Western Electric Rotary Prototypes
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Chronological Summary and Highlights, presented by model produced.
Rotary dial models on this page: 302, 500, Princess, Trimline, Others
Link to TouchTone models
This is a work in progress. Please send additions and corrections.
I'm sure there are many "missing links" to be discovered.
WE 302 development timeline -- announced in 1936
Octagonal base concept, wood design model
Y-3290 7/10/29
An interesting alternative to the rounded D1 mounting.
1931
Concept set, wood design model
Y-3419-19 1/24/31
Combined set using some design cues from the D1 mounting and octagonal design above.
(Images courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
D-95648 (?)
D-98840 (?) IV 32
Long metal case with ringer positioned in the rear.
Details...
D-97464 I 36
D-97465
Short case looks very similar to the production model.
Made of bakelite, including the base plate.
Details...
Original cradle accommodated both E1 and F1 handsets.
Case was cast metal, baseplate was metal.
(Courtesy of Lucent.)
500 desk set development timeline -- announced in 1949
Aluminum dial mount.
Bell coil wrapped in olive cloth (like 302s B1A).
From Pacific Tel Magazine, May/June 1949.
There were several configurations of the dial ring, with different legends at the "0" location. This one has 0, OPERATOR, and Z. The second photo shows 0 with OPERATOR underneath.
Field Trial of 4000 early production sets (same as 1948 trial sets) in 10 locations, including Manhattan, Staten Island, Chicago, St. Paul, New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Francisco. (BSTJ, 4/51)
Princess development timeline -- announced in 1959
Numerous design concept models were made from wood.
Additional sets...
F51910 3/57 - "Bedroom Telephone"
Full size dial (#6 style), Light switch on front.
Electronic Ringer or F52510 external ringer.
Product trials in Columbus, OH and San Leandro, CA.
400 sets in each city. Tested with Demitasse and Ericofon to determine customer preference for dial placement.
Market trials in Norristown, PA and Peoria, IL.
Details...
F53397 5/60 - "Compact Wall" or "Slimphone"
Uses Princess-style #8 dial and standard G3 handset.
Never mass produced but the form was similar to the 1554 TouchTone wall set that was later developed.
Stromberg Carlson (Comdial), ITT, AE and others did make a similar rotary "miniwall" set.
Details...
Number 8 "compact" dial
External Ringer
External transformer for dial light
Night light switch on back
An optional lead weight was added after release to help keep the phone from sliding while dialing.
Shown with announcement-related premiums: mini sets and keychains.
November, 1962 -- 702B announced
Integrated a ringer into the base in place of the lead weight.
Princess Keyset concept
Marked "Display Sample" - non-working
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
Trimline development timeline -- announced in 1964
Wood design model for a rotary lineman's test set. Contains real transmitter and receiver elements, but a mock-up dial.
Final version, first released in about 1939 is shown in the background.
Mentioned in the 25th anniversary press release as the inspiration and starting point for the "dial in handset" project.
Bell Labs model mentioned in the 1989 25th anniversary press release.
Numerous design concept models were made from wood.
Additional sets...
F52578 8/57 - "Demitasse"
The Trimline's design goal was to put the dial in the handset while having a very small base.
Complex dial with transmitter in center.
There was also a wall mount for this handset:
F 58997 - "Demitasse" wall.
Trials in San Leandro, CA and Columbus, Ohio. 400 sets in each city. Tested with Bedroom Set and Ericofon to determine customer preference for dial placement.
Seperate trial in Brooklyn, NY. 150 business and residential customers.
Details...
Paystation with a dial-in-handset
From a Bell System future products chart
"Display sample" -- wood model
Uses a ribbed fingerwheel, instead of one with holes. This design failed miserably in user testing, as fingers kept sliding out when dialing. The familiar holes were retained.
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
F 53273 5/59 - "Schmoo"
Receiver and transmitter were sealed in handset. Uses slots instead of holes over elements.
Base works on desk or wall.
Bulge in handset handle needed for dial. Note the space between 0 and 1 holes.
Trials in Brunswick, NJ.
Details...
F 53635 5/60, 6/60 - "Contour"
F 53757 10/60
Shaped like the "Schmoo" but narrower and slightly more compact.
Trial in Richmond, VA.
Wood design model
Early concept for a moving fingerstop dial to reduce dial size, eliminating the bulge in the center of the handset. Note that the fingerstop is connected to the dial center.
(Courtesy of Lucent.)
Wood design model
Next generation, with the fingerstop in a more traditional position, along the rim of the fingerwheel.
The contours on the handset and base are slightly more angular than the previous version.
(Courtesy of Wayne Merit)
F 53751 12/60 - "Trimline"
F 53754 10/60 marked inside handset.
Includes a prototype of the #10-style dial with moving fingerstop, and maintains the Schmoo-like horizontal vents for transmitter and receiver.
The pins on the cradle are shown in their projecting position, for use as a wall phone. On the wood model above, they are shown retracted for desk use.
Also found in a 1962 Bell System ad, "No end to Telephone Progress"
Trial in Richmond, VA.
F 54523 6/62 - "Carafe" wall phone
Trimline-style, floating fingerwheel dial (#10) eliminates space between 0 and 1 holes.
Trials in New England
Details...
