Testing the Dials on the WE 500s in 1949

[HobieSport]

Here is a picture from Life Magazine of how they tested the original dials for the WE 500s in 1949.

The caption is:

New Telephone
Dial life tester using 30-lb. test fishing line to pull new dials through full swing and release for new Bell telephone design; most dials survive more than 4 million full swings.
Date taken:   November 1949
Photographer:   Eric Schaal

[HobieSport]

The original caption from Life Magazine here is:

New Telephone
Creators of new telephone (fore) after exhaustive research are stylist Henry Dreyfuss (L) and engineer William H. Martin, also a Bell vp.
Date taken:   November 1949
Photographer:   Eric Schaal

[BDM]

Great photo's, thank you

[HobieSport]

Yeah the new Life Photo Archive on Google is very cool.

http://images.google.com/hosted/life

[Dan]

It the 1949 the only year they have the word "operator" in a curved Nike-like swoosh?

[Dan/Panther]

In the test photo the word Operator is curved, but in the other it is straight ?
D/P

[Dan]

good point dan/panther, the bottom photo has a z under the operator, the other dials don't also.

[McHeath]

Someplace I read/heard that the word operator was combined with "z" and "O" with operator in the straight line only on prototype 500s, which the phone in the picture with Henry Dreyfuss and William Martin appears to be.  Notice that the 500 shown seems to have a different front angle and slope to the face.  Then I seem to also recall the the word operator in curved script under the O was done until early 51'.  The original dial bezel that my 12/51' model 500 came with has much thinner lettering than the later ones, which also is curious. 

These are great pictures! 

[HobieSport]

Wow, I never would have noticed these details if not pointed out.
Here are three more pics from LIFE just for any discussion:

Pic #1 caption:
Bell telephone assembly lines.
Date taken:   December 1956
Photographer:   Frank Scherschel

Pics #2 & #3:
Manufacturing of telephones at Western Electric Co.
Location:   Indianapolis, IN, US
Date taken:   August 1961
Photographer:   Yale Joel

[Sargeguy]

The caption for #3 should have read "Dennis Markham relaxes at home with a friend" 

[mienaichizu]

that's a lot of phones to test

[McHeath]

You do have a way with pics.

Number 1 with all the women working the assembly line is so very similar to what I've seen in film of current day production lines in China.  Except of course all the workers now wear white gowns, and hair covers, unlike the women in pic 1 who are wearing normal street clothes. 

Pic 2 is an interesting artifact of the time, we all note the white shirts and little ties.  It seems oddly disorganized to have all those phones just sit on a table like that while they get "tested".  Note one guy has a cover off a phone and is doing something to it, very odd procedure and it makes me wonder if it was  staged picture to give a real visual punch.  (he seems to be "testing" the switch hook by pressing it down, hmmm) 

Pic 3 is staged of course, what possible other reason would they have for gathering every model made on a table?  Well other than to make modern day collectors drool. 

[bingster]

McHeath, are you insinuating the the guy on the right in picture 3 isn't actually placing a call?

[Dan/Panther]

Are the girls assembling Princess phones ?
The fifth girl is perky...#2 not bad either....alert, very into their work you understand...
D/P

[HobieSport]

You have a good eye for detail, D/P!