Antique Load Center?

Load center is a marketing term and not defined by the NEC. That would be by NEC definition a panelboard.

Panelboard. A single panel or group of panel units designed for assembly in the form of a single panel, including buses and automatic overcurrent devices, and equipped with or without switches for the control of light, heat, or power circuits; designed to be placed in a cabinet or cutout box placed in or against a wall, partition, or other support; and accessible only from the front.
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I would call it a panelboard.
Load center is a marketing term, not an NEC or UL one, it is usually used to describe a feature/cost reduced panelboard intended for residential installations. Modern loadcenters, using miniature circuit breakers were introduced about 75 years ago.
 
That thing is pretty crazy. What is isolating the busbars from the can? Is the bottom busbar a non-isolated neutral? Is it service equipment??

Were panelboards always a manufacturered and listed thing? I ask because this thing almost looks like it might have been field assembled.
 
I think I see now that the box is some kind if thick non-metallic material. What's with the rectangles that appear to have two screws from the back?

Just curious.
 
jaggedben said:
That thing is pretty crazy. What is isolating the busbars from the can? Is the bottom busbar a non-isolated neutral? Is it service equipment??

Were panelboards always a manufacturered and listed thing? I ask because this thing almost looks like it might have been field assembled.
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If you look carefully, the whole thing appears to be made out of wood, or possibly Bakelite.
 
gadfly56 said:
I totally forgot about that. I've seen pictures, actually posted in this forum, if I recall.
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This was recently I was going through my scrap pile, saw those and just wanted to pull out the copper bits. I didnt know the back was slate. I couldnt get some of the bolts out so I decided to wack it with a sledge hammer to see if that helped. It certainly caught me off-guard when the whole thing practically exploded into a million pieces!
 
I think the enclosure is Bakelite, the small rectangular plates are for etching labels, and I'm guessing the main fuses are a modification, that the incoming feeds originally landed at the left ends of the buses.
 
jaggedben said:
I think I see now that the box is some kind if thick non-metallic material. What's with the rectangles that appear to have two screws from the back?

Just curious.
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Typically made of Bakelite looks like this was custom made by a switchboard manufacturer. Many of these are still in existence in NYC. The rectangles are phenolic labels that can be engraved to identify the branch circuit fuse.
 
Copper busbar, copper or brass screws, copper feeders, probably DC rated fuses, slate walls?, I bet that will last another 100 years.
 
I always thought the backing was slate. They will last forever. I worked on one in a local town hall. The panelboard was made in Worcester, MA which was about 20 miles from the job. Forgot the name on it. It was all fuses. The building was built in 1939. Only problem with the panel was very narrow gutter space. Otherwise in excellent shape and still in service as far as I know.

The metal on the panel enclosure was at least 3/16 if not 1/4" thick. No Greenlee KO punch would touch it and had to uses a hole saw which was a trick with the narrow gutter space and packed with wire.
 
jaggedben said:
I think I see now that the box is some kind if thick non-metallic material. What's with the rectangles that appear to have two screws from the back?

Just curious.
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Yep, slate. Literally rock, drilled and formed to become the walls and back of the box. I've taken a few out, they are extremely heavy!

Panelboard? Meh, I'd just call it a "fusebox". But I suppose that because the "definition" of panelboard, at least in the NEC, is so vague, it would qualify.
 
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