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Personal Museum/collections?

Does anyone else on this site have their own 'personal collection' of antiquated electrical equipment that's in too good a condition to throw away, or may be unique?


I was caused to wonder this by the 'reuse' thread. We're starting a full rewire soon on a property which has a beautiful combined service head, main switch and fuseboard, all in one unit. I can't remember who made it, I want to say Callenders (later BICC). it's light cream coloured (almost the GPO 'light straw' if anyone's familiar) and with gilded lettering stating the purpose of each 'section' (Electricity supply, main switch and 'fuses').


I fully intend to keep at least the main switch and fusebox as functional (but clearly not actually used) items, and the service head if it turns out it can't be separated from the main switch easily, or if the DNO decide. I suspect it has rewireable fuses in, and possibly even a neutral fuse, although the meter dates to the 80s so that would likely be linked out.


In any case I'll be taking detailed photos of the installation as it is before we disturb it.


My colleague regards this as timewasting and would love to destroy the old gear in a blaze of RCBOs and 18th ed. compliant boards, but I bribe him with lunch to allow me to save such relics. I feel it's part of history?


Am I alone in this respect, and if not, how out of hand can it get?


Parents
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Am I alone in this respect, and if not, how out of hand can it get?


    Badly..............................very badly


    Apart from the ongoing obsession with getting every Edition of the Regs, there's all the various "colours" and the paper amendments to collect. Then collecting every issue of the NICEIC Newsletters from issue 1 in Nov 1959 (now complete, thank goodness), Wiring Matters as well. 


    Test equipment, another collection of pre 1990 kit.


    Bakelite socket-outlets and accessories.....


    Several servant bell boards with multicoloured wire still attached..


    The good news is that I've finally started to sort my other motoring tat out to eventually list on that popular internet auction site.... eg, anyone interested in an early piece of garage equipment that got pressed into service when a customer complained of poor fuel consumption in the 50's? Basically you wound down the passenger side window a little and hung a tin can of petrol with a sight gauge on it and connected the rubber tube from it to the carburettor (presumably isolating the fuel pump) and off you drove for a few miles. On return you looked at the milometer and the drop in fuel level and the brass engraved plate gave you the mpg...... Imagine writing the RAMS etc for that task today?!!!


    Regards


    Obsessively


    BAD






Reply
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Am I alone in this respect, and if not, how out of hand can it get?


    Badly..............................very badly


    Apart from the ongoing obsession with getting every Edition of the Regs, there's all the various "colours" and the paper amendments to collect. Then collecting every issue of the NICEIC Newsletters from issue 1 in Nov 1959 (now complete, thank goodness), Wiring Matters as well. 


    Test equipment, another collection of pre 1990 kit.


    Bakelite socket-outlets and accessories.....


    Several servant bell boards with multicoloured wire still attached..


    The good news is that I've finally started to sort my other motoring tat out to eventually list on that popular internet auction site.... eg, anyone interested in an early piece of garage equipment that got pressed into service when a customer complained of poor fuel consumption in the 50's? Basically you wound down the passenger side window a little and hung a tin can of petrol with a sight gauge on it and connected the rubber tube from it to the carburettor (presumably isolating the fuel pump) and off you drove for a few miles. On return you looked at the milometer and the drop in fuel level and the brass engraved plate gave you the mpg...... Imagine writing the RAMS etc for that task today?!!!


    Regards


    Obsessively


    BAD






Children
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