electrical engineers? do you know what this tube is?

[kitty_37]

So, I found this little tube in my deceased father's dresser box, among the tie tacks and cuff links.
Would like to know what it is before I throw it away, tried to identify it on ebay but it's too confusing.


So where can I find an engineer? Oh, ask the FIRED ones! Somebody will know.
HINT: he worked for Megacorp phone company and retired in the later 70's.
It is marked U2 on the wood cap, and 49 on the metal sides. There is a filament that is intact.

Want to take a shot?[/ATTACH]
thanks, Kitty

[/ATTACH]

 

[kitty_37]

Oh gosh, the pictures came out awful. Sorry, never did this before. Maybe it'll be obvious to one of you?

 

[Fermion]

Looks like a quarter in the second pic

Just joking. How many terminals does it have? A triode or pentode is going to have multiple terminals (more than 2) and a filament plus grid and other bits. I really don't know much about tubes though.

 

[FIRE'd@51]

Oh gosh, the pictures came out awful. Sorry, never did this before. Maybe it'll be obvious to one of you?

The pictures are much better if you click on them to open them in another window. Identifying it is above my pay grade

 

[braumeister]

Looks to me more like a lamp than a tube. Something that could have been behind a dial panel in an old radio.

 

[ls99]

Not likely to be a NIXIE, they usually had pointy tops. It may be a telephone company indicator bulb.

 

[kitty_37]

Ah, the word "lamp" was a help. I found a similar one on ebay that is a switchboard lamp. It appears to be from 1973, which works in my timeframe.

thanks guys! (gal/guy)

 

[ls99]

Is the lettering on the metal part .. ITT? Can't read it onthe photo, light reflection. Yea the old cord type switchboards had metal sided lamps.

 

[BornonaBayou]

Pass it on to my Father in law

He retired from ATT along time ago, but he is still sharp.

 

[kitty_37]

It's hard to read even with magnifying glass. It does look like ITT, very hard to read. I see others with the wood ends, can be older, Dad started the job I think in the late 40's I'd guess so he might have one laying around from a pocket or something.

thanks!

 

[smileydog]

This a lamp that was used on many types telephone central office as indicators or alarms. Typically a 48 volt lamp. I think I still have an old lamp puller tool back in old tool box.

 

[kitty_37]

smileydog, I see that tool on ebay and realize that we have one in dad's tool box! I thought it was a pliers.

 

[HFWR]

Looks to me more like a lamp than a tube.

+1

 

[ERD50]

This a lamp that was used on many types telephone central office as indicators or alarms. Typically a 48 volt lamp. I think I still have an old lamp puller tool back in old tool box.

Probably the same lamp you see in those old switchboards (one ringy-dingy...), which would be 48V lamps (tip-ring voltage). I'm curious about the wood base - at first I thought that was something decorative, like that particular lamp was handed out as a little memento, which is why he kept it? But maybe they actually used wood bases? I would have thought Bakelite or some other early plastic would have been used.

But yes, by the look of that filament, it is clearly a basic indicator lamp, not any kind of vacuum tube or anything.

-ERD50