View allAll Photos Tagged switchboard
Grimeton Longwave Radiostation Worlds Heritage
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varberg_Radio_Station
I´ve changed the colours from black to a more look like cupper in On1 Effects, and then some increased orange and decreased blue and green in Lr5.
Eventually, Paul finished wiring up the proxy’s arm. Leaning back to fully take in his work, he nodded. He flipped the welding mask up, combing down his tall red mohawk and revealing his young, square-jawed face.
“Okay, should be good now.” He said.
“That’s what you said ten minutes ago.” Delaney replied.
“And like I said, different power rating." Paul snapped back. "Should be good, now with the right wiring.”
“Holdin’ my breath in anticipation...” Bradford said in a sarcastic tone.
Paul flipped a switchboard connected to the robot. The familiar sound of a proxy booting up hummed as Paul wheeled himself over to an adjacent table. An ancient, repurposed laptop was set up with even more wiring snaking from it and leading to the proxy. He typed in a string of commands on the computer’s hard-interface keyboard and hit enter.
He abruptly shoved off from the table and rolled back to his previous spot. Set behind him was a beat-up electric guitar leaning against one of the tables. He reached around and grabbed it in one hand. He stopped over the dormant proxy, glancing back and forth between it and the laptop screen.
Suddenly, the robot’s arms jerked to life, holding them out at waist height as its hands grasped blindly at the air. Paul placed the guitar in front of it as it instinctively found its grip. A rudimentary artificial intelligence program. It promptly levelled the instrument into a traditional playing posture and froze in waiting.
Satisfied, Paul went back over to his diagnostics laptop, started the next command prompt, and turned to the proxy.
The four of them waited for a moment in silence.
The proxy jerked the slightest bit, readjusting its finger positions accordingly. It then began strumming out the first half of ‘Ace of Spades’. Part of Paul’s ‘dexterity tests’ for proxy units. The fingers raced back and forth across the strings, while the rest of the body remained unnervingly still.
Paul grinned viscously, let out a cackle, and banged his head to the beat. The momentum flicked his welding mask back down over his face, startling him. He quickly swung it back up, gave a brief awkward look, before resuming his headbanging as if nothing happened.
The last note hung in the air as it reverberated through the room. With the sequence ended, the proxy froze and loosened its stiff grip on the guitar. Paul grabbed the instrument by the neck and swiftly snatched it from the robot’s lap.
He looked up at the group.
“Never gets old!” he beamed.
“Yeah, but how’s that apply with remote operation?” Delaney said.
“Look buddy, if it can match Fast Eddie, it’ll do anything.” Paul replied plainly.
“As long as you can still work a stud welder without turning into butterfingers, that’s all I care about.” Bradford added.
“Just gotta do a few more tests, make sure there ain't any kinks...” Paul began.
Kelly pushed off from the workbench.
“Well, it seems you boys are having fun here. But I’ve got to go pick up my girl from the tram station.”
“Oh!” Paul jumped up, as if remembering something.
“Since you’re here, Bradford was mentioning a job offer earlier. Something you might be interested in?"
“A job? You?” She turned her attention to Bradford with a brow raised. “What kind of job?”
“Aaahh,” Bradford hand waved. “It was just small-talk. Salvage job across town. Nothing concrete at the moment, but me and a few ‘a the boys think there’s somethin’ to it.”
“Well, keep in touch with Paul. Its about time he starts organizing his own outings.”
“Hey, that Bakery Square op’ two months ago was all mine!”
“Hopefully it won’t be nearly as sloppy as that one was...” She said under her breath. “Right now, I’ve got my own job to wrap up.”
------------------------------------
I have mixed feelings how this part turned out. It was a lot more complicated than I initially thought, but the end result is still pretty good. Not much visual story-telling going on though. I want to try improving on that with upcoming parts.
Also did more focus stacking for this, because I'm a masochist who loves creating needless amounts of extra work for myself. And to top things off, a lot of facial edits on the figures (which I'll admit aren't the best).
If you fave, comment as well!
Liverpool played a huge part in the Second World War and was the most heavily bombed British city outside of London. We payed a visit to the secret underground WWII bunker on Rumford Street, instrumental in managing the Battle of the Atlantic.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/the-three-graces-on-t...
Been real foggy around here lately. That's because whoever is normally working the Big Weather Switchboard has fallen asleep on all the buttons. A few days ago, nearly 80 degrees. Now they're calling for snow on Sunday.
