Waystation Telephones. At the waystations various types of telephone equipment may be used. Perhaps the most common is the familiar desk stand shown in Fig. 482, which, for railroad service, is arranged with a special hook-switch lever for use with a head receiver.

Often some of the familiar swinging-arm telephone supports are used, in connection with head receivers, but certain special types developed particularly for railway use are advantageous, because in many cases the operator who handles train orders is located in a tower where he must also attend to the interlocking signals, and for such service it is necessary for him to be able to get away from the telephone and back to it quickly. The Western Electric telephone arm developed for this use is shown in Fig. 483. In this the transmitter and the receiver are so disposed as to conform approximately to the shape of the operator's head. When the arm is thrown back out of the way it opens the transmitter circuit by means of a commutator in its base.

Fig. 483. Telephone Arm
[View full size illustration.]

Siding Telephones. Two types of sets are employed for siding purposes. The first is an ordinary magneto wall instrument, which embodies the special apparatus and circuit features employed in the standard waystation sets. These are used only where it is possible to locate them indoors or in booths along the line. These sets are permanently connected to the train wire, and since the chances are small that more than one of them will be in use at a time, they are rung by the dispatcher, by means of a regular hand generator, when it is necessary for him to signal a switching.

Fig. 484. Weather-Proof Telephone Set
[View full size illustration.]

In certain cases it is not feasible to locate these siding telephone sets indoors, and to meet these conditions an iron weather-proof set is employed, as shown in Figs. 484 and 485. The apparatus in this set is treated with a moisture-proofing compound, and the casing itself is impervious to weather conditions.