Western Electric 5L dial?

[cfpyne]

I have a Western Electric 5L dial and would like to learn more about it. I assume from the mount that it was used on some kind of switchboard. Also I notice that it turns about twice as fast as the typical phone dial. I imagine there would have been a plate with numbers on this dial, but it seems to be missing. I wonder if there is a resource that catalogs the various Western Electric dial models. Perhaps somebody can tell me a bit more about my dial.

[Russ Kirk]

I have 5F dial on my 551A switchboard. These S/B dials have 20 pulses per second,  as opposed to the normal 10 PPS for a regular dial.   I believe these fast dials were also used on test boards.

I think I see a curved finger stop on your dial.
Check out this thread.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2922.0

Also,  check out the TCI library for dial info.
http://www.telephonecollectors.info/

Russ...

[bingster]

I have a 5L from III 41, with a III 41 numbers-only dial plate and curved fingerstop, but mine runs at 10PPS.  It came with a 34F mount on a 25B base, which appears to be brass painted silver.  I've heard these were for switchboard and test board use, so I'm not sure why it's running at 10PPS.

[Vern P]

From Wolff's book, P. 63.

5L Central office switching, only permits closer regulation of dial speed than 5E.

5E PBX or Operator's "A position, 10 pps.

Both have 150 plate.

Vern P

[AE_Collector]

20PPS dials could only be used into Crossbar or Panel CO's and not into SxS / Strowger CO's. To keep things standard and universal phones always used 10PPS dials. Bell would sometimes use the 20PPS dials (where they could) on high traffic switchboards, operator positions and/or test boards just to speed life up a little.

Terry