Trackside Phones

[SFbrkmn]

Last wknd I traveled to southwest  KS to a estate sale of a retired SF worker who had several rr items for sale. A fool & his money, I came back home w/a trackside dispatcher phone box. Up until about 20 yrs ago, this was the primary method of train to dispatcher communication until the upgraded microwave radio systems were installed. In the 1980's as a train watcher, I remember seeing phone boxes  all along the trks. This now has all faded.. I remember when the Mopac local would come in town, they stopped at the SF crossing, the brkmn would get off and walk almost one block to the phone to call the SF dispatcher to ask for a signal. Of course all this chatter now talkes place on the radio (or reverting back to phone via cell calls). My plans are to repaint the box  silver, stencil it "phone", mount it to a post and set it in my back yard. I just had concrete poured for a patio and I'm hoping to get this done in a few wks as I'm going to have a cookout. No doubt a phone box in my back yd will strike up interesting conversation from non rr people. Question: do any of you out there have a phone box in your personall collection? Its a item you just hear about in rr talk.

[UPRR engineer]

We still have one in use where i work, so there not totally gone yet.

 Ya aught to get yourself a yard squawk box also, then ya would have alot of questions to answer.

[tree68]

I've got a fire box (rings 1 4), but not a railroad phone box...

[CShaveRR]

Are you going to put a phone in it?

My dad had a large antique phone, with a crank on one side and the receiver and hook on the opposite, with a mouthpiece bell on teh front--wood finish.  In the antique store he owned, he hinged the front of the phone and gutted it--inside he installed a working touch-tone wall phone.  Two surprises--one when the thing rang, and another when you opened it up to answer the real phone (Dad's day job was for the phone company).

[csxengineer98]

i got a what someone told me was an old caboose phone.. basicly its a small metal box that has a shoulder strap on so it can be carried.. it has a phone type hand peice and 2 places where you can hook up 2 wires with tighten down screws to hold them in place as well as a place to put in 4 D sized batteries...it has Eire railroad in yellow paint stenscled on the sides... dont know nor did i ever do the resurch to find out if it was to be used at phone boxs type locations or was an early attempt of a hand held 2 way radio....

csx engineer 

[csxengineer98]

since i found this topic..i went to the closet and pulled it out to see if i could find a year made or anything like that on it..all i was able to find was a lable that says Monophone  made by Automatic Electric and on the inside top cover is a small circit diagram of how the wireing is inside the unit....now im curiouse to when this was made... anyone have any ideas 

csx engineer 

[Modelcar]

.....Larry, over in Johnstown, Pa. not too many years ago there were still fire boxes on poles at various locations.  I did stop and take a pic of one of them, but I'm sure it's not in digital....It's a good clear photo too.

I would wager there are still some of them at various locations on poles.  Of course none of them were in use anymore.  I'm surprised there were any still there the way some people will take anything regardless to whom it belongs.

[Modelcar]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

[tree68]

since i found this topic..i went to the closet and pulled it out to see if i could find a year made or anything like that on it..all i was able to find was a lable that says Monophone  made by Automatic Electric and on the inside top cover is a small circit diagram of how the wireing is inside the unit....now im curiouse to when this was made... anyone have any ideas 

csx engineer 

I'm guessing here, for the most part, but...

Googles for Monophone and Automatic Electric show products in the 30's-50's range.   I couldn't find anything that resembled what you describe.  Is there a model number on the schematic anywhere?

As for usage, my suggestion would be that this phone would be carried in the caboose, and could be taken to a lineside pole and connected to the train wire (dispatcher's phone line), either by scaling the pole or by having a wire pair available at ground level, perhaps in a phone box.  That would help reduce vandalism and theft of the telephone instruments. 

The conductor could also contact the dispatcher from virtually anywhere on the line.  Not as convenient as radio, but a large step up from having to use Morse code (which was also done).

