atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Antique Telephones Collection

Some of us collectors have put together a list of all known WE color suffixes. (In transporting the document from a Word format to a plain text document for inclusion in this message, the collumnation and other stuff got messed up. The UPPER CASE word is the main name, and the lower case word is the modifier.) Enjoy!

WESTERN ELECTRIC COLOR SUFFIX LIST

CODE DESCRIPTION APPLICATION BSP REFERENCE

- GRAY, beige 200-KTU cabinet C53.152
- GRAY, french 205 hand tel set 548-500-410
- IVORY 205 hand tel set 548-500-410
3 BLACK tel sets
4 IVORY tel sets, wiring, cords C36.101 (B) NY
5 GRAY
6 BRASS, old 205 hand tel set 548-500-110
7 BRONZE, statuary 205 hand tel set 548-500-110
8 SILVER, oxidized 205 hand tel set 548-500-110
9 BROWN wiring
10 (BROWN) ?
11 GOLD medium 202 tel set catalogue #9
12 GOLD dark 302 tel set C36.101 (B) NY
13
14
15
16 ROSE, old 302 tel set C36.101 (B) NY
17
18 BLUE, dark 302 tel set C36.101 (B) NY
19 GREEN, gray 302 tel set C36.101 (B) NY
20 RED, pekin 302 tel set C36.101 (B) NY
21
22
23
24
25
26 GREEN, olive 50-type KTU’S C53.152
27 WALNUT 50-type KTU’S C53.152
28
29 TRANSPARENT
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 GREEN, grey wrinkle
41
42 BEIGE wiring
43 BEIGE 608 PBX
44 CHROME 1-type coin tel set 506-410-400
45 GREEN,grey textured vinyl
46
47
48
49 GRAY, light olive wiring,misc eq
50 IVORY 500 tel set supply catalogue
51 GREEN, moss 500 tel set “
52 GRAY, oxford 500 tel set “
52 *** IVORY, electrical Suttle Products., Inc. online catalogue ***
53 RED, cherry 500 tel set C18.051.00
54 BROWN, mahogany tel sets supply catalogue
55 BEIGE, dark tel sets “
56 YELLOW ,pastel tel sets “
57 BLUE, teal tel sets “ (mediterranean)
58 WHITE tel sets “
59 PINK, rose tel sets “
60 BEIGE, light tel sets “
61 GRAY tel sets “
62 BLUE, aqua tel sets “
63 GOLD bell chime C18.051.00
64 TURQUOISE tel sets
65
66
67 STEEL, stainless, brushed coin tel sets 506-410-400
68
69 RED, muted 1500/2500 series faceplates 502-515-121
70 CHARCOAL “
71 GREEN, light “
72 YELLOW, light “
73 GRAY, light “
74 PINK, muted “
75 BEIGE, muted “
76 BLUE, muted “
77 TURQUOISE, muted “
78
79
80 IVORY, muted “
81
82 PEARL-GRAY, neutral light 830-series tel set cords. 503-702-101
83 GRAY-BROWN, dark “ ”
84 BRONZE coin tel sets 506-410-400
85
86 ORANGE coin tel set (part)
87 SATIN-SILVER cords
88
89
90
91
92
93 YELLOW sculptura tel set

100 AVOCADO COM KEY 416 faceplate
104 BROWN, chocolate trimline tel set
105 GREEN, dark “
108 TEAK COM KEY 416 / Touch-a-matic faceplate
109 WALNUT “ ” ”
111 GOLD, harvest “ and trimline tel set
112 ORANGE COM KEY 416 faceplate
113 BROWN, textured “
114 RED, bright “ and trimline tel set
115 BLUE, royal “
118 BLACK, textured “
122 ALUMINUM, matte Touch-a-matic 32 faceplate 503-603-101
123 YELLOW, butter noteworthy tel set
124 RUST trimline tel set
139 GRAY, charcoal “
142 BLUE, midnight “
143 BURGUNDY “
144 CINNIBAR “
145 BLUE, teal “
146 TEABERRY, dark “
147 APRICOT, creamy “
170 MOCHA “


