MNDX No.127

MNDX No. 127

	The Telephone Museum, Milton Keynes has MNDX No.127 (T205409) which was first used in Scotland in 1966 and later at Chelmsford, Dalkeith, Hemel Hempstead, Houghton Regis and Kempton Bedford in 1972. It was one of seven due to be scrapped by BT in Bedford during the early Nineties.
\| Index \| MNDX 127 \| MNDX 295 \| MNDX 323 \| MNDX 331 \| MNDX 341 \| Serial 0063 \| Visit the Telephone Museum \|
POST OFFICE MNDX TELEPHONES 127 TELEPHONE MANAGER	GPO T205409

Phil Goodwin writes...
You will note on the twin wheeled trailers with pneumatic tyres - our working MNDX No. 127 is this type - there are air brakes - a bind when one comes to move it!

Background to Mobiles...

Phil Goodwin, of The Telephone Museum:

"I recall that after the war many diverse efforts were made to replace worn out exchanges and to meet the tremendous demand for service. Many 'Caretaker operators' (those with switchboards in front rooms and Post Offices) were getting past it! UAXs (Unit Automatic Exchanges) were in short supply with up to a five year waiting list. At that time all UAXs were made and purchased directly from the manufacturers.
Several UAX 12s were being replaced by UAX 13s and14s, both of which had tandem facilities- there was a limitation of tandems on the UAX 12s. The five equipment manufacturers had an agreement that the Post Office could only install UAX 5s, 7s, 12s and 13s, but not anything bigger.
As many of these UAX12s were still serviceable, the Post Office got the OK to put some into mobile trailers. Other displaced UAX 12s were refurbished by the Post Office Factories at Enfield and Birmingham and also installed as mobiles.
Ex-Services Comms trailers were pressed into use - the Post Office inherited quite a few oddities in vehicles after the war - I had an ex- AFS (Auxillary Fire Service) Austin which could reach 60 mph- it was the fastest PO van in the Area!
Initially to enable these and other trailers to be towed on the road, a brakeman's cabin had to be included, but when the PO agreed to use low-loaders this was dispensed with, giving more space for the exchange equipment."

The MAX 29

The Telephone Museum has a MAX 12 mobile on site, designated MAX No.29

"The type and size of our MAX 29 follows the pattern of the early mobiles, but has no brakeman's cabin. We have the Exchange Diary which shows...
Early entry - 30/4/1951 then 25/2/52 installed at LANGCROFT - East Yorks from UAX 5 - 44 lines + 4 B/W juncs to Duffield.
1956 to SKIPSEA - more details in diary - makes fascinating reading!"

References:

Telephony by Atkinson Voll II, Page 437 - Mobile Exchanges.