph adjusted its belting by dropping the height of its motor. You'll find the knurled adjustment screw on one of the motor mounts.

Paneled case Triump


Model A with banner


Upperworks from a Model D combination machine


Edison Triumph triple spring motor