Got a Galion

[old_stuff_hound]

I picked this up a few weeks ago when I was still looking for a 302. Looked like it was in pretty good condition and had a straight-line ringer, so I bid on it and won.

Here it is as received. Unfortunately, the seller packed it improperly (tossed it in a box only half-filled with peanuts), and forgot to mention that there was something loose inside (the ringer was not fastened down). The ringer flailed around inside and damage both itself and the inductor coil. The seller and I reached an agreement and I ended up keeping it.

I've got a coil on order from Adele and I'll just run it ringerless for now. Maybe one day I'll try to rewind the damaged bobbin!

[old_stuff_hound]

More pics. The last two show the damage to the coil & ringer.

[LarryInMichigan]

old_stuff_hound,

Congratulations on your new Galion.  I think that the Galion was one of the most elegant phones ever made.  It looks like the ringer and inductor coil had quite a catfight in the box.  You are very fortunate that the bakelite shell was spared.

There is a glut or North frequency ringers around.  I wonder if you might be able to make a working SL ringer out of parts from the damaged one and a frequency ringer.

Larry

[Adam]

I am wondering why it appears we assume in this case that all of this damage happened as a result of the most recent transit?

Seems to me, the damage looks like it could have been due to the unattached ringer damaging itself and the inductor coil spread over many decades of abuse...

[old_stuff_hound]

The inside of the phone was filthy. The damaged areas were quite clean. Also, while the base underneath was somewhat oxidized, the witness marks left by the screws was clean -- they had been removed recently....

[old_stuff_hound]

It lives! Got the new coil installed and made a call on it. Seems to work just fine. The handset cord is really short. I recoiled it using techniques discussed here and they worked well, but I'm going to replace anyway. It's REALLY short. Still doesn't ring, of course. Still need to do something about that. The idea of cannibalizing a freq. ringer sounds promising!

(The red 2500 hiding below is my wife's late father's hotline-to-the-Whitehouse business phone. ;-)

[old_stuff_hound]

Sorry to resurrect my old thread, but I just have to say, as much as I wanted a 302 (and I'm glad I got one), I really like this Galion! The more I use it, the more I love it!

[Stephen Furley]

I like the look of the North 'phones.  I don't yet have a Galion due to the non-arrival of an Ebay win a couple of years ago, but I do have one of their later models, the one with the recessed dial; I can't remember the model number at the moment.

[GG]

Stephen, it's not just you; mine has no model number on the base.

I used to refer to the "Galion" phones as "North Electric 302s" since most of the parts were so similar; so with that in mind we could call the extended number-ring version a "North Electric 500" until someone posts the correct model numbers.

[Stephen Furley]

Old Phone Works, where I got mine from, call the desk set a 540, and the wall version a 541.  However, in one place they also use 541 to refer to the desk set.  Possibly just a cut and paste error when creating the page.  Most official literature from North themselves does not seem to show model numbers, and the same goes for Leich.

What became of North?  As far as I am aware they did not license production of the 500, as several other makers did, but their own model did not seem to remain in production either, unlike the AE 80.

When I'd only seen a couple of photographs of the North 'phone I thought it looked quite modern, but when I actually got one there are several features, including the weight, the plastic and some of the internal components, which point to it being older; probably contemporary with the older 500s rather than the later ones.  There are no markings on mine.  The receiver element is marked 3 1 56 but of course that may have been replaced, or the marking may not even be a date.

[paul-f]

H-series:  http://www.paul-f.com/north1.htm

500-style:  http://www.paul-f.com/500style.html#N541
      Model numbers are on the linked page.

[rdelius]

North was later part of United Telephone.Might have moved to Johnson city Tennessee in the 70s.Ericsson had an interest in North and North assembled Ericophons.I have seen later 2500 sets marked North Supply but do not know if they were related.

[canuckphoneguy]

I just bought a Galion myself. What did you do to get it so shiny?

I am having trouble getting it to ring - any suggestions?

[LarryInMichigan]

I just bought a Galion myself. What did you do to get it so shiny?

Is yours bakelite, plastic, or metal? 

I am having trouble getting it to ring - any suggestions?

Most Galions were equipped with frequency ringers.  Does yours have a frequency ringer or straight line?  If it has a frequency ringer, you will not likely be able to make it ring.

Larry

[canuckphoneguy]

Is yours bakelite, plastic, or metal?  
Most Galions were equipped with frequency ringers.

Mine's bakellite. I guess it's a Uniphone that I have, not a Galion. I'm going to try one more thing that someone suggested here to make that darn phone ring!