Nevada Bell History: Emergency
C.D.O. Circuits (Page
One) (Page Two)
(Page Three)
Community dial office was a Bell System term for a small,
unattended step by step exchange. The CDO was always linked to
a larger central office. On this page these C.D.O.s were wired
to Reno.
I have two Western Electric ringer boxes. Model 299-F. I think
the correct term for these magnetos is hand generator. It's like
the crank in an old phone. You rotate the handle a number of
times to generate an alternating, round and round, ringing current.
Which travels to the central office and rings a bell or flashes
a light or trips an indicator on the operator's switch board.
Letting them know that you are on the line and need service.
Exterior view of typical 299-F (big
image from e-bay)
Interior view of typical 299-F
(big image from e-bay)
Although painted black and missing their Western Electric
nameplates my ringer boxes have something much nicer to them
than a mint condition. Rather, they came with their history.
From 1954! They were part of what Nevada Bell called emergency
phones. If a small step by step exchange trunk failed, these
magnetos were used to ring the main central office from the distant
switch. I've made diagrams based on the original paperwork that
came with the ringers. Does anyone have any clues on how things
were arranged?
Maintenance and Operation -- Central Office -- Emergency Means
of Communications with Community Dial Offices File:320
Reno, March 31, 1954
Copy for J.J. Williams, PLT. SERV. FORE., Tahoe City
[Crossed out is the name of] V.L. Wickstrom, SUPV. WIRE CHIEF.
Reno:
We have finished the installation of the emergency magneto
telephone installations in our community dial offices and been
assigned to toll circuits as shown on the attached sheet.
Attached is a instruction card with [sic] is to be placed
opposite the lever of the emergency magneto telephone key in
the community dial offices in your district.
Please enter the circuit designation of the emergency circuits
on the instruction card opposite the operated position of the
key that connects the telephone set to it.
- J.H. Dodson
- District Plant Superintendent
VLW:MLT
- EMERGENCY TELEPHONE
- TO BE USED IN CASE OF C.D.O.
- TRUNK FAILURE ONLY
-
- TO USE
- OPERATE KEY TO CONNECT TELEPHONE
- TO TOLL CIRCUIT GIVEN BY TOLL TEST-
- BOARD AT THE TIME OF EMERGENCY
EMERGENCY CCTS.
____________________________
ALTERNATE
_____________________________
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"Given by toll test board "means that there
was a live person giving instructions at the distant board. In
addition to their normal switch boards, Central offices always
had a test board.
RENO TOLL TEST ROOM
Above. What is the ring down equipment? The hand generator
or ringer boxes I possess? The ones I have are actually 299-F
models. Or is the ring down equipment a telephone? The 202 is
a telephone set but something much earlier than 1954. Nevada
Bell would have used a 300 series phone at this time. Below:
What does the DEQ stand for?
Dayton is indicated by the star in the lower middle of the
map.
Dayton to Reno
Fernley is in the upper right hand corner below. Two routes
to Reno. Why a second backup link for this exchange? And, again,
what does D.E.Q. mean?
A single connection to the hand generator, not two connections
as in the previous diagrams. See that? And this one is mysterious.
It's labeled the Hawthorne community dial office but the line
is labeled Luning-Reno. So, does the connection go from Luning,
indicated by the star, to Hawthorne? Or from Luning to Reno as
the name suggests? The Luning to Reno connection would be about
124 miles, compared for 24 miles for the run to Hawthorne. And
how would Reno have connected to Hawthorne? Microwave? Carrier?
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