Care to fill me in?

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76nemo

76nemo

Senior Member
Location
Ogdensburg, NY
Had to do some telephone patching for a lady and found this. I've never seen one before, I know, I'm still young:roll: It was thee original split as it entered the house. It's Western Electric:

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No date code stamped on it.
 
1940's maybe. We have a subdivision here that was built right after WW II. Every one of them had one of those on it at one time. The houses were built out of Army surplus munitions crates from the local arsenal.
 
I occasionally run into them on older homes but they are a bit different then that one. I agree that is a surge or lightning arrestor for the phone lines.
 
090315-1505 EST

Your lightning arrestor may date from before the mid 1920s.

I did a Google search using --- "telephone history" of the "lightning arrestor" ---

A couple of references from the above search did not provide much useful information on lightning arrestors.
http://www.bobsoldphones.net/Pages/Skeletal/Skeletal.htm
http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/bitstream/1892/9903/1/b3617421x.pdf

Early phones, 1800s, appear to have had some form of lightning arrestor at the phone rather than at the entry to the home and probably did not connect to ground.

Your photo of the arrestor is similar to what was in our home when I was young. It is still there or a replacement of the original. It was located in the joists near where the phone cable entered the wall.

Also I grew up with the candlestick type of phone where the ringer and talkback transformer were in a separate box on the wall. When you picked up the receiver a voice would say "operator" or "number please". Our number at that time was 317J, and we were on a party line.

On the origin of Bakelite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite
My uncle had used Bakelite as a base plate in building a radio in the early 1920s. Quite clearly Bakelite was used as an insulator shortly after its invention.

.
 
electricalperson said:
anything thats porcelein was made before they had plastic so it was around the 30s or so. anything made from bakelite or anything like that is a little newer
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True, but porceline was available after the 30's. I'm guessing that block was made around 1949, specifically Sept 1949 based on the "I-49" stamped on it.
 
iwire said:
Or maybe Jan 98?

I mean if we are just guessing.
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LOL Bob, one thing I am 100% sure of is that the "98-A" is a model number, as that follows the standard model numbering system of Western Electric (the maker of this device, as can be partially read embossed near the top.)

The old WE cinema sound systems were all model numbered in a similar format.
 
I have something somewhat similar in this ancient house that I've been curious about for some time. Think I have the answer now.

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mxslick said:
LOL Bob, one thing I am 100% sure of is that the "98-A" is a model number, as that follows the standard model numbering system of Western Electric (the maker of this device, as can be partially read embossed near the top.)

The old WE cinema sound systems were all model numbered in a similar format.
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The model number on the cover is "305 A"
lightning002.jpg
 
Western Electric 98-A arrester. Under that screw cap you see two carbons from each side to ground. Those red tubes on either side are fuses. Carbons and fuses are replaceable, matter of fact I still have some fuses brand new.

Check Art 800 to see when fuses are required on a primary protector. Fuses normally aren't used anymore in an NID but many protectors still use carbons. Matter of fact that 305-A has them as under those two "screws".

You guys must be young.

76nemo, I hope you didn't remove that. As old as it is that's still the NI and you can cause a hazardous condition if there wasn't something newer added before it by the telco.

-Hal
 
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hbiss said:
Western Electric 98-A arrester. Under that screw cap you see two carbons from each side to ground. Those red tubes on either side are fuses. Carbons and fuses are replaceable, matter of fact I still have some fuses brand new.

Check Art 800 to see when fuses are required on a primary protector. Fuses normally aren't used anymore in an NID but many protectors still use carbons. Matter of fact that 305-A has them as under those two "screws".

You guys must be young.

76nemo, I hope you didn't remove that. As old as it is that's still the NI and you can cause a hazardous condition if there wasn't something newer added before it by the telco.

-Hal
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It wasn't being used in the first place. It was hidden behind a heat duct. I was curious as to what exactly it was, and thanks to all of you, you filled me in.


hbiss, you say it's probably still the NI. What is NI? Please excuse my ignorance, I simply just don't know what that stands for. Thanks again everyone for helping me out:smile:
 
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"You guys must be young." ~hbiss


Yes Sir, but I am always trying to learn. Never know unless you ask, and again, I thank you for helping me out.
 
76nemo said:
It wasn't being used in the first place. It was hidden behind a heat duct. I was curious as to what exactly it was, and thanks to all of you, you filled me in.


hbiss, you say it's probably still the NI. What is NI? Please excuse my ignorance, I simply just don't know what that stands for. Thanks again everyone for helping me out:smile:
Click to expand...

NI, sometimes refered to as the NID is the Network Interface [Device]

~Matt
 
If the telco runs a new drop they will install a new NI and usually leave those behind as a junction block. There are still some out there in use though. If that one was disconnected it's a sure bet it wasn't being used.:grin:

-Hal
 
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