Our Deagan Dinner Chimes

As part of our small collection of “Railroadiana,” we have three older musical dinner chimes made by J. C. Deagan.  These chimes are famous for historic use on railroads and steam cruise ships for calling passengers to dinner, theaters and concert halls for announcing the start of performances, and are even the source of the famous “NBC Chimes” broadcast on old-time radio.  In collecting these historic chimes, I found the history fascinating.  This document is a summary of the history and details I’ve found after much research on our particular chimes, and similar J. C. Deagan plate chimes.

John Calhoun Deagan was the preeminent name in many types of fine musical chimes (and glockenspiels, xylophones, marimbas, and other percussion instruments).  He was a perfectionist intent on tuning and tonal qualities in all he developed.  He developed the dinner chime in 1910, and patented it.  Notably, it is his chimes that were used by NBC (particularly his Model No. 20 from 1931 through 1933), as their station identification (details in the section Model No. 20 below).

Model No. 131

• There are five steel tone plates for 5 notes (E♭4, A♭4, C5, E♭5, A♭5), pitched at A4=435

• All plates are the same length, but vary in thickness to produce the correct note

• Each plate is stamped with a note reference number 1-5

• Double cords in “X” pattern through holes in tone plates suspend and position tone plates for free vibration

• The backs of the tone plates show grinding marks for fine-tuning each individual note

•  With a musical instrument tuner (“Universal Tuner” Android phone app), I have tested the tuning to verify each note – they do match the notes above, and verify very good accuracy of each tone

• The wooden box under the plates is hollow for resonation, and has fluted sides (rare)

• Tunable openings are on the top panel of the box under each plate

• Back of the box is stamped with the model number: “DEAGAN PLATE CHIME NO. 131”

• Metal patent plate on the back is very legible, with patent dates from 1889-1917, establishing manufacture date of this chime to be between about late 1917 and the beginning of 1919

•  Cords supporting the plates were incorrectly strung on this chime as purchased, dampening the sound on some plates; I re-strung them to the original configuration to correct the sound quality

•  The wood cabinet has been painted black, over the original wood stain finish

•  Some warping of the top wood panel has occurred, possibly from moisture or the paint

Despite the flaws in the wood cabinet, this chime still has very nice sound, including the long reverberation for which J. C. Deagan chimes are famous.  From my research, this model appears to be relatively rare, and was made in the earlier years of these dinner chimes.  Considering its age, this is a genuine antique, and a very nice piece of history.

Model No. 20

• There are four steel tone plates for 4 notes (C4, F4, A4, C5), pitched at A4=435

• All plates are the same length, but vary in thickness to produce the correct note (like model 131)

• Each plate has holes for a positioning support post, with insulators around and atop each post

• A pair of single cords is strung under all plates to suspend the plates for free vibration

• With a musical instrument tuner, I have tested the tuning to verify each note – they do match the notes above, and verify very good accuracy of each tone against the A4=435 tuning

• The wooden box under the plates is hollow for resonation, and is deeper than most other models

• The simple round hole openings on the top panel under each plate have no adjustment

• There are dividers inside the box between hole openings, making separate chambers for each note

• Back of the box is stamped with the model number: “DEAGAN PLATE CHIME NO. 20”

• Paper patent label on the back is very legible, with patent dates from 1889-1919, establishing manufacture date of this chime to be between about mid-1919 and early 1921 (from later labels)

This chime box is in excellent condition, considering it is over 100 years old! Even the suspension cords seem to be original, and the post insulators are intact, where many I’ve seen have deteriorated.

In addition to probable use on railroads, steam ships, and other purposes, this model (#20) was a favorite for many NBC radio stations, especially between 1931 and 1933. Since the musical key used was lower than any other Deagan plate chime model, and the resonating chambers were spacious due to the deep box, the long, mellow resonance of the notes was favored by many station operators. A video/sound recording of old-time radio announcer and actor Kelvin Keech playing the NBC chimes on this model for an NBC radio station, is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96rA-QgXL58. 

Model No. 200

• There are four steel tone plates for 4 notes (G4, C5, E5, G5), pitched at A=440

• All plates are the same thickness, but vary in length to produce the correct note

• Metal posts in tone plate holes hold plate in place

• The single pair of cords under the tone plates suspends them for free vibration

• The backs of the tone plates show grinding marks for fine-tuning each individual note

• With a musical instrument tuner (“Universal Tuner” Android phone app), I have tested the tuning to verify each note – they do match the notes above, and verify very good accuracy of each tone

• There are hollow metal tubes (with sound holes on top) under each plate for resonation

• Back of chime is stamped only with “J.C. DEAGAN INC., CHICAGO, PATENTED, MADE IN USA”

• All parts and paint appear to be original, in very good condition

• I have no information that leads to a definitive date of manufacture

From the excellent condition of our model 200, I suspect it was made more recently.  Model 200 chimes were produced between the late 1920s and the 1980s when production was ended.  This is a great example of the most common chime produced by the Deagan company, and used by many railroads.  Along with the model 20, this model was also a favorite for the old NBC radio stations.

