The Western Electric 354

[Sargeguy]

I picked up a 354 and a 356 off eBay recently for cheap.  I put them aside while I worked on some of my other projects.  In fact I cannibalized the 354 for its handset when I was selling one of my phones and needed a functional handset.  Since those projects are completed  I figured I'd wire up the 354 (the 356 is a strange bird and will have to wait a bit).  I started by wiring it up to see if all the parts worked.  I gave it a brand newish shiny F1 handset I acquired in a recent eBay haul.  I plugged it in to my trusty 4-prong jack and...Nothing.  No tone.  No ring.  So I cracked it open to have a look inside.  Now I had thought a 354 was the vertical equivalent of a 302, but I was wrong.  Upon closer inspection, there is some odd stuff going on in here.  The 101B coil is missing the L1 and L2 connections and has RR and a blob of solder instead.  The wires all seem to converge on a panel where the ringer wires attach, only the panel is larger.  Once I found my reading glasses.  I could see the L2 and GND labels (the other one must be L1 I presumed).  The cord was wired a$$-backwards however, with the yellow on L1 and the red on L2 and the green on the ground or something.  darn those party lines!!!  Once I switched the mounting cord wires around, I hooked it up and voila!  I got tone.  It even dialed out.  Unfortunately I can't call anyone to test it at this hour, nor can I test the ring lest I wake the baby, which would be bad.  I will give it a full trial in the morning.  I still need to disassemble it for cleaning and refurbishing, so we'll see how it works after that!!!

[Dennis Markham]

Good job Greg.  Wasn't that fun?!

[Sargeguy]

So far, so good.  I have started cleaning and polishing the housing-still fun.

[Sargeguy]

UPDATE:  My 354 parts phone arrived in the mail today.  It is wired exactly like a typical 302, with a normal network and ringer panel.   

Also, its strange how F1 handsets fetch $7 on eBay, unless they are attached to a 354, in which case they are only $6.50.

[Sargeguy]

Alighty, can anyone tell me (or show a picture of) how a 354 should be mounted.   ihave seen them mounted on boards like a sub-set but what is the proper, original method?  Do I just drill a hole in the wall and feed some station wire down it?  Were they hung on the wall and plugged into a jack?

[bingster]

I never understood the backboards.  I'm not sure if they were used by some local Bells and not others, or if they were used in certain circumstances and not others.  Whichever is the case, out our way I never saw one as a kid--Chesapeake & Potomac seemed to mount their phones directly to the wall with screws, running station wire to the phone.  Either up a piece of door casing and then at a 90 degree angle to the phone, or if the phone wasn't near a door, straight up from the floor.  My grandparents' kitchen phone, though, had it's station wire inside the wall, with the end coming out a little hole behind the phone.

[Sargeguy]

Perfect.  I think I will go with the running wire up the wall.  It will be be about 6" from moldings on each side and I have a NOS bakelite block I can mount on the basesoard, so it should be easy.  I just wanted to make sure that was authentic.  Also drilling through the horsehair plaster and slats can then fishing wire is a pain while going up through the floor is a piece of cake.