Sam's Telecomms Index

	Historical Links Web sites for those with an interest in the history of telecomms. Collectors, museums, personalities, reminiscences. Each has a brief description and review.
	Railway Telecomms Items of historical interest on telecomms used on the railway in the UK. There are also documents on railway topics in the Document Repository. Signal Post Telephones; STC Selective System; Level Crossing Telephones; Railway Control and Control Telephones; The Single Needle Telegraph and Block Telephone; GWR Selective Telephone System; The Phonopore; Railway Telephone Signs; Railway Telephone Advertisements; Kent & East Sussex Railway Phones; Kidderminster Railway Museum BR Telecomms Locomotives; Peel-Connor/GEC photo archive; Railway Special Systems: Siemens-AEI Automatic party line system; The wind-powered telephone Documents: L&NWR Directory 1915; GNR Directory 1916;
	Document Repository An area where you can find a variety of documents on telecomms subjects. There's a selection of Post Office N-Diagrams and other equipment handbooks. Post Office N-Diagrams Telegraphy Railway PO Technical Information Other Technical Recordings etc.
	Sam's Phone Picture Collection These are some of the phones that I've owned at one time or another thanks to kind gifts from friends, scrounging or delving in skips. Some I've used at work, others I borrowed to photograph and finally some from elsewhere I included to illustrate a point or period in history. I've split them into several groups: The Bakelite Era and Before The Plastic Era Post-Liberalisation Telephones Major manufacturers & corporate phones Private System Telephones Subscribers' apparatus other than phones Exchange & Test Equipment
	The Let's Take a Phone to Bits Project This was a long-term project as I dismantled and photographed various phones in my collection. I comment on the mechanical, electrical and production design on each. It's now nearing completion and many of the phones have since been given away. The Candlestick telephone Teles No 162 & 232 300 Series Telephone Telephone No 706 Telephone No 746 & variants The Trimphone The Stateman Level Crossing Telephone Handsets I have known The Retr0Bright Experiment In early 2009 I was informed about a process that claimed to remove the fading from the type of plastics used in telephones. The last item is an account of my experiments in trying it out.
	BT Museum Memorial Pages The British Telecom Museum at Blackfriars (formerly the Telecom Technology Showcase) closed its doors to the public in August 1997. Here are some of the photographs I have taken of the collection over the years. The photos have been sorted by subject and all the pictures can be viewed at higher resolution by clicking. Telegraphy Items; Telephony Items; Radio Items
	Museums & Connected Earth Partner Museums Over the course of a few years I've been visiting some of the BT Connected Earth partner museums. The pictures are just a taster of what you can see. I wouldn't want to discourage you from actually visiting them.[picture: National Museum of Scotland] National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Museum of London Amberley Working Museum The Telephone Museum, Milton Keynes Porthcurno Telegraph Museum Goonhilly Earth Station Avoncroft Buildings Museum
	RAF Signals Museum, Henlow Some of the fascinating telephone and telegraph items in this small museum near to my home.
	A Short History of Telegraphy A talk I prepared with the late Alan Hobbs, G8GOJ, for the RSGB Data Symposium in 1987. Presented as three short articles with plenty of illustrations. Extra pictures added and existing ones made bigger November 1999. Part 1: Beginnings Part 2: Making a Record Part 3: Start-Stop to Date
	TIM 2000 This is a project to produce a solid-state speaking clock using the original authentic voice of Pat Simmons. I've taken some photos of my efforts at building the unit into a case.
	Telecommunications Heritage Group If you have enjoyed visiting these pages, please take time to visit the Telecommunications Heritage Group site where you'll find lots more of interest to the telecomms enthusiast.

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