552 switchboard on Craigslist

[xhausted110]

I found a 55X type switchboard locally on Craigslist, the guy is asking for $200 or best offer. I want to know if this is a PBX or attendant console type board before I make an offer. He is sending me pictures of the inside tonight or Monday.

[AE_Collector]

Others will have to add to my thoughts. I woukd say Not a free standing PBX and not a conventional Answering Service type board so most likely this was an operators console in front of an automatic PABX. I would assume that the lower part is trunks with lamps and designation strips and the jack field of 100 jacks on each side above the trunks is the access to the stations.

I was puzzled by the lack of lamp strips between the station jacks making it more like a CO board (which is a possibility) but I seem to vaguely recall pin sized busy lamps right at the edge of the jacks on some of these PBX console boards to save space allowing more room for expansion.

The 2 and 3 designations likely refers to the 200 group and 300 group of stations. The big 1 probably labels this as the first of 2 or more operator positions though the end panels would frequently be missing or partially missing after removal. If both end panels are there someone might have saved this one section putting both end panels from the lineup into this one and keeping it.

Terry

[xhausted110]

Would an operator's console have a magneto ring generator? This one does. Maybe it is a CO board.

[AE_Collector]

I didn't notice that but even 555 PBX's usually had that for back up ringing if the power was out. I cant recall noticing magneto's on operator consoles for larger boards though it is still a pissible option as batteries on the PBX would keep it operating in a power outage but maybe not the ringing generator.

Terry

[xhausted110]

I got these pictures back from him. It's been completely gutted. I'm going to tell him what's missing and offer him $50-100. It's a shame, really.

[Victor Laszlo]

It is, or WAS, a 552. The phone company often ripped out the relays and harness for salvage value.  The way to identify a 552, as has been discussed, is the lack of station line lamps. Also, notice the alarm lamps and alarm cut-off keys at the top right. Those were for a 701 PBX that was behind this board.

[xhausted110]

I think I'm going to give up on this one and pursue a 555. I like the look of those better, anyway.