Wake up, Weather Monkey! You're on the buttons.
"Hello Operator? I'd like to make a call, Enterprise 5-4120 please"
In the early days of telephony, companies used manual telephone switchboards, and switchboard operators connected calls by inserting a pair of phone plugs into the appropriate jacks.
They were gradually phased out and replaced by automated systems, first those allowing direct dialing within a local area, then for long-distance and international direct dialing.
In January 1878 George Willard Croy became the world's first telephone operator when he started working for the Boston Telephone Dispatch company.
United States phone operator in 1911. Emma Nutt became the first female telephone operator on 1 September 1878 when she started working for the Boston Telephone Dispatch company, because the attitude and behaviour of the teenage boys previously employed as operators was unacceptable.
Emma was hired by Alexander Graham Bell, and reportedly, could remember every number in the telephone directory of the New England Telephone Company.
More women began to replace men within this sector of the workforce for several reasons. The companies observed that women were generally more courteous to callers, and women's labor was cheap in comparison to men's.
I shot this picture a few years ago with my cell phone from my University's communication museum.
This was too cool! In the fire station museum I visited with a photography group, there was this section of antiques, including this old switchboard, which might be suitable for use in the "Imitation Game". (I have not seen the movie yet.)
This particular area was one of the highlights of the outing and I'll be posting more in the days to come.
Press 'z' to zoom into the large version.
5,000 views on 27.07.2015.
7,000 views on 24.09.2015
8,400 views on 01.11.2015
10,318 views on 28.12.2015
13,037 views on 08.03.2016
19,070 views on 11.09.2016
20,119 views on 16.10.2016
27,220 views on 06.05.2017
34,842 views on 10.10.2017
46,303 views on 31.07.2018
52,762 views on 24.02.2019
54,681 views on 20.11.2019
56,582 views on 25.05.2021
The first image on my stream to hit 10,000 views. :-) Thank-you!
The Flickr algorithm has missed this image with over 27K views somehow. ;) *scratches forehead* lol (It's quite OK!)
The Scottish Rite Temple was the precursor of Art Deco in Miami. Ahead of their time, the architects’ avant-garde modernist project was to become the first Art Deco building in Miami.
The building is a rare example of Egyptian influence architecture in Miami. Egyptian features were a global trend at the time after the archaeological discovery of Tutankhamun’s intact tomb in 1922 which sparked a sudden flourish of Egyptomania worldwide. Art Deco is considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism, which has been influenced by a wide range of sources. Among them were the arts of Africa, Ancient Egypt, and Aztec Mexico. Art Deco also drew on mathematics, such as geometry; also
on so-called streamline technology, modern aviation, electric lighting, the radio, ocean liners and the skyscraper for inspiration.
The Scottish Rite Temple was built to the requirements of the Scottish Rite association, however, it has held different functions throughout the years. Especially during the Depression years, the temple was leased to other companies to help support and maintain it.
The “Federal Theater” leased the property
to show silent movies for a period of time, then “The Miami Playhouse Group” used the temple for live
plays, and it was leased out for church events on weekends, from regular services to wedding
ceremonies. Today, the property is underused and in need of repairs to be able to accommodate other
functions besides the regular Masonic ceremonies.
The principal elevation of the building is characterized by four stylized Doric columns dividing the main façade into three bays.
The columns extend to a height of two stories and are capped by a stylized entablature bearing the name of the building as an inscription: “Scottish Rite.” There are four stylized
sculptural eagles which surmount the entablature atop the placement of each column axis below.
Behind the eagles is visible a gable end roof. The building’s configuration presents a “T” shape plan with
a projecting lower wing to the northeast. The principal elevation of the wing is characterized by a
colonnade delineated by similar stylized Doric columns and an articulated masonry entablature.
The principal roof of the building is a ziggurat-shape mass that is capped by a stylized cupola. The walls of the building are clad in smooth stucco.
The building is accessible by way of a set of masonry steps leading from the sidewalk level. The steps
span the width of the main façade and emphasize the Grecian overtones in the styling. The greater
part of the fenestration has been replaced by awning-type windows set in aluminum frames. A masonry
dentil course wraps around the perimeter of the building at the height of the entablature.
The auditorium is undoubtedly the most outstanding interior space. With a seating capacity of 700
persons the auditorium is composed , in addition to the main floor, of two major balconies and two
small balconies. Under the ziggurat roof is a dome from which is suspended a magnificent chandelier;
the four columns that support the dome have large light panels featuring the emblems of the Order.
