Western Electric 2C2 Type Coin locks

[Jf510]

I have a Western Electric 2C2 Type Coin telephone and in my previous blog on how to wire it to work I was told that the lock used was a 30C. My question now is,  is the 30C for the upper housing as well as the lower cover for the coin box or are the locks different? If different then what would that number be? I do have that "T" handle to open it up. Thanks so much.

[poplar1]

Each 30C lock (for the vault) has a serial number with matching key. So only someone with the right key -- not the repairman -- could open the vault door to retrieve the coins.

The upper lock for single slot coin phones was a 29-type (29A in Bell areas). While the locks were physically similar, all the pay phones in a given area could be opened with the same key for installation or maintenance. There is a 2- or 3-digit suffix on the lock to indicate which area. For example, 29A76 locks were used in the Atlanta area.

[Jf510]

I do see way more often 30C locks with keys in ebay  than other type lock & keys and the price seems reasonable on the 30C so I wanted to make sure it would work on the upper as well as lower coin box door. So it will work?

[Payphone installer]

Upper lock was a 29A lower lock could be 30 A-B-C or a 14 A-B-C orD

[RotarDad]

I believe the 29A and the 30 series are physically interchangeable, correct?  The phone would be more correct with a 29A upper is what you are saying, I believe.  There is a reasonable 29A available on Ebay now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201281969183

Hope this helps!

[Jf510]

So the 29A would also work as well as a 30C for my 2C2 coin phone? I didn't know they are interchangeable.

[ESalter]

The 29 and 30 type locks are interchangeable only because of the way the mounts in the phones are made.  If you look at them, the front of a 29 is flat, where a 30 has the keyway sticking up.  So, when mounted the front of that keyway is flush with the front of the phone.  The upper lock isn't like that, so the keyway of the lock is recessed by the thickness of the stainless steel front plate of the phone.  If you were to put a 30 type lock in the top, it would mount flush also.  That wouldn't be "correct" though.  Like everyone has been saying, it would have had a 29A-XX for an upper lock and a 30 A, B, or C for the vault.  The 30 As, Bs, and Cs are essentially the same, just different revisions of the same lock.

---Eric

[Jf510]

Thanks for that info.

[Payphone installer]

29A is the proper lock for the top these were all keyed the same in a operating company's area so that the installer could always access the upper housing to work on the phone. The 29A upper was made with the ability to break into if need be by the installer. So the lock is not as secure as the 30 or 14 type locks. If these locks failed the only way to access the vault is by drilling the door. You never drill the lock. Installing a 30 type lock or 14 type in the upper housing will insure you will have to destroy the upper if you loose the key.