Oldest telephones never removed from service

[Russ62]

Hi,  I'm curious as to the oldest telephones found in recent times still being used by non collectors, not recently bought for nostalgia etc. in residences, small  businesses and so on? I imagine quite a few 500 set era phones as they were sold new by Cortelco until a few years ago. I'm wondering about older models. I know about the Oregon Caves and another parks' magneto phone systems. Also an 80 cabin private magneto system at  Big Santa Anita Canyon north of LA .  Just wondering how old of phones, leased or bought long ago and not disconnected?                Russ

[dsk]

I remember a 1934 model still attached to the fixed wiring about 1990.
I know a countryside furniture shop still using their 1967 rotary!

dsk

[WesternElectricBen]

My grandma has a 1984 White trimline (never gone out of style) that she still uses, I remember she had another old one in her bedroom but I don't remember. She likes the trimlines. That's what my mom had when she was a kid and lived with her parents.

Ben

[twocvbloke]

Although stretching the "In-service" bit, there's a lot of old phones in the Inverkip power station which is set for demolition:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23330157

A lot of old computer terminals too, it's like a museum there...

[dsk]

If that counts, Oslo Energy (electricity board) still has some telephones from about WWII hanging on their transformer stations located in some older Oslo basements.
Not been used for decades.

dsk

[Jim Stettler]

I saw a 1554 in service 2 years ago it was probably 1964*-66 which is the common years for 10 button sets locally. I did meet some folks 2 weeks ago that said they  had a black 500 and an Ivory? 554 that were installed after they moved in  1956. They had no interest in selling them or showing them to me.
Jim

* I was told by a retired installer that the 10 button sets were field tested here. in 1966 Mountain Bell brought a teletrainer to my Kindergarten class. It was green and the phones were a green 500 and a green 1500. I never saw another TT until a buddy's parents got a 2554 around 1973.

I think the local 10 button field trial princess phones may of been a rotary housing that had the top shaved off and 4 small holes punched in the top "corners".  The 10 button top plate snapped into these holes and it has 2 # card holders like the Nothern Electric princesses. Many years ago  I found one in terrible condition for $60.00 firm. I knew it was different but didn't realize how cool it was. I couldn't afford it  at the time.

[AE_Collector]

About 10 years ago now I removed a working AE35 (made from about 1935 to 1940) from a ladys house and installed a modern Phone with a receiver volume control in its place as she could no longer hear on the phone. I had to keep my excitement at finding an AE 35 under control until I was done and gone!

Terry

[DavePEI]

About 10 years ago now I removed a working AE35 from a ladys house and installed a modern Phone with a receiver volume control in its place.

Terry

In 1984 the telephone company in Brockville, Ontario finally refused to replace the cord on the 102 my grandmother had had since the 30s. She had stalwartly refused many attempts over the years to change it out for a newer phone, and gained reprieves one service call at a time through the years. Finally in 1984, they replaced it with a 500 set, citing lack of a replacement cord as the reason. She was devastated and hated her new phone. She died a week later. What a shame she couldn't have kept the phone for a week longer.

I wish I could have worked a deal to keep the phone, as well. I must admit,, as a kid, I loved that original phone too, and the oak telephone stand it was on, with its subset mounted below on the wall.

We still joke that the telephone company did her in with the heartbreak of losing that phone!!

In loving remembrance of you, Nana!

Amazingly, I just remembered her Brockville number, 342-6059. I dialed it enough when I was a kid, but am amazed I still remember it!

Incidentally, the museum is located in the house that was originally her summer cottage here on the Island. We would live here for two months every summer while I grew up, and for the other 10 months of the year returned to Brockville. Before we bought the property in 1954 and she had it converted to a home, it served as the machine shed on the property, a former fox farm.

While Brockville was on a dial exchange from long before I was born, the rural areas on the Island didn't complete their "dialification" until 1977. So, I got the best of both worlds when I was young, dial service in Brockville, then in the summers, magneto. I often attribute my love for both firewood and bakelite to this.

When we first bought the property, the only phone in the Cove was at the local store, then a couple of years later, our next door neighbour got his first phone, an NE 717GC.