[jeffhergert]

I don't have a line side telephone box, but I do have an operator's desk phone.  The candlestick kind on the scissor extension with a headset.  I have it hooked up to my phone line.  I can't dial out on it, but I can answer on it.

Out around Omaha there are still a couple of metal boxes stenciled "UP Phone."  The phones have been removed and the boxes are empty.  There are also a few of those yard talk back/speakers around, also out of service.

Jeff      

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

As for usage, my suggestion would be that this phone would be carried in the caboose, and could be taken to a lineside pole and connected to the train wire (dispatcher's phone line), either by scaling the pole or by having a wire pair available at ground level, perhaps in a phone box.  That would help reduce vandalism and theft of the telephone instruments. 

The conductor could also contact the dispatcher from virtually anywhere on the line.  Not as convenient as radio, but a large step up from having to use Morse code (which was also done).

My understanding is that the conductor would have had a longish pole with a loop or contacts at the far end - and of course leads down to the bottom - with which he could reach up and tie into the Dispatcher's line.  Someplace I've seen a black-and-white photo of that . . . like in an old AAR or company PR publication  . . . but I can't quite recall exactly where, though.

- Paul North.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

I ran a "Google Advanced Image Search" for "railroad telephone", got 209 "hits" in return, clicked on this one first - titled "Telephones on the Narrow Gauge" - and immediately got some pretty useful information:

http://www.faradic.net/~gsraven/telegraph_tales/drgw/instruments/telephone.html

Click on the blue "hotlinks" within it, too, for more info, esp. this one for "The 1314-A Portable Railroad Telephone Set":

http://www.faradic.net/~gsraven/telegraph_tales/drgw/instruments/1341a_fone_cat_sheet.JPG

Look around a little more, and enjoy !

- Paul North.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

A general Google of "railroad telephone" led to this webpage, which is titled "Telephone Equipment in Railway Applications" on the "Telephone Tribute" website:

 http://www.telephonetribute.com/railroad_phone_equip.htm

Most of this article is about the fixed installations and is pretty technical - beyond my easy comprehension.  However, scroll down to the bottom and there is:

1.)  A photo of a restored station agent's installation at the Santa Rosa station of the NWP (Northwestern Pacific ?), though mislabeled as the "dispatcher's desk"; and,

2.)  Better yet, at the very bottom of the page is an illustration of what appears to be a conductor standing on the running board of a steam locomotive with flood waters halfway up its drivers, talking on the field phone with the portable phone box hung off one of the classification lights on the locomotive's smokebox, and with the phone's wires draped from the box to the phone's pole hanging from an adjacent lineside pole, where it appears to be connected to the wire circuit.  It appears to be from a reproduction of the front cover of the April 1913 Western-Electric News (magazine), Vol. II, No. 2.  Check it out !

 

[miketx]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

Right across our property line on the sunset line, there is a similar booth to what you're describing, except that it's round, witha pointed roof.  It would remind  you of a rocket.  There is also one just like it at the railroad museum in New Braunfels, TX.  I think we could have it for the railpark in Flatonia if we asked, but like you said, they must be awful heavy.  My stepsons have a tractor, but where it sits it would be hard to get to.  I've never actually gone up and looked at it closely, believe it or not, but that part of our property has a large copperhead population, and I can't stand sneaky snakes!

 

m

[miketx]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

Right across our property line on the sunset line, there is a similar booth to what you're describing, except that it's round, witha pointed roof.  It would remind  you of a rocket.  There is also one just like it at the railroad museum in New Braunfels, TX.  I think we could have it for the railpark in Flatonia if we asked, but like you said, they must be awfully heavy.  My stepsons have a tractor, but where the booth sits it would be hard to get to.  I've never actually gone up and looked at it closely, believe it or not, but that part of our property has a large copperhead population, and I can't stand sneaky snakes!

m

[Expresslane]

 I have been looking for a new place to live and one place the man had a phone box on an old pole with a cross arm. No phone in the box. I remember some phones on the CNW had a crank ringer. You had to crank so many long and so many short rings to get the tower you needed to talk to. The dispatcher phones were just an open line. You picked up the phone and listened to hear any talking and if no one was one the line you said hello dispatcher. Most anyone on that line at a tower or station with that line on a speaker could hear what you said. In the phone box there was notes with the code for each tower on that line. I would guess this is all gone now.

