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1965 Northern Electric Multiline Telephone- After Restoration

Started by WesternElectricBen, August 08, 2013, 06:53:53 PM

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WesternElectricBen

Hello everybody,

I just wanted to share with you my 1965 Northern Electric multiline phone which I got at lancaster about two months ago. I have just had time to restore it. I am overall pretty happy about it, though I forgot to put a blank white piece of paper under the luclite cover over the multiline keys. It works great, I hooked it to my unfinished 1a2 and it lights up, I'm definitively not going to convert it for single line use.

I did replace the finger wheel as it was all cracked up.

What I think is interesting is it has the circular keys and why the circular key models didn't have a red hold button? I also wonder, were the circular keys used in earlier models as circular keys they were used on 302 models. Though I have a few multilines from the early 60's (pre 65) that have square keys. Was it just that Northern Electric was behind Western Electric?

I hope you enjoy!
Ben

southernphoneman

ben beautiful job and do you have to have a special connector for this type of phone?

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: southernphoneman on August 08, 2013, 07:09:12 PM
ben beautiful job and do you have to have a special connector for this type of phone?

I actually use a a 1a2 key system which has the other end, but they do make adapters. I saw them at lancaster phone show, I'm sure someone on the forum might have one to sell or know where to find one.

Ben

G-Man

Most likely this set should have a red hold button. When you press and then release it does it pop back up?

Looking at the silver satin line cord and clear finger wheel makes me wonder why it does not have square keys. When these came into the distributing houses for repair or refurbishment they were retrofitted with square keys.

What it the model number as shown on the bottom?

Also, I think he is asking whether or not it has a standard 25-pair Amphenol-type connector. Since it has a silver satin line cord it most likely is terminated with the above mentioned connector.

New England Tel.

-Bob Archambault

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: G-Man on August 08, 2013, 07:23:05 PM
Most likely this set should have a red hold button. When you press and then release it does it pop back up?

Looking at the silver satin line cord and clear finger wheel makes me wonder why it does not have square keys. When these came into the distributing houses for repair or refurbishment they were retrofitted with square keys.

What it the model number as shown on the bottom?

Also, I think he is asking whether or not it has a standard 25-pair Amphenol-type connector. Since it has a silver satin line cord it most likely is terminated with the above mentioned connector.


Yeh, I'm unsure about the cord...

Yes, it does pop back up it's just not in te red color.

I think it's a 564.

Thanks for the other information.

Ben

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: New England Tel. on August 08, 2013, 07:51:46 PM
Nice job, Ben! She looks great!

Thank you, you inspired me to do this. I learned buffing slow really helped, and to not use way to much Novus.

Ben

ESalter

You're right Ben, the earlier sets had round keys.  They went to square keys in the mid 60s sometime.  I've never seen a round red hold button on a WE set before.  There was a discussion about this either on here or on the TCI list a while back.  The 6040(?) keys have round buttons also.  The WE version have all clear like the key phones but the NE version has a red round hold button.  That's the only round red one I know of.

---Eric

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: ESalter on August 08, 2013, 11:11:16 PM
You're right Ben, the earlier sets had round keys.  They went to square keys in the mid 60s sometime.  I've never seen a round red hold button on a WE set before.  There was a discussion about this either on here or on the TCI list a while back.  The 6040(?) keys have round buttons also.  The WE version have all clear like the key phones but the NE version has a red round hold button.  That's the only round red one I know of.

---Eric

Thanks Eric, what's interesting is this Northern Electic is a 65 and I have a WE from 1961 or 62 wit square buttons, was Northern behind WE in styling?

I kind of like the circle keys more though.:)

Ben

G-Man

Actually WECo started introducing red HOLD keys in the late 1950's as well as terminating the cords with Amphenol connectors.

While it would be interesting if Ben could take a look at the end of the cord on his set to see if there is a 25-pair connector on it, it's probably unnecessary since as far as I know 25-pair silver satin line cords were never terminated in spade-lugs.

Also, it is difficult without a positive i.d. of the sets model number to determine its authenticity. From what little has been described so far, it's possible it is a product of an independent refurbisher.

Round button red HOLD keys have been verified by not only those existing in my collection but by a number of other collectors through the years.

Here is an excerpt from S.K. about a decade ago. Additional supporting comments by knowledgeable collectors have also been posted through the years.

>I have a 564 with round buttons, red hold button, and spade tip cords dated 1967.
> Western converted from spade tips to AMP connector in the late 50's.

Actually it was a metal shelled Amphenol, not a plastic AMP plug... compatible
but vastly different construction. TRW-Cinch made an Amphenol identical
product. AMP did not enter the picture AFAIK until insulation displacement came
along. Both key tel sets and 25 pair inside wiring cable of this era all used
solder-terminated Amphenol or Cinch connectors.

The evolution I saw in 560-series sets was:

1. spade tips, 6 colorless round buttons
2. Amphenol connector, 6 colorless round buttons
3. Amphenol connector, 5 colorless round buttons, red round HOLD button - I
started noticing these being installed new in the mid-60s
4. Amphenol connector, 5 colorless square buttons, red square HOLD button -
shortly after #3






Quote from: ESalter on August 08, 2013, 11:11:16 PM
You're right Ben, the earlier sets had round keys.  They went to square keys in the mid 60s sometime.  I've never seen a round red hold button on a WE set before.  There was a discussion about this either on here or on the TCI list a while back.  The 6040(?) keys have round buttons also.  The WE version have all clear like the key phones but the NE version has a red round hold button.  That's the only round red one I know of.

---Eric

G-Man

I should add that there is some confusion as to just when round red HOLD buttons were introduced since sets were often sent back to WECo or Northern distributing houses for repair or refurbishment. While in the shop, they would often have a red button added if the housing was still in cosmetically good shape or, if not the housing would be changed to accommodate square buttons.

WesternElectricBen

Okay, G-Man, I have to say I skimmed over what your saying, but here is the amphenol on this phone it IS the plastic type.

Shown in the second picture is the metal type, NOT on this phone.

Ben