Got 4 Payphones!

HarrySmith · September 17, 2018, 09:30:17 PM

In response to my post a few weeks ago I have received 4 payphones. I have 3 WE 233G's and 1 that looks like it was a 233G but is now marked D180574 C.S. The inside is blacked out where the stamp would have been and it is stamped on the back. I am not sure what this signifies. I have attached a picture of the group & 3 of the remarked one. I am about to start working on them. I intend to make one work & ready for sale as soon as possible. I am going to have another custom painted for an NFL team. I have zero experience with these. I am sure I will have questions and will need advice. I am also going to need some parts as none of them have upper locks or vault doors. I am sure there will be other things as I get into them. All you payphone guys prepare yourselves for a novice loading up this topic

Butch Harlow · September 17, 2018, 09:50:37 PM

The D 180576 CS is a design line series phone. It's a genuine payphone that was stripped down by Western Electric for home use. It's a pretty odd/cool thing in and of itself. There is plenty of information on TCI in the archive about that unit. I wouldn't change that one. The other 3 are remarkably complete with relays and electromagnets that are usually missing. I just went through a far less complete 233G for a friend and got it working. The 233 requires a subset. 685 is correct. It has no induction coil or network onboard. So wiring tip and ring won't get these running.

HarrySmith · September 17, 2018, 10:05:36 PM

Thanks Butch.

RotarDad · September 18, 2018, 11:00:32 AM

Butch is correct on that Customer Sale (CS) decorator set. However it has already been partially returned to "real payphone" status in the upper. The D-180574 units were reconfiged to prevent them from ever being used as a payphone. One big change was removal of the coin track and replacement with a simple, flat funnel chute that directed coins to an added bell in the the vault area. Your set has a reinstalled coin track - you can see the CS stamp on the inside of the the upper as well.

HarrySmith · September 18, 2018, 11:38:30 AM

Thanks for the info Paul. I was looking for the number inside, I did not see it back there. Do you see anything else that was changed? Maybe I should try to find one of those coin tracks to return it back. I will have to check the vault to see if there is a bell in there. I will do that tonight. Also did they have any type of upper housing locks? Now there is just a plug in it. The housing does not stay on, nothing to lock it in place.

poplar1 · September 18, 2018, 01:58:24 PM

The D-180574s had dummy locks that look like the real 10H upper housing lock and 30C vault door lock, but they opened with a screwdriver. They also (usually) have a 9-digit comcode number stamped on the locks.

RotarDad · September 18, 2018, 09:43:26 PM

Harry - I would go ahead and restore as a real payphone, not a decorator set. I know the decorator sets are phone company history, but I much prefer a real coin track. Besides the bell on a post in the vault (some had a metal chain attached to the vault door as well), the fake chute and dummy locks on these sets, the relay was removed and a large screw was jammed into the the hopper to keep the coin vane to the "collect" side (gotta ring the bell....). I don't think I see the screw on yours; perhaps the guy who added the real chute pulled that out as well. OK, I admit it, I think the D-180574 is payphone heresy - I say restore to in-service condition as soon as possible...... 😎

Payphone installer · September 18, 2018, 09:49:21 PM

3 of them are fine as they sit only one is a decorator and its still mostly intact. Not much to do they are mostly correct.

Key2871 · September 18, 2018, 10:35:02 PM

I didn't recall them leaving the finger contacts in the upper.
I do remember the D connector though.
It's been a long time since I've seen the BSP's, and I remember seeing that in pictures detail and wanting a pay phone.. that is what got me interested in finding one, any pay phone. Boy that brings back memories.

poplar1 · September 19, 2018, 01:10:07 AM

There are no fingers in this upper housing -- rather, just a phenol terminal strip -- because it was originally a 236G rather than a 233G or 234G. Note that on the backplate, there are no fingers there either, just the hookswitch.

A 236G already has the network and ringer inside the phone, so no subset is needed.

RotarDad · September 19, 2018, 01:55:56 AM

Poplar1 - I noted also that the Decorator set was a 236G originally due to the lack of pile up lower contacts, but the ringer is missing on this one. As you know it would be a small square bell mounted at the top of the backplate where the fiber terminal strip is mounted on a 233G. Not critical, but a nice item to complete a 236G...

HarrySmith · September 19, 2018, 07:01:00 AM

OK, Thanks for the replies. I guess I will be keeping the decorator set and restoring it to a 236G. I am going to be selling the others. I am in need of some parts. Anybody got cheap payphone parts? I was quoted $300.00 for 3 locks & vault doors. Way too rich for me, I need to do this cheap so I will still have a profit at the end. If you have what I need please PM me.
Thanks Again, Harry

HarrySmith · September 20, 2018, 08:25:09 AM

I took a closer look at the declorator set and you are all correct. I found a large screw stuck in it keeping the coin flap shut. I also located the 4010B network. I have attached a few pictures. I noticed quite a few wires not connected also. Besides the ringer is there anything else I would need to restore it to the original 236G configuration?

Key2871 · September 20, 2018, 10:34:53 AM

OK, the second picture of the upper I thought where I saw screws, and the phenolic board, it looked like fingers were still on the thing.
Harry, they threw that screw in there to hold the diverter vein in the collect position.
I wonder if changing it is the way to go. I mean how many of these are still in the condition as bought from the phone store's.
Obviously it's up to you, but I suppose if you want to change it back...
My first 233 I made a network that would fit the same as the terminal board on the upper part of the back board.

I got PC board material, etching solution and took the design off the ITT network, designed the traces on the PC board, and used several of the Spade push terminals.
Mounted them on it, soldered and tested. Worked great.
And it was great because I couldn't locate a sub set for a decent price. They were crazy numbers back then.
Good luck, I'm sure someone here has parts to restore and get them back up and going.

RotarDad · September 20, 2018, 10:44:49 AM

Harry - Besides the ringer and locks, you'll need the hopper trap parts and the coin relay to make it complete. If you are picky, there is also a small triangular metal part that screws into that hole in the the upper, to the right of the coin track - I believe it serves as a stop for the coin release button mechanism. Your other 3 have that part - it would have trashed when the coin track was removed. The cool thing about the 236G is the 4010 network - no subset required.

Edit - I forgot you'd need an armored handset cord, which was replaced with a coil cord for home use.

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