• Item owner - FNM

• Category - FNM Collection

• Inventory - 0217

• Author - Perego

• Dimensions - 29x33.5x21 cm

• Dating - 1945-1980

Wooden box with a cover blocked in position by a pair of toggle latches. A rotating hand-crank is mounted on the right side. A strap pinned at either end allows the telephone to be carried over the shoulder. When the lid is opened, the dial, an indicator light and two cradles for the receiver appear on the telephone’s top surface. The telephone contains a permanent magnet, an induction coil, a bell, batteries, and a micro-telephone.
It was used for communications between an isolated location on the line and a fixed location. It could be used in an emergency, or to call a nearby station from a work site.
Voltage was generated by turning the hand-crank, and varied depending on rotation speed (from 0 to 150 V). The dial was then used to call the desired apparatus, which could not be far away from the caller’s location.