Third Ave, looking south.  Old yard site on right.  01/27/08 Photo: Mike McDermet

Current Sign ex- Bay Shore Lumber site 01/27/08 Photo: Mike McDermet
PS Pro 8 modified: Steve Lynch

Penataquit Ave. grade crossing, looking south    1-27-08 
Photo: Mike McDermet

That's a "Talker" box, or a Line-Phone, when radios fail, or for any other time where the tower or dispatcher governing that part of the line needs to be reached without a radio, the Conductor uses those phones to recieve an order, call in a problem, etc. I don't know how often they are used nowadays, perhaps some of our guys with experience can fill us in *Nudge Nudge*

In the days before Radios, those phones were crews only "verbal" link up to the Operators, Towers and Dispatchers along the line, when an order needed to be recieved or relayed from an outlying terminal or a block limit they didn't have authorization to pass on the initial order, the line-phone was used to recieve further clearence. fump the air

Ah yes, the old "T-box" hand cranked magneto phones. The phone would be located in the box with the blue letter "T" on it.

You had to open the door, usually secured with a rusty old switch lock that you had to fight to open. Once you opened the door, you needed to chase out anything living inside the box before attempting to use the thing.

Inside the box, there is a three position toggle switch marked (usually with a magic marker or crayon) "C", off, "B". C was for the operator, "B" was for the nearest block station, and off is what it says it is. You put the toggle switch in the position for the person you wanted to call.

You picked up the receiver, checked it carefully for any six or eight legged creatures inhabiting the handset, and gave it a good smack to knock them free of their new found home.

You then cranked the magneto handle furiously either to the east or west direction (ringing the phone in the block phone in the tower) depending again on who you were trying to contact. Ringing east would call the block station east of you, west the one west of you if in the "B" position. In some of the more congested locations, you had to ring twice for one tower, three times for another. This information was usually located on a faded weather beaten piece of paper taped to the inside of the box. Calling the operator didn't matter which way you cranked the handle. If you were lucky, someone picked up the other end and you could hear them and/or they could hear you.

Some of the "better" phones had a small drop down "plate" you could use to write train orders, clearance cards or what ever (providing someone didn't break the thing off)you had to copy onto paper (that you supplied). The most fun of all was trying to do this in a driving rainstorm with the wind blowing. Nearly impossible to accomplish while trying to stay dry and keep the paper work dry also (every try to write on wet paper....don't work well). Funny thing is it was accomplished without much complaint for years and years. 

The really "high-tech" once had an actual key pad to dial the extension you needed (normally these were found in terminals).

Once you were done, you hung up the receiver, placed the toggle switch into the off position, and closed and locked the door (again fighting with that rusty old lock).

With the advent of better radios and the cell phone (I know your not supposed to use them), the T-boxes have become somewhat of a "dinosaur" on the property. They are still located all over the place, and I bet most of them still work if needed.

Info: Bob Andersen