When I moved down full time in 1978, the open wire along the road was removed and underground cable was buried, and I took advantage of the opportunity to get a line run to my house. This was a multi-party line; at first an 8 party line, then through the years decreased to 4 party, two party, then finally we got private line in the late 1990s. It was interesting years ago hearing the volume of the phone decrease incrementally as more and more people picked up their phone to hear your phone call We had one lady, in particular, who listened to every call - at first we simply baited her with scandalous stories about the neighbours. When she got out of hand, when we knew she was listening, I said to the person I was talking with, "Did you hear about Marion and her new boyfriend!". Immediately she confirmed she was listening, by saying, "You know full well I don't have a boyfriend, I have a husband!", then she hung up.  After that, her incursions on the line appeared to slow down.

Dave

[Phonesrfun]

I have seen two examples, both in the last year.

The first is at an auto repair shop in La Grande, Oregon which has an AE 80E dating from the 1980's.  The second is an antique store in Pendleton, OR which has a black 500 from 1962 as her phone on the front counter.  I hope she is not still renting it, but it has the original dial center and she says it is the original phone.

The owner must be in her late 80's or even 90's.

[McHeath]

My mom is still using the 2554 that Ma Bell installed in 1984 during their last gasp.  It replaced her 554 that she'd had since the late 50's or so which was her first phone.  They were "upgrading" everyone to modular they told her.  It's ivory in color and in the kitchen of course. 

She still does not like the 2554 and misses the old 554.

Two telephones to last a lifetime. 

She does not use a cell phone, nor has a computer or the Internet or even cable TV.  No caller ID, no answering machine, no extra phone services at all.  It's a bit of a time warp at her house, feels a lot like stepping back to 1984 or so.   

The phone rings and you have to pick it up to see who it is.  Sometimes I call her and she's outside and so I let it ring 20 or so times and sure enough, she will eventually come and pick up.  Used to have to do the same thing when I was a kid and needed her to come to someplace to pick me up, let it ring 20-30 times and sooner or later she'd answer.  Funny how some things never change. 

[rp2813]

Back in the early 1970's, I went with my dad and his friend up to a cabin in the "ghost town" of Seneca, CA, located on a tributary of the Feather River near the town of Chester.

Inside the cabin, which had no electricity so lights and refrigerator all ran on gas, there was an ancient mahogany crank (magneto?) wall phone with separate receiver and transmitter.  Beside the phone was a typed sheet with ring codes for reaching other subscribers on the tiny telephone exchange.  I'd say there were about a dozen listings.

I've attached a link to some photographs of the Seneca area taken in 2008.  If the telephone exchange even exists there anymore, I'd not be surprised at all if the same system is still in use.  It's not like it would have needed upgrading to meet growing demand.  If the exchange no longer exists, the phones still might, as non-functioning relics in those cabins that may still be left.

You'll notice one of the pictures in the link is of the "Gin Mill" which looks the same as it did all those years ago.  I remember it being listed on the directory sheet beside the phone.  The narrative in the link makes no mention of an old phone there, but does state that there's no electricity.  The cabin pictured could very well be the same one we stayed in.  It belonged to my dad's friend's boss back then.

Link:  http://forums.ghosttowns.com/showthread.php?17141-Seneca-California-photographs

Here's another link that shows a shot of the phone in the Gin Mill.  Maybe someone can identify what type they all were from this picture:

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/seneca.html

[G-Man]

Very difficult to make out but possibly a Kellogg "Ash-Tray" desk set sitting on top of a magneto ringer box.

There is a second ringer box mounted further up. Possibly used on a Forestry fire alerting telephone line. Obviously only a guess!!

Probably one would have to view the original photograph and even that would be dicey at best.

Back in the early 1970's, I went with my dad and his friend up to a cabin in the "ghost town" of Seneca, CA, located on a tributary of the Feather River near the town of Chester.

Inside the cabin, which had no electricity so lights and refrigerator all ran on gas, there was an ancient mahogany crank (magneto?) wall phone with separate receiver and transmitter.  Beside the phone was a typed sheet with ring codes for reaching other subscribers on the tiny telephone exchange.  I'd say there were about a dozen listings.

