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Soft Plastic Model 554's

Started by jsowers, September 15, 2009, 04:47:44 PM

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WesternElectricBen

Very nice collection!

You can build those displays which turn out really nice, especially if you make it so a 500 set (in matching color) can sit on the wood base with the 554 hanging above. Or, another wall mount option is what I created, a french cleat wall phone display where the phones do not all screw into the plaster creating lots of holes, but the nicely finished wood. View topic:

Ben 

Dennis Markham

Here's an update of an example of my 554's.  I have duplicates of some colors.  This set-up used to be a recessed book shelf built into the wall of my "office".  The phone on the bottom row, right hand side is a Kellogg from 1958.  It's holding the spot for the Dark Gray that I'm hoping will come along some day.

I was lucky enough to get a Mahogany Brown set.  I know Vern Potter has one in Mahogany.  Are there any other known Mahogany 554's out there?

These are all pre-1959 Tenite (soft plastic) sets.

~Dennis

Kenton K

Holy Cow! That is really impressive!!!

WEBellSystemChristian

That is a very impressive display and colection, Dennis! Sadly, my room has a steeple style ceiling, where the walls come to a point. I only have about four and a half feet of 90 degree-angle walls, but space it taken up on one side of my room by my phone shelf and on the other side from my bed. That means I can't make a wall display with my 554s, just table-top stands.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

paul-f

We have heard that one of Don Genaro's early contributions to Bell System phone design was the addition of the creases on the top of the housing to provide an off-hook rest position for the handset.

Does anyone have a phone, photo or article showing a 554 without the creases -- either prototype or production?
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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unbeldi

Quote from: paul-f on May 21, 2016, 05:19:56 PM
We have heard that one of Don Genaro's early contributions to Bell System phone design was the addition of the creases on the top of the housing to provide an off-hook rest position for the handset.

Does anyone have a phone, photo or article showing a 554 without the creases -- either prototype or production?

The first issue BSP for these sets of 2/1955 already has them.

paul-f

Thanks, Karl.

Is there a copy in the Library? The earliest I've found so far is dated 1958.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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unbeldi

#112
I don't think the claim is possible.
The same article that states this, also states that he joined the firm in 1956.
This date is in agreement with the Wikipedia article that has him graduating from Pratt Institute in 1957, one year after he had started being a work study student with Dreyfuss.

If the date doesn't fit ...  you must find another culprit.

unbeldi

#113
Quote from: paul-f on May 21, 2016, 05:59:47 PM
Thanks, Karl.

Is there a copy in the Library? The earliest I've found so far is dated 1958.

I would have to search also.

PS:  hmm, perhaps document number 4743 ?
The file in my library has that index, attached:

unbeldi

Interestingly,  C32.560 i2 of November 1955 does not seem to show the ridge, but the view is not straight-on, at an angle upward.

C32.560 i2 1155--Telephone Sets; 554, 556, and 558 Types; Installation and Maintenance.



paul-f

Thanks, Karl.

Both BSPs are in the Library.

The illustrations are artist's renderings. In issue 1 BSPs, the source model was often a field trial or nonworking engineering model, so don't always match the actual production sets. In this case, the creases in the housing shown in C32.559, issue 1, 2/55 strongly suggest they were present in the initial production runs.

In any case, a housing without the creases is something to watch for as we continue to work on the Date Ranges for WE Parts topic.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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unbeldi

Quote from: paul-f on May 21, 2016, 11:59:48 PM
Thanks, Karl.

Both BSPs are in the Library.

The illustrations are artist's renderings. In issue 1 BSPs, the source model was often a field trial or nonworking engineering model, so don't always match the actual production sets. In this case, the creases in the housing shown in C32.559, issue 1, 2/55 strongly suggest they were present in the initial production runs.

In any case, a housing without the creases is something to watch for as we continue to work on the Date Ranges for WE Parts topic.

Certainly, but we haven't even successfully spotted a 1954 edition of these, despite the 'announced announcement' by AT&T.


Vern P

Reply to an old post.  Yes I have a DK. Brown and I know of at less 2 more. The DK. Gray in my collection is a Kellogg too. I know of a WE 2 line 554, in DK. Gray. I did make a play for it, but desided just to keep the Kellogg. 

I have been looking for a LT. Blue in soft, but never have found one. I have heard that they never did make LT. Blue 554. This is odd as there is a soft 500.  I was told that the 554 was not made until mid '60's.

Vern

unbeldi

Quote from: Vern P on November 18, 2016, 07:46:59 PM
Reply to an old post.  Yes I have a DK. Brown and I know of at less 2 more. The DK. Gray in my collection is a Kellogg too. I know of a WE 2 line 554, in DK. Gray. I did make a play for it, but desided just to keep the Kellogg. 

I have been looking for a LT. Blue in soft, but never have found one. I have heard that they never did make LT. Blue 554. This is odd as there is a soft 500.  I was told that the 554 was not made until mid '60's.

Vern

Aqua blue 554s were made starting in 1960, about a year after the transition from CAB to ABS plastics.

The colors dark gray, dark beige, dark blue, and brown were discontinued in 1957, as was done for the desk sets, and replaced with pastel colors.  But the aqua blue was delayed for some (unknown?) reason until 1960.

jsowers

Here's a nice chart from the Southern Telephone News, a magazine issued by Southern Bell, with an article on the new colors for 1958. It's dated January, 1958 and the chart shows what model came in which color. No aqua blue 554s yet. As Karl said, they started about 1960. Note that they also didn't make 554s in pink initially, but then started later in 1958 and 59 in Tenite (soft) plastic.
Jonathan