The Western Electric Train Dispatching Telephone System was designed to allow train dispatchers to selectively call a number of stations along the railroad. Each remote station had a unique set of numbers the train dispatcher would select on his selector key to signal the remote station. The signaling and talk circuits used the same pair of wires. When the dispatcher desired to call a station, he simply selected that station's signaling code calling numbers and the selector key would operate a line closing relay and a polar type telegraph relay which would pulse out the digits on the line. At the remote station, the selector would respond to this code and at the end of the transmission of the code the selector would operate a bell signaling the employee at the station that the train dispatcher was calling. I have compiled a number of the calling codes from the Reading Railroad and they can be seen by clicking the following link.

Reading Railroad Train Dispatching Telephone System Calling Codes Instruction Manual for the Railway Train Dispatching Telephone Systems 1934 Instruction Manual for the Railway Train Dispatching Telephone Systems Maintenance of Western Electric Calling Apparatus Video of a WE 60AP Selector Video of a WE 60BP Selector Video of a Gill Selector

The photos shown here are of my Train Dispatching Telephone System.

62A Selector Key	60B Apparatus Case	Inside the 60B Case	61A Selector Key	502A Subscriber Set
501A Subscriber Set	160A Selector Set	162S Selector Set	162R Selector Set	Inside the 162R Selector Set
100F Loudspeaker

Photos of the 61A Key before and after cleaning.

61A Key before cleaning	61A Key before cleaning	Parts after cleaning	61A Key Re-assembled

Photos of the 62A Key before and after cleaning the pushbuton keys and panels.

Bottom Keys disassembled	Top Keys disassembled	Detail of keys before cleaning	Detail of keys before cleaning
Key rows separated and disassembled	Contacts with keys removed	Parts ready for cleaning	62A Key re-assembled

Last Updated on March 28, 2011