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Modified by Bell System

Started by HarrySmith, March 24, 2017, 03:56:45 PM

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HarrySmith

I have heard talk of people having old phones modified by Bell for use on newer lines and there have been a few posts about this. Here is one I found on eBay that really surprised me:
142316901747
I never expected a wood wall phone of this age to be "modernized" by Bell!
Complete with Bell stamp!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

mentalstampede

There was a whole kit Bell had for that. Dial should be a #6T.
My name is Kenn, and I like telephones.

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." --Robert Heinlein

unbeldi

Quote from: HarrySmith on March 24, 2017, 03:56:45 PM
I have heard talk of people having old phones modified by Bell for use on newer lines and there have been a few posts about this. Here is one I found on eBay that really surprised me:
142316901747
I never expected a wood wall phone of this age to be "modernized" by Bell!
Complete with Bell stamp!

Since we do not have copies of the repair specifications of the Bell System, we really don't know what was the modification was that is indicated in the box.  It may have been modified previously before someone changed it to the shown state.

unbeldi

#3
Quote from: mentalstampede on March 24, 2017, 04:50:14 PM
There was a whole kit Bell had for that. Dial should be a #6T.

This simply used a 685A subscriber set with a 6T dial, it is not the 581A kit.

Someone needs to open the transmitter and the receiver handset to see whether they used new transducers.

poplar1

This was a customer-owned phone that was "converted" to Common Battery dial set at the Western Electric repair shop. They made the phone equivalent to a 500 set, including a T1 transmitter and U1 or U3 receiver. At one time, they charged $25 for labor, and the added parts were then leased to the customer for the same cost as an extension 500 set. The removed parts were returned to the customer. In later years, they converted the sets on a time and material basis, which may have cost upwards of $100, but the new parts then owned by the customer.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.