On Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:19:51 +0000 (UTC) Jerry Peters
wrote in Message id: :


There are 3 position wall switches available. The middle position puts
a diode in series to dim the lights, full-on bypasses the diode. My
parents had one of these switches in their dining room, until the
diode opened, when it was replaced with a regular dimmer.

Odd, I have one of those in the bathroom, but the *center* position is
off. Probably from the 1930's or 1940's, but I'm just guessing. The house
originally built in 1850 is knob and tube wiring, much of it replaced with
Romex.