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Where phones built.

Started by Dan/Panther, October 18, 2008, 03:05:25 PM

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Dan/Panther

Does the country of origin, have a bearing on the collectability of a phone ?

I have a 591, built in Canada. Is it less collectable, than if it were made in the United States, or were they all made in Canada. It's the 500 design phone with the volume control handset.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

BDM

Hmmm, one thing I've found Dan is that most collectors go after US built sets. Regardless of manufacture. Similar to the radios in a sense. Anything vintage with Made in U.S.A. seems to bring the want up and the bucks in. With the exception of European items, this holds to be true, generally ;)
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

bingster

I think it's the fact that they weren't originally used here that causes people to not be as gun-ho for them.  People want exactly what would have been found in American houses in the past, and that means (for most folks) Western Electric.  It seems to make little difference that Northern Electric phones are identical other than the name stamped on the handset.  I don't care either way--They're both Bell System, after all.
= DARRIN =



Dan/Panther

Bingster;
It says, and has all the W.E. Markings, under the base, and along the handset it says Made in Canada.
Weren't made in Canada items found in American homes ?

D/P


The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

bingster

I don't know anything about that particular handset, Dan.  I suppose it's possible that only Northern Electric made that handset, and so it was used by Western Electric.  But when one encounters a situation like that, it's usually a case of a handset swap by a collector, since all Northern/Western parts are interchangeable.
= DARRIN =



McHeath

Exactly where were the factories that made WE phones?  I've heard of Shreveport and Indianapolis, where there others?  What's become of the those factories?

BDM

Quote from: McHeath on October 20, 2008, 11:35:52 PM
Exactly where were the factories that made WE phones?  I've heard of Shreveport and Indianapolis, where there others?  What's become of the those factories?

Answered in order: yes, yes, not sure, gone, history :-[
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

JimH

Quote from: BDM on October 21, 2008, 12:32:56 AM
Quote from: McHeath on October 20, 2008, 11:35:52 PM
Exactly where were the factories that made WE phones?  I've heard of Shreveport and Indianapolis, where there others?  What's become of the those factories?

Answered in order: yes, yes, not sure, gone, history :-[
Like everything else in this country, it's now made in China.
Jim H.

bingster

Quote from: McHeath on October 20, 2008, 11:35:52 PM
Exactly where were the factories that made WE phones?  I've heard of Shreveport and Indianapolis, where there others?  What's become of the those factories?

I found a list of Western Electric facilities that will tell you the locations of the plants and what each made.  This comes from the 1964 WE publication "Western Electric and the Bell System."



BALTIMORE WORKS
Baltimore, Md.
Occupied 1930
Toll, exchange, coaxial, and submarine cable; Telephone cords and plugs; Cable terminals; Terminal strips and protectors; Rubber-covered wire

BUFFALO PLANT
Tonawanda, N. Y.
Occupied 1946
Equipment wiring cable; Telephone cords; Enameled wire; Insulated wire

INDIANAPOLIS WORKS
(Main Plant)
Indianapolis, Ind.
Occupied 1950
Telephone sets and components

Washington Street Shop
Indianapolis, Ind.
Occupied 1957
Miscellaneous subscriber apparatus

KEARNY WORKS
(Main Plant)
Kearny, N. J.
Occupied 1925
Switchboards and consoles; Key equipment; Cable, wire; Miscellaneous wired equipment; Relays, jacks, keys

Marion Shops
Jersey City, N. J.
Occupied 1947
Portable test sets; Rectifiers; Power equipment

Fair Lawn Shops
Fair Lawn, N. J.
Occupied 1956
Coils, resistors, transformers, keys

Clark Shop
Clark Township, N. J.
Occupied 1959
Submarine cable repeaters and components

Queensboro Shop
Middle Village, N. Y.
Occupied 1929
Miscellaneous woodwork

COLUMBUS WORKS
Columbus, Ohio
Occupied 1959
Crossbar and electronic switching equipment; Relays, including wire spring type Inductors, transformers, networks

HAWTHORNE WORKS
(Main Plant)
Chicago, Illinois
Occupied 1905
Step-by-step, panel, and electronic PBX switching equipment; announcement systems, power equipment, cable, wire; Relays, capacitors, switches, jacks, keys; Transformers, inductors, networks; Ferrites, tools

Clearing Shops
Bedford Pk., Illinois
Occupied 1937
Steel strand; Pole line hardware

Montgomery Shops
Montgomery, Illinois
Occupied 1955
Data-Phone data sets; Wire spring relays; Test sets

OKLAHOMA CITY WORKS
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Occupied 1960
Crossbar switching equipment; Coin telephones; Relays; Resistors

OMAHA WORKS
Omaha, Neb.
Occupied 1958
Crossbar and PBX switching equipment; Relays, including wire spring type; Cable and wire

ALLENTOWN WORKS
Allentown, Pa.
Occupied 1948
Semiconductors; Electron tubes; Dry reed and mercury switches; Mercury relays; Switchboard lamps

KANSAS CITY WORKS
Lee's Summit, Mo.
Occupied 1961
Semiconductors; Electron tubes and switchboard lamps; Dry reed and mercury switches; Telephone repeaters; Carrier and microwave radio relay equipment

LAURELDALE PLANT
Laureldale, Pa.
Occupied 1952
Semiconductors; Electron tubes

MERRIMACK VALLEY WORKS
(Main Plant)
North Andover, Mass.
Occupied 1956
Carrier and radio relay, telephone, telegraph and television transmission equipment; Telephone and telegraph repeaters, coils, transformers, capacitors, resistors, ferrites; Synthetic quartz crystal

Lawrence Shop
Lawrence, Mass.
Occupied 1957
BELLBOY® receivers; Telephone repeaters and carrier

NORTH CAROLINA WORKS
(Main Plant)
Winston-Salem, N. C.
Occupied 1954
Transmission equipment; In-band signaling units; Wage guide type equipment

Chatham Road Shops
Winston-Salem, N. C.
Occupied 1946
Military equipment

Waughtown Street Shops
Winston-Salem, N. C.
Occupied 1947
Military relays, deposited carbon resistors, capacitors ; Missile guidance equipment

Burlington Shops
Burlington, N. C.
Occupied 1946
Military equipment; Speakerphone

Greensboro Shops
Greensboro, N.C.
Occupied 1950
Missile guidance equipment; Printed wiring boards; Data transmission systems; Precision gears and servo mechanisms

= DARRIN =



McHeath

Wow!  Great list, good work there bingster.  Wonder what goes on in these factories today?  Anybody live near any of them? 

Mark Stevens

Quote from: McHeath on October 28, 2008, 10:02:25 PM
Wow!  Great list, good work there bingster.

I second that. Wow, this forum is turning into an excellent resource for collector info! Thanks bingster, a lot.