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Vintage Telephony and Telecomms Vintage Telephones, Telephony and Telecomms Equipment |
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31st Jan 2014, 12:36 am | #1 |
Hexode
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK.
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Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
I picked this up locally today, and am rather excited by it, unfortunately it has no model markings etc and has no details other than the previous owner leaving a note inside saying it came from GEC Portsmouth and dates from the 1930s'
Its more than double the depth of standard 121 wall telephones has a non auto return call switch and in the bottom box two plug sockets similar to phono sockets! is it some kind of PABX etc? Im really confused by it.. But the one thing is i would say it is in museum condition. |
31st Jan 2014, 8:21 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
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Location: Penrith, Cumbria, UK.
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
Looks like there's a local battery required, as it has a 'Z' terminal (Zinc) and a 'C' terminal (Carbon). It also has a + and - terminal (Hmmm...). And that looks like a d.c. bell on the top. Is there a trembler on it? I wonder if 'XB' stands for extension bell?
Looks like it might be part of a'plan **' equivalent multi-station set up to me, at a very rough guess. Anything marked on the keyswitch on the front?
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31st Jan 2014, 9:00 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
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Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
It looks as though the Z/C and +/- pairs are connected to the respective battery jacks at the bottom.
One possibility would be separate batteries for the transmitter and the bell. I have a 'phone with separate tappings for these two functions, so independent input seems a believable progression from there.
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1st Feb 2014, 11:53 am | #4 |
Dekatron
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
The THG (Telecommunications Heritage Group) are well on the case, by the looks of things over there ... Looking like it was used at electricity power control or railway control premises.
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Regds, Russell W. B. G4YLI. |
3rd Feb 2014, 12:45 pm | #5 |
Hexode
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
Where is "Cheston Dubbit"?
Don m5aky |
3rd Feb 2014, 3:33 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
The general opinion in the "other discussion" (referred to above by Russell) seems to be that "Cheston Dubbit" is a made-up name.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
12th Feb 2014, 7:46 pm | #7 |
Hexode
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
Hi all sorry so long for updating, illness came and lurked its ugly head, Yes Cheston Dubbit is made up and the reason for it being there will be forever lost in time..
I have since found out the following, it was a special type of telephone used by electricity companies and railways for the transmission of urgent messages. It was known as a way station telephone, and produced just before the war. probably used on the southern line. |
12th Feb 2014, 8:59 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
Can I say it's a great name.
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G8JET BVWS Archivist and Member V.M.A.R.S |
13th Feb 2014, 2:50 am | #9 |
Dekatron
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
Possibly an Omnibus circuit, they all rang and the ring code indicated who/what was the intended recipient.
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13th Feb 2014, 11:25 am | #10 |
Hexode
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK.
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
I think you are possibly correct AC/HL it does though have a selector in it, so the phones would have a two digit number and it would route these I believe!
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14th Feb 2014, 5:15 pm | #11 | |
Heptode
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Re: Any help identfying this GEC Wooden Wall Phone
Quote:
Ian |
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