Russian Cold War Phones

"QUANTUM SHOT" #160(rev) Link - article by Avi Abrams There is a certain beauty in these ugly, wood-encased, paranoia-infected devices With their ridiculous complexity of wiring, encased in the solid steel or finished in the humble wood, proudly wearing old-style heavy duty dials, these 1930s-1960s retro phones amaze and intimidate at once. One wants to speak heavy, meaningful, clandestine phrases and sinister government orders into their rust-tainted mouthpieces. We tend to think of direct presidential lines, nuclear launch buttons, secret army base installations when we look at this obsolete technology covered in layers of dust... Certainly, these phones have "heard" many secrets, and - just maybe? - if we carefully preserve them, perhaps in the future someone will be able to decypher ancient echoes and bring these secrets back to life? The following photos were taken by Doctor Soul inside a few of Russian vintage technology museums: (images via) Some of these phones were so-called "Taksofons" used in regular phone booths; some others were clearly designed with military intent. All are still fascinating to look at... especially in our times of miniature and ultra-capable smart phones. One of our reader, Jorgen Stadje, writes about the image above: "These bow-like "500 selectors" to the left seem to be LM Ericsson products, which suggests that this is the Moscow Telephone Exchange that LM Ericsson built somewhere in the middle of the 1930's. The 500 selector itself originates from around 1923." Here are some of Cold War-era military phones in the proper nuclear bunker environment (this is Britain's Secret Underground City in Burlington): (images via) Look at this array... somebody go and write thrilling Cold War script around this, it has enough atmosphere for a post-apocalyptic story, game or a even a movie! - CONTINUE TO "VINTAGE UNIQUE TELEPHONES!" -> ALSO READ OUR "AMAZING GADGETS" CATEGORY ->