July 20th, 1969. Anybody out there with a Moon Landing phone (or close)?

[JorgeAmely]

Hi fellow Phone-aholics:

The 40th anniversary of the Moon Landing is approaching quickly. Does anybody have a phone made on that era (or close to) and want to share some pictures?

[Phonesrfun]

I was glued to the TV.  I remember it very well. 

Here is a link to a website that has the actual phone:

http://www.porticus.org/bell/images/nixon_phone.jpg ( dead link 02-17-22 )

and here is a better image of that phone.

I just did a google search for the keywords Nixon moon telephone, and quite a bit came up about the event.

-Bill

[mienaichizu]

very neat green telephone, I like it!

what's the purpose of the controls on the side?

[Phonesrfun]

Mienaichizu:

Those buttons were typically added to business phones and phones in offices to ring buzzers to signal other people for various purposes.  The President of the US would have definitely had such buttons for summoning his assistants.

It is kind of interesting that Nixon had that great big humongous Call Director console of Johnson's taken out of the oval office and replaced with a 6-button key set.  Johnson was a real control nut, but Nixon, despite the downsizing of the "executive phone", still got himself in a world of hurt over the things he did with the phones.

-Bill

[McHeath]

That's a pretty cool phone, love the color and how it's so pristine looking.  It's interesting that it's so much simpler than the phone Johnson used, not any more sophisticated really than a Radio Shack 2500 multiline phone I had on my desk in the 80's at one job. 

[Dan/Panther]

Jorge;
The closest I can get is a WE502, from March 1969. Hardwired matching numbers, gold base.
D/P

[JorgeAmely]

This is the closest I could find to launch date: January 1969, all parts original.

[foots]

Y'all are lucky to find phones with the matching line cords and plugs. Most phones I come across have had the cords either chopped off or have been replaced with flat gray modular cords.

[jsowers]

I found something. I remembered the pink Trimline my cousin Kay gave me for Christmas several years ago was a 1969 phone. It was hers when she was a teenager. Technically it's a refurb from 1969 with a 1968 chassis. It's a little faded, but not bad for 40 years old.

The handset housing has the date stamp I was looking for. 7-69!   

So Jorge, what do I win? A 1969 Oldsmobile? That was my first car. A Nassau blue four-door with a Rocket 455 2-barrel that cost all of $750. It got me all the way through college. I attached a picture of one similar to it, but it's a hardtop. Same color, though. Best car I ever owned.

[JorgeAmely]

Jonathan:

You get lots of bragging rights.   

[HobieSport]

That seems pretty nice of your cousin to thoughtfully give you her own teenage trimline phone as a present. This reminds me that I should let all of my friends and relatives know of my evil interest in mid-century phones.

And that Oldsmobile looks great!

[jsowers]

Yes, it was nice of her and I need to thank her again and ask her more about the phone.

The car in the picture isn't mine. It's from an auction for one almost exactly like my first car, which was a 4-door sedan and didn't have a vinyl top, but otherwise was the same car. Needless to say, the one in the auction went for a lot more than $750. Mine came from my uncle Harold, who was an Oldsmobile man from way back, owning six of them from 1955-76. I owned it from 1976-1983 and it was still running fine when I sold it.

And Jorge, since I don't win a car, I guess I'll have to put everyone to sleep bragging. 

[Dan]

Just out of curiosity sake, I have a few dial trimlines I want to date. How do you take off the housing to get to the date underneath?

[Phonesrfun]

The handset part should have two screws locted underneath the plastic number card holder.  Sometimes it was a piece of plastic colored the same color as the phone with the Bell System logo on it.  The outer shell should lift up from one end and be held in place with plastic tabs or fingers on the other end.

The base cover should come off with a couple screws located in the metal base (if we are talking about an earlier phone)

-Bill

[jsowers]

While I was writing the below instructions, Bill said it in a lot fewer sentences. If anyone wants the detailed version, read on...

The handset housing is removed by carefully removing the insert above the dial and then you will see two screws. By careful, I mean try not to scratch the plastic.

Sometimes there's a number card in there and sometimes there's a Western Electric Bell System insert in there (as on my pink phone) the same color as the phone. The earlier models have that color insert. There's a small hole in one side and you can use a bent paper clip, or if you're lucky enough to have a dial removal tool, it should do the trick. You push it sideways, the insert bows, and then you push up, or lift it with your fingernail if you can.

This is also the location of the lamp that lights the dial in the older models. Older Trimlines used a 6VAC transformer like Princess phones did. There should be an aluminum piece with a hole. Be sure to get that back in there when you reassemble the handset. When reassembling, be careful not to over-tighten the handset screws. The hole for the screws is plastic and it cracks easily.

You will also need to remove the coil cord before the handset housing will come off. The large modular ends of the early Trimlines are a little difficult to remove and if you're lucky you have a metal clip. The plastic clips tend to break, so be careful here too. Insert a large bent paper clip in the small slot under the coil cord where it meets the housing and press toward the cord while pulling out. This flattens the clip so it will release. It takes a bit of dexterity and a few tries. Sometimes a small screwdriver will work better here. I used a dial removal tool, which is a stiff pin with a handle.

The base also has dates inside and removes in a similar way. There's a number card on the top of the base and behind that are the two screws that usually are captive ones (they stay in the housing).

Most Trimlines and ITT lookalikes open the above way. If anyone wants pictures, let me know and I'll take some and post them in Technical Stuff.