Playing Dinner Chime Music

Chime Pitch & Tuning

The Deagan dinner chime plates are tuned to the desired notes using two different methods.  The best tonal qualities are achieved by keeping each tone plate the same length, but varying the thickness of the metal to tune the plate to the desired note (see the 2nd photo in this document’s Model No. 131 section above).  As shown by the table in the section Deagan Dinner Chime Model Series above, this method is used for most chime models except the 200 series and the model 300 (the model 3003 is completely different, using tubes instead of plates).  For those models, the main note is controlled by the length of the plate, since the thickness of the plate is the same for all notes.

The metal tone plates are then apparently fine-tuned by grinding the center of the back of the plates, evident on all our 131 plates.  On at least one plate of our 200, I can see minor grinding marks on the plate back, so grinding was probably the method of fine-tuning even the thinner same-thickness plates.

J. C. Deagan was also famous for advocating the change in standard instrument tuning, from a pitch of A4=435 Hertz to a pitch of A4=440 Hertz.  Deagan believed that the standard of A-435 in the early 20th century was outdated, largely due to the increasing trend of steam-heating concert halls.  Earlier standards were set for tuning to A-435 at a typical concert hall temperature of 15°C (59°F).  But when tuned to A-435 in warmer 72°F steam-heated halls, listeners thought the orchestra sounded flat.  Tuning to A=440 Hertz at 72°F improved orchestra tuning, and was adopted as a standard in the U.S. in 1920.  However, Deagan’s dinner chimes were tuned to the older A-435 standard since they were designed in 1910, and apparently retained that tuning after 1920.  Based on my music tuner testing of our ~1918 model 131 and our ~1920 model 20, they were both tuned to the A-435 standard (my testing was done in our 59°F basement).

Although there is an online reference that all vintage Deagan dinner chimes seen by that author were pitched at A4=435, according to my tuner testing, our model 200 would be seriously out-of-tune toward the sharp end if so.  Checking the tuning at A4=440, all notes are very accurate (even still a bit sharp, at an ambient temperature of 59°F).  Therefore, I believe at least our instance of the Model 200 to be pitched at A4=440.

On our 131, the slot openings (ports) on the top panel of the box have adjustable metal tabs on each end of the slot under each tone plate, possibly for tuning the resonation?  These tabs can be seen in the 3rd photo in this document’s Model No. 131 section (tone plates have been removed in this photo).  At least one photo of a 131 (a later year) showed only one of these metal tabs per port – possibly a minor design change in later years?  I have not seen any such tunable ports on any other model, and even some photos I’ve seen of other model 131 chimes do not have the adjustable metal tuning tabs (just slots or round holes in the top wood panel).  I have not seen anything mentioning these adjustable ports, or how they may have been used in tuning.

It has been a fascinating learning experience, researching J. C. Deagan’s Dinner Chimes!

Mark Henrichs

References

General Information on J. C. Deagan & NBC chimes

• https://www.deaganresource.com/index.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._C._Deagan,_Inc.

• https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/j-c-deagan-co/

• https://www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame/john-calhoun-deagan

• https://www.nbcchimes.info/index.php

• http://www.radioremembered.org/chimes.htm

Model Number Research

• https://www.liveauctioneers.com/price-result/c1925-deagan-railroad-dinner-chime-xylophone/

• https://www.blackrockgalleries.com/product/vintage-j-c-deagan-railroad-dinner-chimes--132081.html - Model 22 photos, carved sides but not same as #131

• https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1926-jc-deagan-flat-chime-500-1829515088 - Page text says 'Deagan Flat C Chime No. 500' imprinted on back, last patent 1926, simple plain box

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mCC7zGFwSY - Video showing Model 500 stamp on back, no top strap, plain simple box, patent 1931

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=B8cIYZ0ZjfQ (https://youtu.be/B8cIYZ0ZjfQ) - Video of what seems to be a Model 131, carved sides, top strap, patents through 1925

• https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/j-c-deagan-5-note-plate-chimes-railroad-dinner - Photos, "Deagan Chime No.131 xxx.jpg". Same carved sides as ours, much better condition.

• https://justantiquing.com/product/five-note-xylophone-dinner-chime-with-wooden-base-and-mallet/ - Photos with "131" on back, plain simple box

• https://www.etsy.com/listing/1527879566/antique-j-c-deagan-railroad-dinner-bell?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details - Etsy listing for Model 131(?) (1919), carved sides, top strap.

A-435 Pitch Standard Evolution to A-440, Research

• https://www.esteypiano.com/the-history-of-a440/ - History of A=440 Hz. with Deagan's temperature analysis

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/737883 - Downloadable Publication "A=440 Pitch Adopted; Pitch versus Temperature" by J. C. Deagan.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzF4WuatQAQ - Video "How A-440 Became Standard Concert Pitch" with Deagan's analysis

• https://www.wfmt.com/2016/09/13/video-how-a-440-became-standard-concert-pitch/ - Web article "How A-440 Became Standard Concert Pitch"

Article updated February 2025 with Model No. 20 section added

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