How Many of you Collectors of Telephones are also in the Industry

[Doug Rose]

I have worked in the Industry for over 35 years and have collected phones for over 35 years. Coincidence?? Found my first manual 302 at a flea market for $8. When I got it working I was hooked. I always have an old phone on my desk at work. People are amazed that it works.

How many of you work in the telephone trades??....Doug

[zaphod01]

My grandfather worked for the phone company all his adult life. I grew up playing in the narrow aisles of the local exchange (FEderal). Every tool he had, and all the ones he gave me, were marked Western Electric. I'm sure he 'borrowed' these.

He was a self taught electrical engineer with a sixth grade education. He designed the circuit that allowed the phone company to test a line without taking it out of service. I have a copy rolled up in a tube around here somewhere. Another copy hung in the lobby of 1 Bell Plaza. They paid him in stock which turned out to be a great source of income in his retirement.

I've been working in IT for the last 35 years and it has involved lots of phone interaction. I started out working with 300 baud acoustical modems and DAA's. You weren't allowed to connect directly to the Bell phone line when I started in 'Data Processing' in 1978.

What a change over the years!

[southernphoneman]

I am not but I want to apply for a job with my local carrier, which is Centurylink.

[baldopeacock]

Broadcast engineering/operations most of my career.   We've made lots of use of telephone technology over the years, from ringdowns between control rooms and sites, to program audio over phone lines -- we were still getting network video/audio over Telco lines not all that long ago.

[jsowers]

I've been in the IT department of a school system since before there was IT. I started in 1985 when we had just a few computers. In the late 1980s we installed a PhoneNet network and our central office was all Mac. I got to use a punchdown tool for the first time and used the yellow and black pairs to connect all the computers to the network with 66 blocks. It worked very well for what it did. This was before the internet, though in the 1990s we had a Shiva NetModem that did dialup over the network one computer at a time.

Up until they replaced the PBX at the office, I got to use my own 554 in my office, and a Bell Chime that I wired up in the wiring closet so I'd know when my phone was ringing. My office was at the end of the hall.

When I started, I was the only one in the department. I did all the purchasing, pickup, delivery, repairing and bookkeeping and we had 26 schools.  Later we got a supervisor and then another technician and now it's four technicians, a supervisor and a secretary. We handle the IP phone system for the entire school system now, among many other things. I'm retiring December 1st with 30 years (counting sick leave). Boy has it changed!

[Phonesrfun]

I am an accountant at a commercial bank.  I was (years ago) a communications tech in the National Guard.  I also hold a ham radio license. Phones and electronics are purely hobbies.

[K1WI]

  Guilty as charged , worked for "Ma Bell" for just under 35 years before taking an "early retirement" Started as a "switchman" now called Central Office Tech , had stints as radio man , C.O. equipment installer , security agent ,  technical support ,and  operations manager with many short term assignments in between .
   In a way I started collecting phones and stuff well before working for the phone company. I always seemed to play around with electrical things ...remember making up a "spy" device with a carbon mike , an old headset and two blue bell batteries I liberated from an old trackside railroad phone...Hey I was a kid.  In the 50s when I was 12 I really got interested in ham radio, the gentleman that helped me with the tests was a station manager with New York Central Railroad , when I finally passed he gave me a silver key (telegraph) and a silver station masters telephone from his office as the station had just closed.Still have and use both though not so much the key.
 Since retiring from "The Company"  have had a few new fun and interesting careers but continue collecting always keeping my eyes open for the unusual that's still around.
     Andy F   K1WI

[Russ Kirk]

I started out as a PBX installer/repairman
At divestiture I became a Cable Maintenance tech
Next was an Outsider Plant Engineer
Moved to Central Office Engineering
Video and Microwave Radio engineering
and finally Wireless MTSO engineering.   

The company names changed a bit over the 30 years....
Pacific Telephone
Pacific Bell
Cingular Wireless
AT&T Mobility
and finally just plain AT&T

[AE_Collector]

37.5 years with the local Telco and now retired 3.5 months. I have you beat Doug in that I started collecting phones BEFORE going to work for the Telco. My cousing also worked for the Telco and got me a couple of old AE 40's to play with when I was probably 12 to 14 years old.

Then I "removed" a 50 from a house that was about to be demolished, got a melted 80 out of a house that had just burned down, got a GPO 150 candlestick from my parents for Christmas, bought a Northern Electric 3 slot at an Antique Store...graduated from high school and then went to work for the Telco.

First 15 years working for a subsidiary of BC Tel called CT&S (Canadian Telephones and Supplies) which was really BC Tel's Central Office Equipment Installation department. Besides CO Installation CT&S was also a labor pool for BC Tel doing PBX and I&R functions throughout British Columbia. We also did all of their security system & card access system installation work.

Next 12 years in I&R doing residential and small business Installation & repair of phone lines and ADSL as well as Coin Tel.

Then 10.5 years back in Business Division doing key systems primarily Nortel but a bit of Siemens as well, PBX again mostly Nortel and finally Centrex also coincidentally Nortel DMS100 based. Centrex was a nice relaxing way to finish as there wasnt the stress that there was in PBX.

An Early Retirement was offered in February of this year and I finally made it to the finsih line at the end of May having just turned 56 with 37.5 years of service. Now the real work begins!

Terry

[Doug Rose]

Terry...congrats on your early retirement. Yes I am envious! I turn 60 in the end of the year and have another six to go before I can even think of retirement. That being said, I do love my job and will probably stay as long as they will have me.

We are in the midst of relocating our three Boston offices into one building, the Old Bell Building on 185 Franklin St, where the Bell Museum used to be. Over 2000 users. The building has been totally redone with the Verizon Franklin St CO still on the bottom floors. Largest construction project in Boston this year. I have not had a day off since Labor Day. Sleep is overrated...Doug

[AE_Collector]

Thanks Doug. It was a difficult decision to make as I knew that I would miss the work and the people. One never knows if another "buy out" will come along so you have to give it serious consideration when it happens. It was a reality check a couple of years ago now when my dad died so that (he) influenced me as well. The clock is running and we have a LOT of travelling to do!

"Projects" such as you are involved in at the moment were always my favorite type of work over the years. That and all 1A2 Key System jobs back in the 70's and 80's!

Terry

[tipnring]

I just joined this forum and I have worked for over 35 years in the telephone industry with AGT and now Telus in Alberta. Through my job I have picked up all my old phones. And I find parts in central offices in drawers and storerooms where they have been left because no one uses the parts any more. Well I can put them to good use. Great to see all the old phones being re-furbed and put back in use.

tipnring in Alberta

[Fabius]

Retired from Verizon with a buy out with 32 years of service. I was a central office switchman and then supervisor most of my career. Also had the titles of frame man, outside plant draftsman (my first Telco job) and SS7 engineer.

I worked for the following telcos for which I got my retirement credit years: New York Telephone, Continental Telephone (CONTEL), GTE and finally Verizon. I also worked for the following but received no retirement credit: Woodbury Telephone (CT) and Citizens Utilities in AZ (their Telco operations is now Frontier).

[AE_Collector]

The clock is running and we have a LOT of travelling to do"
Terry

Looks like I am on track with my retirement plans (from Telus and BCTel before Telus). Nine cruises since June 1 last year, number 10 starts one week tomorrow and two more booked for December. Good to do the odd spot check that I havent strayed from the plan!

Welcome tipnring! I too scoured all the old ZcZo's nd phone rooms in old buildings in Vancouver. While no big finds, there was always one of these and a "thats cool" left behind for me to add to my junk room!

Terry