On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:27:05 -0500, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

Jules wrote:

On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:33:57 -0500, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:10:44 -0600, Jules
wrote:

Ahh, I've got a 1940's-vintage 164:

http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/images/164_Black.jpg

Those crazy brits- they put the numbers on the dial backwards.g

They're the same, aren't they? Both US/UK turn clockwise, with digits 1-9
followed by zero.

Hmm- brain farts here, too, I guess. All that space on the right
makes it look different.

Yes, the dial on the WE phones does look to be rotated a little more than
the UK ones I've seen - maybe that was common for all 'vintage' US dial
phones?

Neat old box. I can't remember ever seeing anything but light oak-
but then I only worked for one rural telco- that had absorbed 2-3 others
by 1972. When I got there in 72 we had not yet retired the
operator from the last company.

The one I have's a bit beaten up, but then I bet it's pretty old (there's
no indication of a date on it, and I've not found anywhere online which
says when that style was made - but far as I know it was intended for use
with the old "candlestick" style phones, and I think they'd been made
obselete by the early '30s)

Incidentally, not sure where in the US folk can see a big old
Strowger-type electromechanical exchance working? I bet there's one in a
museum or two somewhere (I saw one in a museum out in New Zealand a few
years ago and they're pretty fascinating to see and hear clicking away)

cheers

Jules