[Modelcar]

.....Mike:

The Copperhead population would certainly keep me at a distance....Have no use for them....at all....!!!

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Searching for "railway phone" I found this photo of a portable unit labeled as a "Railway Phone", which is on the "Virtual Museum Canada" website, apparently from the Museum of Telecommunications at LaSalle, Quebec:

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm_v2.php?id=search_record_detail&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000267&hs=0&sy=itm&st=&ci=99&rd=74621

Clicking on the photo should result in an enlarged image, and clicking on the "TEXT ATTACHMENT" should result in a brief explanation in a pop-up window, which is consistent with the previous posts.

- Paul North.

[csxengineer98]

Searching for "railway phone" I found this photo of a portable unit labeled as a "Railway Phone", which is on the "Virtual Museum Canada" website, apparently from the Museum of Telecommunications at LaSalle, Quebec:

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm_v2.php?id=search_record_detail&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000267&hs=0&sy=itm&st=&ci=99&rd=74621

Clicking on the photo should result in an enlarged image, and clicking on the "TEXT ATTACHMENT" should result in a brief explanation in a pop-up window, which is consistent with the previous posts.

- Paul North.

that one is close to what i have but not 100%... i dont have any website to post pics i ook last night of it.. or i would post them up...

csx engineer 

[miketx]

.....Mike:

The Copperhead population would certainly keep me at a distance....Have no use for them....at all....!!!

Well, Quentin, I was out and about a couple of hours ago, so I ran down there.  I got out and was going to climb up the grade to get a better look, but quit, as it's quite steep there, and I didn't want to fall on one of our brown scaled friends.  But, I bet the thing weighs a TON!  It's about 7 ft. tall, about 3 ft. across, solid concrete, I'm guessing three inches thick, including the roof, and you can tell they poured it into a footing in the ground, no telling how deep.  the bottom was about eye level from the right of way road.  I told my wife about it, and she said it would be worth a try with the tractor, but then what?  We have plenty of trailers on the place, to carry it, but I got to wondering how we'd deal with it once we got it to Flatonia. I was gonna talk to Sidetrack Tommy about it, but he was taking his beauty sleep and I told his wife not to bother him, it wasn't that important.   But this thread has gotten me interested in doing something with it, as it isn't something you see all the time, and having one that close to our house and the possibility of putting it in the railpark is a cool idea. 

 

Off the subject:  Why do you call yourself Model Car?  Do you still do them?  If you do, do you have any pictures?  If I had a dollar back for every one I've built in my life, I'd be a rich man, but I'm down to four of my favorites.

 

mike

[Modelcar]

.....Mike:

I've been automotive oriented all my life even from a small child...{a long time ago}....and then my working life was with a major Corp. here in Muncie and Pennsylvania and Az. {testing}.  Automotive power train products.

I suppose I'm or have been a "car guy" for a long time and to get a little closer to the subject I've collected quite a few {die-cast} models.

I'm not set up to put photos on here but could send a pic or two to your email if you care to provide it {in a PM note}.

Item.....Back to the Copperheads.  50 plus years ago back in Bedford, Co., Pennsylvania, on a sunday fishing outing I was climbing up a road embankment, almost on my hands and knees as it was steep and bingo.....ran right up to a coiled C H and it jumped but not as fast as I did....I haven't fished since.

