GPO No. 1

[wds]

I picked this up  from Ebay this week, and am trying to find out the history behind this phone.  It's labeled a No. 1, but I always thought the first GPO candlestick was a No. 2.  It's labeled W-24, which is 1924 made by STC - North Woolwich, London (Western Electric pre-1925).  Was this phone made by Western Electric for GPO?  Shaft and base is nickel plated steel.  If nothing else, it is a good looking phone.  The transmitter has a date of 1924, the perch is dated 1931.  I assume the phone was updated in 1931 to add the dial. 

[LarryInMichigan]

That's a beautiful phone.  You just keep doing it .  I wonder if the brass parts were originally painted/japanned or nickel plated.  I see a modular phone plug on the end of the cord.  Was a network installed in this phone?

Larry

[wds]

No network - I'll remove the plug when I clean the phone up for display.  The stem and base has some black on the inside, so maybe it was nickel plated later in life. 

[teka-bb]

The stick is a GPO type 2 manufactured by Western Electric International. It has a GPO type one transmitter made by the original GEC company in 1924. The set was nickled in 1940 by the Western Electric Co. when the GPO (number 10?) dial was added.

Are there any markings on the perch and the dial?

[wds]

On the right side of the perch, above the bolt it says W31, below the bolt 4068B.  On the dial back, it says W32    PAT178936    4002J , then on the center ring, (can't see in the picture)  PAT289244

[wds]

I did plug it in to test it, and the transmitter and receiver work just fine.  Nice and clear.

[wds]

I haven't figured out how to remove the center dial ring yet.  The number faceplate is a little different than any of my other faceplates.  The numbers are carved down into the white plate.  The white is thicker than paint, and almost seems like Ivory.  I'm anxious to remove the fingerwheel and take a closer look at the number plate.

[LarryInMichigan]

The finger wheel should be held in the center by a screw.  It is probably necessary to remove the finger stop before removing the finger wheel.

Larry

[wds]

I'm trying to get the center dial card ring off.  The ring seems to be spring loaded.  Can't find any instructions on how to remove that ring.

[wds]

I found a site that explains how to get the ring off, but I'm still not having any luck.  Don't want to damage anything, and I don't need it off, so I'll wait and experiment on another dial.  Here's a link that shows how to remove the center ring.

http://antiquephones.blogspot.com/

[LarryInMichigan]

Both the number card and the face pate are held by snap rings which can be incredibly difficult to remove after decades of dirt, and sometimes rust, collects around them.  I use a very small jeweler's type screwdriver (Dollar Tree sells sets of them) to carefully pry the ring away from one of the sides. 

One of my GPO dials was missing the snap ring for the card retainer.  I was able to replace it with a chrome plated key ring which fits alomst perfectly.

If it proves too difficult, and you give up, I will be happy to take the troublesome phone off of your hands

Larry

[Wallphone]

Like Larry said get a small screwdriver but what might work better is two small screwdrivers. Once you get the first one inserted right where the the split in the ring is, get the second one in next to it and start working it around. When you get far enough away from the first screw driver you should be able to flip the ring out of the recess with the first screw driver. Do you know what dial it is yet? The link you posted was for a Type 12. The Type 10 should have a patent number stamped on the finger wheel.
Doug Pav

[Wallphone]

Here is some info on the Type 12 dial. < http://www.britishtelephones.com/dial1.htm#d12 >
Doug Pav

[wds]

I finally got it off.  Had to use two screw drivers at the same time.  Like rubbing your head and belly at the same time?  There are no markings on the fingerwheel or fingerstop.  Just the markings on the back of the dial that I mentioned earlier.  I've compared it to the #10 pictures, and it seems to be a match.  The number plate is either thick plastic, or bakelite.  

[Stephen Furley]

Take great care when removing those rings.  As you've no doubt found now one end of the ring is bent down, and fits into a small hole at the six o'clock position, and the ring is then sprung into position, like a large internal circlip.  Removing the end or the clip can sometimes be tricky, it's easy to scratch the finger wheel if the screwdriver sips.  Worse, the ring can suddenly come out and go flying; I've had a near miss when one hit me in the face, and the sharp end of the metal drew blood.  This was within about 20 mm or so of my eye.  I now always keep one thumb holding down the ring close to where it bends down into the hole, while prying out the other end.  I don't release the thumb until I've got enough of the ring free from its groove to get a firm grip on it with the fingers of the other hand.  It may also be advisable to wear goggles or safety glasses if you've got any.