Quiz: How far are you from its home town?

[JorgeAmely]

In my case, 2323 miles.

What about you?

Before and after picture follows.

[Dan/Panther]

2220..
D/P

My reasoning is that you are about as far west as you can get, so it must be East of you and you are 100 miles west of me....is it by the way Chicago ?

[Steve]

I dont care where it comes from. that is a sexy phone. what make is it?

[Dan/Panther]

My guess it's a Kellogg.
D/P

[bingster]

Nope, not a Kellogg.  I'm precisely 427 miles from its hometown.

Absolutely beautiful job.  It looks like it just came out of it's box from the factory.

[Phonesrfun]

North Electric, Galion, OH  Model 541.  North's early attempt at the Western Electric cross-licensing agreement for the 500, but also an attempt to retain some originality of design.

Stromberg Carlson and Kellogg both tried the same tactic, and eventually all of them fell in line and wound up making exact WE 500 knock-off's.  Right down to the nuts and bolts, at least for a while.

Oh, and by the way, Superb restoration job!  Looks like there was some work involved in that dial number ring!


-Bill

[bingster]

We should have made Dan find the location by triangulating the distances! 

[Phonesrfun]

We should have made Dan find the location by triangulating the distances! 

I added to my post since first sending, but yes,  lets see the coordinates right down to the n'th decimal like on the GPS screen.

-Bill

[foots]

I'm a little late to the party, but when I saw the 2nd picture, I guessed in my mind North Electric - then read the rest of the post. The handset is what gave it away - it resembles the one on my signal corps galion.
I must admit Jorge, you do some seriously good work. How common are these phones?

[mienaichizu]

that's a really nice restoration job jorge

[Dan]

I live in Ohio, but have never really bothered to look where North Galion is...

[Dennis Markham]

Dan, I think it's just Galion, OH.  The North Electric Co., of Galion, OH.  About 70 miles north of Columbus.  Just over 200 miles south of me.

[JorgeAmely]

Bill is right, it is not a Kellogg, and it is not from Chicago (thus not an Automatic Electric). It is a North Electric Model N-541, with option N-546 (coiled handset cord).

Essentially, it is a WE500 in disguise, because the speaker, mike and network are from Western Electric. The dial, hook switch, plastics, base and body are from the North Electric Company, located at 553 South Market Street, in Galion, Ohio.

This phone came from Jeff Webber, the ex-owner of one of the smallest phone companies in the United States. He had the ambition and succeeded in providing phone service to a small island off the coast of Maine (near Acadia National Park). I think he had some 30 to 40 customers in the entire island. All the equipment was provided by North Electric. If you ever happen to visit Maine, stop by The Telephone Museum in the town of Ellsworth to see the PBX room (minus the RF transmitter).

The numbers wheel and the dial needed some work, because someone dropped a liquid into the phone. Although the recessed finger wheel looks very elegant, it was a trap for dust and liquids. And removing the wheel to clean underneath it, must not have been very welcome by the repair man, because at any time the spring may unwind if not kept captive by the finger wheel retaining screw.

It is a very elegant phone and has many design elements from the older all bakelite cousin, also from North Electric. I don't know how common they are. Perhaps not too common, because they were produced in smaller quantities compared to the 500. They came in many colors, but I only have two in black and once I saw a white model.

[HobieSport]

It really is an elegant looking phone, Jorge, the handset especially.  Uh oh, now I want one!

[Dennis Markham]

Thank you Jorge for posting those photos.  Like Hobie, I want one too!  And when I get one, guess where I'm sending it for a custom refurbish job?!