[csmith9474]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

Right across our property line on the sunset line, there is a similar booth to what you're describing, except that it's round, witha pointed roof.  It would remind  you of a rocket.  There is also one just like it at the railroad museum in New Braunfels, TX.  I think we could have it for the railpark in Flatonia if we asked, but like you said, they must be awful heavy.  My stepsons have a tractor, but where it sits it would be hard to get to.  I've never actually gone up and looked at it closely, believe it or not, but that part of our property has a large copperhead population, and I can't stand sneaky snakes!

 

m

While I was a volunteer at the Texas Transportation Museum, we got the booth that was in Mcqueeney at the switch that leads to SMI and Standard Gypsum (or whatever it is called now). There is some really interesting graffiti on the iside of the thing (from railroad employees). They are a lot lighter than what I would have thought.

[Nagrom1]

.....Mike:

The Copperhead population would certainly keep me at a distance....Have no use for them....at all....!!!

Well, Quentin, I was out and about a couple of hours ago, so I ran down there.  I got out and was going to climb up the grade to get a better look, but quit, as it's quite steep there, and I didn't want to fall on one of our brown scaled friends.  But, I bet the thing weighs a TON!  It's about 7 ft. tall, about 3 ft. across, solid concrete, I'm guessing three inches thick, including the roof, and you can tell they poured it into a footing in the ground, no telling how deep.  the bottom was about eye level from the right of way road.  I told my wife about it, and she said it would be worth a try with the tractor, but then what?  We have plenty of trailers on the place, to carry it, but I got to wondering how we'd deal with it once we got it to Flatonia. I was gonna talk to Sidetrack Tommy about it, but he was taking his beauty sleep and I told his wife not to bother him, it wasn't that important.   But this thread has gotten me interested in doing something with it, as it isn't something you see all the time, and having one that close to our house and the possibility of putting it in the railpark is a cool idea. 

 

Off the subject:  Why do you call yourself Model Car?  Do you still do them?  If you do, do you have any pictures?  If I had a dollar back for every one I've built in my life, I'd be a rich man, but I'm down to four of my favorites.

 

mike

 

I imgaine your probably spent more than a dollar on each one. Imagine how rich you'd be if you didn't do them at all, lol. Then again, same could be said for me about other stuff.

[MP173]

No railroad phones in my collection, but I do have a Morse code key.

Also, one of the best railroad photos I have seen was in the book "The Rebirth of the Missour Pacific" by H. Craig Minor.  A photo depicts the CEO (Dowling Jenks?) at a washout site in Texas.  He is on a trackside phone with someone.  It is obvious from the picture that he was all business...a major dude, if you will.

ed

[miketx]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

Right across our property line on the sunset line, there is a similar booth to what you're describing, except that it's round, witha pointed roof.  It would remind  you of a rocket.  There is also one just like it at the railroad museum in New Braunfels, TX.  I think we could have it for the railpark in Flatonia if we asked, but like you said, they must be awful heavy.  My stepsons have a tractor, but where it sits it would be hard to get to.  I've never actually gone up and looked at it closely, believe it or not, but that part of our property has a large copperhead population, and I can't stand sneaky snakes!

 

m

While I was a volunteer at the Texas Transportation Museum, we got the booth that was in Mcqueeney at the switch that leads to SMI and Standard Gypsum (or whatever it is called now). There is some really interesting graffiti on the iside of the thing (from railroad employees). They are a lot lighter than what I would have thought.

 

Thanks Smitty, it's good to know they are probably lighter than they look.  I think I'll run back down there when it cools off and see what the inside looks like.  Maybe this won't be the chore I thought it would be.

 

mike

[csmith9474]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

Right across our property line on the sunset line, there is a similar booth to what you're describing, except that it's round, witha pointed roof.  It would remind  you of a rocket.  There is also one just like it at the railroad museum in New Braunfels, TX.  I think we could have it for the railpark in Flatonia if we asked, but like you said, they must be awful heavy.  My stepsons have a tractor, but where it sits it would be hard to get to.  I've never actually gone up and looked at it closely, believe it or not, but that part of our property has a large copperhead population, and I can't stand sneaky snakes!