I've attached a link to some photographs of the Seneca area taken in 2008.  If the telephone exchange even exists there anymore, I'd not be surprised at all if the same system is still in use.  It's not like it would have needed upgrading to meet growing demand.  If the exchange no longer exists, the phones still might, as non-functioning relics in those cabins that may still be left.

You'll notice one of the pictures in the link is of the "Gin Mill" which looks the same as it did all those years ago.  I remember it being listed on the directory sheet beside the phone.  The narrative in the link makes no mention of an old phone there, but does state that there's no electricity.  The cabin pictured could very well be the same one we stayed in.  It belonged to my dad's friend's boss back then.

Link:  http://forums.ghosttowns.com/showthread.php?17141-Seneca-California-photographs

Here's another link that shows a shot of the phone in the Gin Mill.  Maybe someone can identify what type they all were from this picture:

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/seneca.html

[G-Man]

Photos regarding the Seneca telephone system were posted over on the TCI list.

Back in the early 1970's, I went with my dad and his friend up to a cabin in the "ghost town" of Seneca, CA, located on a tributary of the Feather River near the town of Chester.

Inside the cabin, which had no electricity so lights and refrigerator all ran on gas, there was an ancient mahogany crank (magneto?) wall phone with separate receiver and transmitter.  Beside the phone was a typed sheet with ring codes for reaching other subscribers on the tiny telephone exchange.  I'd say there were about a dozen listings.

I've attached a link to some photographs of the Seneca area taken in 2008.  If the telephone exchange even exists there anymore, I'd not be surprised at all if the same system is still in use.  It's not like it would have needed upgrading to meet growing demand.  If the exchange no longer exists, the phones still might, as non-functioning relics in those cabins that may still be left.

You'll notice one of the pictures in the link is of the "Gin Mill" which looks the same as it did all those years ago.  I remember it being listed on the directory sheet beside the phone.  The narrative in the link makes no mention of an old phone there, but does state that there's no electricity.  The cabin pictured could very well be the same one we stayed in.  It belonged to my dad's friend's boss back then.

Link:  http://forums.ghosttowns.com/showthread.php?17141-Seneca-California-photographs

Here's another link that shows a shot of the phone in the Gin Mill.  Maybe someone can identify what type they all were from this picture:

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/seneca.html

[rp2813]

Wow, it's pretty amazing that the Seneca system got picked up on the TCI radar.  

After seeing the picture of the rig with the handset, I'm doubting my recollection of the phone in the cabin as having a separate receiver and transmitter and a mahogany case.  I suppose the system could have been (or may still be?) a hodgepodge with regard to subscriber equipment.

One thing I learned when I fooled with that phone was, you don't hold the receiver to your ear when you crank!  I only cranked "1 SHORT" since that code wasn't assigned to anyone.

Thanks for posting those pictures.  That directory brings back memories but it must be more recent than the early 70's, since the name of the guy who owned the cabin is no longer on the list.  His name was "Red" and I think he passed away probably before 1980.

[G-Man]

I'm not sure as to why you would doubt your recollections because of the telephone shown in the photo. It resides in Don Sabin's cabin and not the one that you recall from your youth.

https://www.mountainvalleyliving.com/2011/04/man-of-the-mountains-don-sabin/

Almost every telephone exchange had dozens of models of telephone instruments that were used to serve their subscribers and in this case, it is a Kellogg magneto set with a handset.

The telephone installed in the Gin mill appears to be a Kellogg desk set setting on top of ringer box, so it is easy to imagine that the instrument you remember was even an older set with a separate transmitter and receiver.

As far as the directory goes, I think the system was still being used up to at least 2010 so it would have been updated through the years.

Wow, it's pretty amazing that the Seneca system got picked up on the TCI radar.  

After seeing the picture of the rig with the handset, I'm doubting my recollection of the phone in the cabin as having a separate receiver and transmitter and a mahogany case.  I suppose the system could have been (or may still be?) a hodgepodge with regard to subscriber equipment.

One thing I learned when I fooled with that phone was, you don't hold the receiver to your ear when you crank!  I only cranked "1 SHORT" since that code wasn't assigned to anyone.

Thanks for posting those pictures.  That directory brings back memories but it must be more recent than the early 70's, since the name of the guy who owned the cabin is no longer on the list.  His name was "Red" and I think he passed away probably before 1980.