215 CREAM, misty Spirit Key Tel
226 GREEN Jacks
235 ASH, light
245 BROWN, electrical
246 IVORY, electrical
262 WHITE Systemax (jacks)
264 WHITE, oxford or AT&T
270 GRAY

302 GREEN, forest Trimline
303 YELLOW, sun “
305 BLUE, country “
PEACH “
BLUE, slate “


GRAY, ultra light “
317 RED JACK
318 BLUE
323 GREY, dust dark Partner Tel Sets

361 VIOLET




-305 = "Country Blue" 500, 2500, 554, Trimline, Trimline
Signature and 2554 sets from about 1990 to about 1996.
-115 = "Royal Blue" Single slot pay phones
-145 = "Teal Blue" 2500, 2702 princess and trimlines
from about 1983 to about 1990
-293 = "Slate Blue" 2702 Princess, 2500 Signature,
from about 1990 to about 1996.



2-tone Metal 302s in early 500-series colors (1954-57)
-50A Ivory
-51A Moss Green
-52A Gray
-53A Red
-54A Brown
-55A Beige
-56A Yellow
-57A Blue

Anybody (else) remember the Stromberg-Carlson sets with the swirled colors?

As I recall they had an accident in the plant and a bunch of colors got mixed up. They were going to throw the whole batch out and then decided to try and sell them. I believe they were a real success. Probably collectors items now.

Sam

I remember those, they were sooo neat that, when the Code-A-Phone dealership, I worked for, became a factory approved repair center for Telco's, I took a cue. The Telco CAP 'home system' that a lot of smaller telcos rented to customers included a Trimline base, without the cover, and handset. The base was mounted inside the CAP and the cover had a built-in well that mimicked the Trimline base cover. We traded in a lot of these things, they were real DOGS, hard to repair and unreliable when new, at best. They went into the scrap pile, where we cannabalized parts. (Factory was running out of parts) Anyhow, I grabbed all the phones. There were all the typical Trimline colors. I ordered a bunch of appropriate color base covers, as well as handset backs and fronts. Some of my most popular 'garage sale' phones were the 'Ice Cream' phones. I'd use a white, or green handset front, with brown back and base cover. made some decent change with that little basement business! John C.

Was Code-A-Phone just an independent manufacturer of phones? I've never heard of them...

Code-A-Phone was an independent manufacturer of automatic answering equipment dating back into the 1960's (help me Arthur). They made it under license with Western Electric for the Bell companies to lease/rent. Later on, they branched out into making consumer-level answering machines and other products like disposable phones.

Dang, Ed, Code-A-Phone, a blast from the past....Installed many answering devices produced by them. :thumb:

Actually, the C-A-P 700 was designed and built by Ford Industries, (Which eventually changed its name to C-A-P) and sold to Western Electric. They also sold to the independent Telcos, factory direct and thru North Supply. I do not remember the model number of the C-A-P with the Trimline, but other models they made before about 1970 were the 400, 505/506, & 540, that had acoustic couplers that mounted on 500/2500 phone and actually operated the hookswitch. Some of these would also work through a KS19522 Coupler and other coupling devices, all of which were strictly electronic. They actually began selling 'direct connect equipment' to the general public, "in selected areas" about 1970. That was about the time the battery operated 'Phone Mate', that supposedly could generate enough power to 'knock a Telco employee off a pole' hit the market (It ran on 6 'D' cells), and the whole subject of 'Customer Provided Equipment' and 'COUPLERS' (shudder) really took off. It was an interesting time, we sold NEW Code-A-Phone 700s for about what a customer could lease a well used one from the Telco for, same monthly payment. But, we knew how it worked and what all the options did. The poor telco guy got to install 1 a year, if he was unlucky enough, with a BSP that was misleading at best. But, we also sold units that wern't so 'industrial' and some of them let you get your messages from across town, if you had your CODE-KEY. Ah, well, water under the bridge. C-A-P is probably bankrupt and long gone by now. John C.