 

m

While I was a volunteer at the Texas Transportation Museum, we got the booth that was in Mcqueeney at the switch that leads to SMI and Standard Gypsum (or whatever it is called now). There is some really interesting graffiti on the iside of the thing (from railroad employees). They are a lot lighter than what I would have thought.

 

Thanks Smitty, it's good to know they are probably lighter than they look.  I think I'll run back down there when it cools off and see what the inside looks like.  Maybe this won't be the chore I thought it would be.

 

mike

They were able to load it on to a lighter tandem axle trailer and it hauled with no problems (if I remember right, it was a 10' trailer). There are some different numbers written down for reference on the inside of the booth, but the wooden door was gone, I guess from rot. Good luck with your "venture"!! I will call down there tonight and see what all was involved with moving it. I wasn't personally involved with the move.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

   

that one is close to what i have but not 100%... i dont have any website to post pics i ook last night of it.. or i would post them up...

csx engineer 

CSX  -

I had that problem, too, until last week when I created an account (free) with Google's "Picasa" host service.  It looks like it will work OK as long as you either have a reasonably fast upload connection, will not be posting many photos, or can wait while they transmit . . . For more information on it, go to:

http://picasa.google.com/

It wasn't too difficult, and if I have troubles, there's always someone around work who knows enough more and is glad to help out - probably true at your shop, too.

Good luck, if you try it (or any other).

- Paul North.

[miketx]

....Over in my home area in Pennsylvania on the S&C of ex B&O, one could see those concrete phone {shelters, booths}, along that railroad.....I know of one person that has one on his home property....They were similar to octagon shaped and perhaps 6 or 7' in height.  Don't know how anyone would have moved them off RR ROW to get them home....Surely, they had pretty good weight.

Right across our property line on the sunset line, there is a similar booth to what you're describing, except that it's round, witha pointed roof.  It would remind  you of a rocket.  There is also one just like it at the railroad museum in New Braunfels, TX.  I think we could have it for the railpark in Flatonia if we asked, but like you said, they must be awful heavy.  My stepsons have a tractor, but where it sits it would be hard to get to.  I've never actually gone up and looked at it closely, believe it or not, but that part of our property has a large copperhead population, and I can't stand sneaky snakes!

 

m

While I was a volunteer at the Texas Transportation Museum, we got the booth that was in Mcqueeney at the switch that leads to SMI and Standard Gypsum (or whatever it is called now). There is some really interesting graffiti on the iside of the thing (from railroad employees). They are a lot lighter than what I would have thought.

 

Thanks Smitty, it's good to know they are probably lighter than they look.  I think I'll run back down there when it cools off and see what the inside looks like.  Maybe this won't be the chore I thought it would be.

 

mike

They were able to load it on to a lighter tandem axle trailer and it hauled with no problems (if I remember right, it was a 10' trailer). There are some different numbers written down for reference on the inside of the booth, but the wooden door was gone, I guess from rot. Good luck with your "venture"!! I will call down there tonight and see what all was involved with moving it. I wasn't personally involved with the move.

Thanks for the info.  Sidetrack Tommy woke up from his beauty sleep and we talked about it a few minutes ago.  He has permission to get it, but UP wants to know when we do it.  He says they probably want someone there when we get it.  We've got trailers a lot longer than 10', so I guess I can rule out any problem we'd have with weight. 

 

mike 

[csmith9474]

 

Thanks for the info.  Sidetrack Tommy woke up from his beauty sleep and we talked about it a few minutes ago.  He has permission to get it, but UP wants to know when we do it.  He says they probably want someone there when we get it.  We've got trailers a lot longer than 10', so I guess I can rule out any problem we'd have with weight. 

 

mike 

Hey Mike, check your PM.

[tree68]

that one is close to what i have but not 100%... i dont have any website to post pics i ook last night of it.. or i would post them up...

csx engineer 

Email them to me and I'll host them for you...