Pictures of a 49er.

[Greg G.]

A few of us went to the phone museum in Seattle after the show.  Got some pictures of a real honest-to-goodness 49 500.  I even got to touch it.  They really do exist.  The only thing not "period correct" was the coiled handset cord, but if they ever called and said I could have it, I could live with that. 

[Greg G.]

More pics.  Bill Guerts, aka Phonesrfun is in the last picture with the 49.

[Phonesrfun]

There's my shiny head again.  You'd almost think I used Novus on it.

[paul-f]

Finally!  The elusive missing link!

Good work guys!

[JorgeAmely]

What is the purpose of the knob on the left? Two line model?

[Dan/Panther]

Bill;
Congratulations, I really did not think they existed.
They actually took it a part for you. It appears to have aluminum dial mount, and aluminum lineswitch levers.
D/P

[paul-f]

The photos seem to match the 1950 sets we've discussed.  Did you notice any differences, other than the plungers?

Is the fingerwheel metal?

Did you happen to get a photo of the equalizer?

[paul-f]

What is the purpose of the knob on the left? Two line model?

We'd have to see the wiring.  A later 510-style 2-line set has a terminal strip in the bracket under the dial for the extra terminals.

Perhaps it's for ringer cutoff.

[Phonesrfun]

The guys at the museum were happy to let us "dig" into it.  They took the cover off for us, and then we asked if we could take the dial off.  They said sure, so we did.

After we got it back together, Briny (Greg) asked what the knob was for, and my guess was that it was for either two lines or as a ringer cut-off, but I didn't want to push my luck and ask them to let us open it again.  This one has all 49 dates (except the curly cord Greg has already mentioned; the 7A dial, the 425A network and the 311A equalizer; the C2A ringer, and so forth.  It even has the smiley "Operator" around the zero, as you can see in Greg's photos.  I was amazed that it had clear cradle buttons.  They seem to be absolutely original, since the cover itself is dated 1949 and matches the rest of the phone, including the switch in the base that the cover has a hole for.  The finger wheel is metal, and I don't know if Greg got a photo of the equalizer.  It appeared to me to be a production 311A.  I did notice that since the receiver cord was a later version, it also had all four leads inside the phone cut to the longer length that would have been consistent with use on a 425B network.

The phone did not have a line cord.


I must say that Don Ostrand and the group at the museum were very nice in opening the museum to us on their day off, and really letting us loose.

[Dennis Markham]

Bill, it sounds like a good time.  I'm glad you all took the time to take advantage of the museum and do some exploring.

[Greg G.]

I may have missed an angle or two, but I was mostly focusing on the date stamps.  Seems to have parts from 5 months in 1949, from April to July, also September, but they're all 49.  Since I'm in the neighborhood, I could possibly get back down there sometime when they're open if you want pictures from a specific angle that I missed.  They were very accomodating about letting me get pictures of the insides.

[Phonesrfun]

Looks like Greg agrees that they were accommodating and as easy to sit down and talk to as old friends.

[Greg G.]

Yeah, that sitting area was great, just needed a cooler of cold beers and some munchies, then I never would have left.

[Greg G.]

I wonder what the -9 is after the date stamp on the bottom?

[Dan/Panther]

Greg;
If you get the chance could you take more photos of as many different angles as is possible ?
It appears to me that the Dial mounting bracket is aluminum, as is the line switch levers
D/P.