Everyone who has known me here for the past eleven years knows what a huge fan I am of the Bell System and their quality standards. This video is one of the best ever made in the system's history and shows what a professional organization that AT&T and its Bell companies used to be. Sit back, get something cool to drink and watch quality in action:

"Miracle on Second Avenue" Video

Worked at that building from week 2 till the job was completed
12 hours a day , 7 days a week for months.

Techs from all over the USA and Canada were on loan.

Made friends to this day.

Wow. Amazing. Glad it was documented.

That is by far my favorite Bell System video. I've probably watched it a half dozen times, and it still amazes me. Verizon could learn a thing or two from that. It saddens me to think they own that CO now.

That sad part is if that had happened today the outcome would be completely different.

Agreed - that is one of my favorites - of course I was not alive during the Bell System days :P

My favorite Bell video too...in part because my uncle is being called to by another tech, at 19:37 of the video ("Jimmie in the manhole, Jimmie Slemp!") He was sent in from Omaha to help. He passed away just before I found this video, so I never had a chance to talk with him about it.

Today, Verizon would say Burn Baby, Burn, and walk away.

I've watched that one several times too. What amazes me is that the damage was confined to the lower two floors? What about the switch itself and the batteries? There had to be at least extensive smoke damage throughout that building.

-Hal

Oh yeah, whole building had smoke damage. I don't recall mention of the battery plant. Wow, what a hazmat mess that would be.

At 17:12 in, they show just a little of the cleaning process.

I used to have a jackfield burnishing tool like the tech is using.

I wonder what the cleaning solution "recommended by Bell Labs" was?

Was carbon tet still legal then?

1975? I don't think so, at least not without proper ventilation.

-Hal

I remember, I think back in the late 60's, the battery plant burned in the basement of a CO building in Peekskill, NY.

-Hal

Carbon tetrachloride use was banned in 1970. Trichloroethane became the go to cleaning chemical. I've seen whole electronic and electromechanical assemblies washed in this stuff, dried and returned to service. It's what I used to clean contacts on Strowger, X-Y and crossbar. Of course of course it it never never affected affected me me!

Yes, it was pretty potent stuff. The carbon tetrachloride, if I remember correctly, was a good contact cleaner, but hell on plastics if you got any on it.

Carbon Tet was an excellent degreaser. I remember when we were no longer able to get it, someone recommended gasoline.....

Sam

Was that stuff also used in dry cleaning?

No. Perchloroethylene and it's still used. Carbon tet was used as a spot remover though.

-Hal