What would be a modern telephone in your capital just before WWII?

[dsk]

It is so different even within a small country as Norway, so I limit this to capitals of states and countries, but it would have been fun to compare.

Norway, Oslo had this as the newest even when more modern designs was introduced in other areas before the war.

Why this thread? We had more modern designs here as the bakelite phone: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=10196.0;attach=58374;image

I will guess on the WE 302 for Washington and the pyramid phone for London the W28 or modell 36 for Berlin etc. but I do not know, 

[Jack Ryan]

There were probably lots of old phones still in use just before WW2 but:

The Tele 162 (early pyramid) would have been in use since 1933
The Tele 232 (late pyramid) would have been in use since 1938
The Tele 332 was released at the same time as the Tele 232 (1938)

So the most modern phone before WW2 was the 332 but it was not common.

Jack

[countryman]

In Germany, the W28 was the pre-war standard. The "Modell 36 *)" was released by Siemens & Halske, but not approved by the Post. It was produced for private systems though. The improved version "W38" then was approved, but did not make it into common use before the war. During war time the ringer used glass gongs instead of metal ones to save resources! It was produced in larger numbers post-war in East Germany, partly also with the shrill-sounding glass gongs.
Modell 36, W38 and the post-war West German W48 are all quite similar.

*) The "W" model numbers were used by the German Post authorities for approved models from the W28 on. W= Wählapparat = CB automatic set. Earlier models were named ZB SA = Zentralbatterie Selbstanschluss, also CB automatic

The pic is my ivory W48

[tubaman]

There were probably lots of old phones still in use just before WW2 but:

The Tele 162 (early pyramid) would have been in use since 1933
The Tele 232 (late pyramid) would have been in use since 1938
The Tele 332 was released at the same time as the Tele 232 (1938)

So the most modern phone before WW2 was the 332 but it was not common.

Jack

Jack,

I think your dates above need moving to the left a bit.
In the UK the 162 was introduced in 1929, 232 in 1935 and 332 in 1937. I've got those dates from https://www.britishtelephones.com/ which I believe to be a reliable source.

[Jack Ryan]

Jack,

I think your dates above need moving to the left a bit.
In the UK the 162 was introduced in 1929, 232 in 1935 and 332 in 1937. I've got those dates from https://www.britishtelephones.com/ which I believe to be a reliable source.

I'm not in the UK, I'm in Australia. Sorry, I thought you could tell by the way I write.

Regards
Jack

[tubaman]

I'm not in the UK, I'm in Australia. Sorry, I thought you could tell by the way I write.

Regards
Jack

Jack,
I did have my suspicions when you posted the photo of an Australian 332 (can tell by the plug), but I wouldn't have known otherwise.

[Babybearjs]

why do you ask? for the US, its obviouse, the WE 400 series.... I still have them and they work great!

[dsk]

why do you ask? for the US, its obviouse, the WE 400 series.... I still have them and they work great!

The war changed focus from design and development to other things, so this is a time where we could compare the differences between countries. Rotaries were definitely not everywhere, but usually in the capitals, and as mentioned. Here in Norway even when the bakelite version was introduced in 1932, Oslo still used the their square metal box.
It was more expensive to make, but still...

[Jack Ryan]

why do you ask? for the US, its obviouse, the WE 400 series.... I still have them and they work great!

I had assumed we were talking about residential sets. The AE 40 would have to be a contender.

Jack

[Babybearjs]

I understood the thread as what was Installed IN the Capital prior to WWII. (or during) there is a picture of one of the presidents with a 464 on his desk.... anyway, thats what I understopod it to be....

[dsk]

I understood the thread as what was Installed IN the Capital prior to WWII. (or during) there is a picture of one of the presidents with a 464 on his desk.... anyway, thats what I understopod it to be....

That is not wrong! I did not think about special persons, but the common telephone owner. I did never specify this.
For me, it is more of an interest to see what was the last level of telephones before the war. New design of telephones was not a priority for some years, and after the war a lot of new ideas came up, and depending on the state of the different countries the development turned out to be variable for at least the first 5 years. Norway was dependent of The Marshall Plan, and the first "new" telephone came here in 1953, an it was actually pretty equal tot he circuitry of the WE 302 but in a more modern thermo-plastic combined wall tabletop phone.

[countryman]

Isn't a 464 more or less a multiline 302?

[andre_janew]

Yes, the 464 would be a multiline version of the 302.  The single line 302 would be the phone for the common person. 

[19and41]

I have photos of my grandparent's living room from before the war.  They had the phone that preceded the 300 series.  I can't find a reference to properly identify the model.

[dsk]

I have photos of my grandparent's living room from before the war.  They had the phone that preceded the 300 series.  I can't find a reference to properly identify the model.

I am sure someone here may identify it.
All who had phone in my family lived in magneto areas...
dsk