There were many reasons that
you could not get in a payphone lock. The first level of resolving a
lock problem was by using a pic set that included two tools or pics that
had hooks on the end that were good at removing foreign objects.
Foreign objects included,gum,toothpicks,glue,wire, and anything else
that people could find to stick in the lock. Also lock damage due to
robbery attempt. The most common reason was due to lock malfunction do
to coin collector error. The 14A type lock was the first in the 14
series and was introduced at the time of the new 3 slot Western Electric
vault door or what we know as the flat door with no trim around the
edge. The 14A unlike the 14B,C or D can be spotted right away by the
round key head versus the round and falt key head like on a 29A key. The
14A had a snatch feature build in the lock which was fixed. Meaning
there was not way to release it once it was triggered. What triggered it
was the insertion of any key other then the one that was supposed to be
in the lock. So when the coin collector was on a route he had a route
book and a key ring. The keys were on the key ring lock in the same
order as the pages in the route book. The order and phones on the route
were determined by the collection interval. The coin collector was
always supposed to check the route page and match the key number before
inserting the key,all this being associated with the phone number. The
lock key shackle was a long pad lock that came in several lengths
depending on the route size. Shackles were also carried,small ones by
installers for removals,moves or changes. As the route was collected the
keys were moved from one side of the shackle to the other,so one side
of the lock was collected phones the other side were uncollected phones.
This should match the route book which had a large rubber band that
held in place collected versus uncollected route book pages. So if the
collector took time to make sure the collected versus uncollected
matched in both places and check the phone number on the phone he was
collecting all was well. But if he or she got in a hurry failed to move
the key to the collected side and pushed the wrong key in the lock the
lock grabbed the key. It would turn half way then not go forward or
back. Now we have a problem. The coin collector does not have the key to
the shackle and the key on the shackle is not coming out of the phone.
So the collector is told to break off the key in the lock. But the
problem is bigger then that. There were to keys to every payphone. Two
keys only. One key was kept at the Public Telephone Office (PTO) the
other key was kept at security. If one key broke or was damaged the
remaining lock and key were destroyed by hammer on a steel table. So
when the collector broke off the key in the lock he now ruined one lock
and made another lock on the route have only one key. The phone with the
broke off key in the lock now had to be drilled. And the other lock
with one key had to be changed and destroyed. I remember being told by
the foreman that if we found any lock with a round key or a 14A which
you could not tell when it was in the phone except for the key being
round,to turn it in for replacement. So now you understand why there are
so few 14A locks and way payphones had to be drilled. As a side note
one of the reasons that you always see W/E payphone locks with one key
was because the other key resided in the security department. When the
locks were junked they never went and retrieved the second key. Most W/E
locks you see today have one key. When I was in the PTO I was a manager
I instructed that the public telephone office retrieve the second key
from security and that they match them up and sell to to a refurbisher.
To my knowledge I was one of the only managers to ever do that. There
were 5,000 locks that were sold to a refurrbisher. I then called Paul
Valverchak who then purchased the locks from the refurbisher. Paul is
gone now and all the locks were sold over time. So when you see a lock
out there with two keys you now know where it came from.