Green WE 1A1 Coin Phone

[ESalter]

Hi Folks-

A week or so ago my dad and I decided to take a chance on a payphone I found on eBay.  It was a green rotary single slot, marked 1A1 on the back.  It had a buy it now of $150, so we bought it.  The pictures weren't very large or clear but I could tell it was locked and in the listing the guy said he didn't have keys but it's easy to get keys or replace the locks.  Yea, right!

So, it showed up yesterday.  It looks really nice(dated 1/67)!  First off, I've seen coin returns on 1D2s that are like a satin chrome finish.  The coin return as well as the faceplate has this satin finish.  Even cooler than that was the Bell logo on the faceplate.  Unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of before.  I haven't even seen pictures of one like that before!  Anyway, it has a 29A upper lock, but the vault lock was removed.  I decided instead of trying to get a key to fit the upper lock, I'd just cut it open.  After an hour or so of cutting and drilling I pulled the lock bolt in with pliers, stuck in a skate key and took the upper housing.  It has a later totalizer, like a C type phone would have, but no complaints here!  It's marked 1A1 on the back, the inside of the upper housing, and inside the vault. 

Another interesting thing is the dial.  I thought the fingerwheels were held on by a set screw, this one isn't.  It has the small pin hole just like a regular fingerwheel...  Except the hole doesn't go all the way through the plastic.  I had to reach behind the fingerwheel with a dental pick to release it.  The fingerwheel definitely is a payphone fingerwheel because it has the extra "depth" around the outside edge. 

Point being, lots of differences between this one and anything else we have.  I thought it was pretty neat so I took some pictures to share.  Also, the instruction cards on it have a revision date of 2005, so it was actually in service until some point after that.

---Eric

[ESalter]

Here is a picture of the lock and "pieces" after we got it taken out.

[DavePEI]

Here is a picture of the lock and "pieces" after we got it taken out.

Its not easy, but it is one of the only choices when you can't get a key....

I have drilled out quite a few - the worst one was one on a Millennium.

Nice phone.

Dave

[ESalter]

This one was a 29A-18.  I had a different 29A laying around that we cut apart a little while ago, so we opened that one up to see how it was made, that made cutting this one apart a lot easier.  A dremel tool with a cutoff wheel was the most helpful tool.  First I cut around the outside of the key guide so it was loose.  I then cut into it where it was bent over.  After that I was able to pry up on the opposite side and the front of it just fell off.  I was then able to wiggle around the rest of the guide(still inside the lock) to get it out.  After that I just started carefully drilling holes to weaken the brass plates inside and started breaking them apart and pulling the pieces out.  I was really surprised at how easy it went.  I wish I would have taken pictures as I did all this, but didn't. 

I'm glad the vault lock was gone, I don't think I would have been able to do this to that one.

---Eric