News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Finally Got A WECO 555

Started by Fabius, May 10, 2017, 06:29:06 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Fabius

It is marked un the instruction plate 555 P.B.X. -DIAL OFFICE P-267515  (4-55).I believe it is pretty much complete but I need a few thing so Please check out my ad in the classified wanted section thanks. One cool thing about it is that it is mounted on rollers.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

Fabius

The dial is a replacement by the former owner as the original dial broke thus I don't think this switchboard came from 401 (Rhode Island). The remains of the sticker on the left side front indicates the Kansas City Missouri area.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

jsowers

#2
Just FYI, (416) (816) 421-4066 is the fax number for the law firm of Shook, Hardy and Bacon in Kansas City, MO if that helps any. But of course this switchboard predates fax machines. Their phone number is (816) 474-8550--you could call and ask whoever answers the phone. Maybe you'll get Sarah? Here's the whois from the registration of their website, updated as of 12-2016.

Registrant Contact
Name: Shook Hardy & Bacon
Organization: Shook Hardy & Bacon
Street:1200 MAIN ST
City: KANSAS CITY
State: MO
Postal Code: 64105-2122
Country: US
Phone: +1.8164746550
Fax: +1.8164214066
Email: email@SHB.COM
Jonathan

unbeldi

Quote from: jsowers on May 10, 2017, 09:04:45 PM
Just FYI, (416) 421-4066 is the fax number for the law firm of Shook, Hardy and Bacon in Kansas City, MO if that helps any. But of course this switchboard predates fax machines. Their phone number is (816) 474-8550--you could call and ask whoever answers the phone. Maybe you'll get Sarah? Here's the whois from the registration of their website, updated as of 12-2016.

Registrant Contact
Name: Shook Hardy & Bacon
Organization: Shook Hardy & Bacon
Street:1200 MAIN ST
City: KANSAS CITY
State: MO
Postal Code: 64105-2122
Country: US
Phone: +1.8164746550
Fax: +1.8164214066
Email: email@SHB.COM


Hmm.   Area code 416 is in Ontario, Canada.

816 is one of the original 86 area codes of 1947.

jsowers

Sorry, yes it's 816. I will correct the post. That's what I get when I type in the dark. Thanks.
Jonathan

Fabius

Ah, where did you find the  (816) 421-4066 number with a connection to this switchboard?
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

unbeldi

Quote from: Fabius on May 11, 2017, 12:20:09 AM
Ah, where did you find the  (816) 421-4066 number with a connection to this switchboard?

One of the trunk jacks on the front panel is labeled 421-4066.

Fabius

Quote from: unbeldi on May 11, 2017, 08:27:39 AM
One of the trunk jacks on the front panel is labeled 421-4066.

Okay I see it. Two to the right has written lightly in pencil 4067.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

jsowers

Here's a screen shot with an arrow pointing. I'm assuming a lot, but the phone number is valid for Kansas City, MO.
Jonathan

Fabius

As I had mentioned It is marked on the instruction plate: 555 P.B.X. -DIAL OFFICE P-267515  (4-55)

I had thought that since it says DIAL OFFICE this switchboard was located in a rural manual central office. But I believe that's not right? Am I correct in saying that this is a typical PBX and that the trucks were in fact incoming dial tone lines? I assume that 4-55 is the date of the instruction card.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

poplar1

"Dial Office" means that the trunks were connected to a dial central office. The 555 is a P.B.X. -- Private Branch Exchange -- for a business, and not something from a central office.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

Victor Laszlo

Generally, hotels did not use the number 13 for rooms. It was the superstition of the general public that caused this practice. I doubt if a commercial company would have done that.

AL_as_needed

Quote from: Victor Laszlo on May 12, 2017, 05:27:28 PM
Generally, hotels did not use the number 13 for rooms. It was the superstition of the general public that caused this practice. I doubt if a commercial company would have done that.

Where I work in maintenance, there are over 40 residential buildings, each numbered along their respective streets, however there are no building 13s.   
TWinbrook7

Jim Stettler

#13
Quote from: poplar1 on May 11, 2017, 03:32:55 PM
"Dial Office" means that the trunks were connected to a dial central office. The 555 is a P.B.X. -- Private Branch Exchange -- for a business, and not something from a central office.
Mis-info deleted
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

Victor Laszlo

"8x120 would be a huge board for a business. "

Really? It would seem that a hotel with 120 rooms would require such a board.  Do you consider a hotel with that many rooms "huge?"  I have worked on business systems that had up to 200 trunks and 6,000 extensions.

Do you have any historic evidence that type 555 PBX's were used as Central Offices? I would like to read up on that part of the history of the phone company.  Was there special equipment added to them for toll charges, trunk supervision, different types of dialing? (MF, DTMF, RP, etc?)