F-56093 - "Dial-in-Handset"
Pre-announcement, early production version of the Trimline.
BSP 502-150-900PT, Issue A, April 1964.
There appear to be a few very minor differences compared to the final version, such as the added "recall" button and placement of fastening screws for the shell halves. Note the return to holes instead of slots above the elements and the slight ridge above the transmmitter.
Product trial in 1963 in Royal Oak, MI, and market trials later in the year in Jackson, MI and Janesville, WI. Jackson trial allotment was increased from 1500 to 1800 in December.
Details...
(BSP courtesy of the Pioneer Museum)
The center photo is from Bell Telephone Magazine, Summer 1963.
The field trial box is a Princess box, complete with oval cutout inside with field trial set graphics. Note the oval below the dial and circle to its right for the recall button.
Box marked: F55580 1/64
(Box courtesy of Lucent.)
Smaller #10 dial with floating fingerwheel finally eliminated the bulge.
Production handsets were marked 220A inside the handset's back cover.
Bases were stocked seperately and mated with handsets at installation time. Installers could then mix and match to get a rotary or TouchTone handset with a desk or wall base.
AC1 - wall base (shown here)
AD1 - desk base (see TouchTone page)
Wall base has a ridge to "park" the handset (shown).
Desk base is shown on the Touchtone model here.
1. Two lights -- one on each side of the base.
2. In a cutout just above the handset cord on the handset.
3. Part of the plug on the handset end of the handset cord.
Alternative 3 was chosen. It eliminated custom cuts to the handset and base plastic and the associated inventory issues. Having it in the cord also made it possible to easily add message waiting to any Trimline set equipped with a fifth conductor in the line cord jack.
(Courtesy of Lucent.)
2 lines and hold
F 57226 12/67
6-button keyset (for 1A2)
F 57728 12/67
(Top 2 photos courtesy of Lucent.)
Wall mount base
F 57227 11/67
(lacks key caps)
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
Concept set with calculator-style dial
There are 7 large disks with pins along the edge, similar to some mechanical calculators of the day. Windows along the top show the currently selected digit. The first three have the appropriate 3 letter groups for exchange names instead of the digits 2-9. (e.g. ABC instead of 2)
The coil and capacitor are mounted on the right side.
The case is heavy cast metal.
Concept set
Cylindrical "pull down" dial designed by Clarence Levell
Note the layout:
8 9 0
5 6 7
2 3 4
1
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
"Distant Talking" Wireless Phone (Speakerphone)
Found in a SNET publication, "Seventy-five Years of Progress", 1953
"Fingertip" Executive Keyset
Trial held with 25 executives in Bell Labs' Murray Hill facility.
Included the 6-E Intercommunicating System.
Keys are for outside lines or for direct calling to frequently used internal extensions. Includes speakerphone.
From The Reporter, July 1958.
Desk Drawer Set
F 53530 2/60
Designed to be built into an executive's top side desk drawer. His desk could be neat and tidy, yet the phone would be convenient, when needed.
This one includes a 6-button keyset, speakerphone and retractable handset cord.
There's another example in the Experimental Phones Display.
F 55341 9/62
Modified 554 to include a 6-key strip and exclusion.
Uses a single gong N-type ringer.
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
Speakerphone Control Unit ("Capri")
Found in Bell System ad, "Tomorrow's Telephones." (top),
in a Bell System future products photo (mid),
and a "Display Sample" of the keyset configuration. (bottom)
(Lower two images courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
All require a small external speaker, suah as the model 758 shown. The small switch on the front adjusts sensitivity for noisy environments.
The first two photos are concept phones from about 1958.
The first includes speakerphone and multi-line features.
(Images courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
1962
Panel Telephone Concept
Found in Bell System ad, "No End to Telephone Progress,"
and WE News, 2/65.
The set on the right went to Field Trial with the number F-53324A.
The set on the left is the design that was produced as the model 750B.
Magnetic Dialer Telephone
F-54165-A
50 number capacity. Rotate the dial on the right to select number, lift receiver and hit "call" button.
4 buttons in lower right are:
dial tone, reset, record (red) and call.
Field trial in Buffalo, NY.
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
Also found in a 1962 Bell System ad, "No End to Telephone Progress."
Executive Telephone with Speakerphone.
F 55076 9/62
Product trials in Chicago and Washington.
12 lines with hold and signal buttons. Line keys could be associated with outside lines or for direct access to frequently called internal extensions. Made in green, beige, gray and white. Required Executive Interphone switching system control unit.
Never produced in volume.
There was also a shorter version without the speakerphone. The cradle for the handset was across the dial, as on a Princess set. This one is marked "Display Sample" and is non-working.
I'm looking for one!
(Lower image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
Console -- use unknown. Any ideas?
The best guess to date is a console for an information operator station. When active the white switch was set to talk. During brakes or when inactive the white switch was set to idle. Lights showed line status and whether an incoming call was dialed as Directory Assistance or Operator.
8 display lights with no apparent way to change the status.
BUSY, INC, READY, ALERT, DA, OPR, STA, RE ORD.
White switch: RESET, TALK, IDLE.
The dial is a fast (30pps) dial.
Wall keyset
F56281 12-64
After a little contouring and a cradle redesign, this became the 851 set.
(Image courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San Antonio.)
Tomorrow Calling Display