The stage is large enough to accommodate extensive theatrical productions and is equipped with all
necessary equipment including a complete electrical switchboard to control all of the lighting effects.
The building was badly damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, therefore completely restored at a cost
of $2.7 million. The most impressive restoration work was the fifty hand-painted backdrops decorating
the stage for historic tableaus used in the Rite’s symbolic degree ceremonies. During the restoration an
orchestra pit was discovered under the floor of the auditorium; 700 new seats and a new sound system
were also installed. A Skinner pipe organ adds up to the list of features.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
egov.ci.miami.fl.us/legistarweb/attachments/71420.pdf
www.emporis.com/buildings/396404/scottish-rite-masonic-ce...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Revival_architecture
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Title: Rock
( LUMIX G3 shot )
Manhattan. New York. USA. 2017. … 5 / 8
Images:
Beck - Cycle + Morning
youtu.be/crpKXePB714?si=wjcQgBn5Rcp1WFzV
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My new novel.
B♭ (B flat)
Volume 11. 😄
What follows is still in its first-draft stage. It will go through further revisions.
The crucial passages have not been made public.
(Of course, this is not the final manuscript.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My New Novel.
B♭ (B Flat)
— The darkest hour comes just before dawn —
The dawn in New York brought that phrase back to mind.
It was something Amir once heard from Professor Zakaria of the Faculty of Engineering at the Islamic University.
The professor, in his lifetime, had struggled between theory and reality, yet instilled in his disciples a calm and unshakable resolve.
Amir studied electrical engineering; Rafi Ghannam, architecture.
Each possessed talents that complemented the other.
After mastering the structures of the world, Rafi had gone on to extend his knowledge into electrical engineering, reaching from machinery to programs.
To the two of them, the vulnerabilities of America’s IT networks were but an open book.
In the dim underground floor, where bare fluorescent lights flickered, Rafi crouched at the intersection of the switchboard and the drainage duct.
Beneath his electrician’s vest and helmet, the red earth–colored scarf of Gaza wrapped his neck.
Amir stood beside him, scuffing his dusty work boots against the floor, fighting down his unease.
“Hurry. The morning shift will be here soon.”
“Quiet. Every sound echoes down here.”
Rafi answered evenly, opening his toolbox.
Inside lay a modified pressure switch and a block of C4, black and light-absorbing, gleaming like coal.
The device was to be set in the hidden recess where the structural beam and wiring shaft crossed—a “node” that, once sealed, could never be retrieved.
“Once it’s buried here, no one will ever find it.”
“...But are you sure? Is five years really the right time?”
“It must be five years. When the building stands complete, when it has been forgotten—then the blast will become the return of memory.”
Amir studied his profile and nodded silently.
Every motion of Rafi’s hand, each measured breath, carried the authority of a father, a teacher.
The hand that once learned to build was now preparing to destroy.
A slow tide of trust and kinship welled in Amir’s chest.
The sound of a fan turning, the rasp of chalk on blackboard—these rose in Rafi’s memory.
In the night lecture hall of the university, he had filled his notebook with shear angles of beams and the breaking points of concrete.
The lecturer, pointing to the diagram on the blackboard, had said quietly:
“When a structure collapses, it is not from defect. It follows the very will of its design.”
The classroom had fallen utterly silent at those words.
To know what would sway, what would endure, what would crack with sound during a vibration test—that knowledge was what could transform collapse into form.
That winter, Rafi’s family lost their home to an Israeli airstrike along the coast.
Despair turned to rage, rage to resolve, and resolve gave strength to his hands.
Amir, too, carried the same wound, and shared in that resolve.
Five years earlier, Rafi had begun to set up pirate radio.
Through networks of Caribbean and Hispanic immigrant communities, he passed messages quietly.
Every social platform and smartphone was under watch.
They restricted themselves to the barest communications, leaving only casual, trivial exchanges for daily use.
When he pressed the switch, a faint click was swallowed into the night’s silence.
A small red lamp lit up, linking him to nearby companions.
At two in the morning, a woman’s voice drifted from FM 87.9.
Through the static hush, a poem unfurled:
“If the world should end, I want to be singing alone.”
The verse Rafi chose was the emblem of his quiet resolve.
Amir listened to that voice while gazing at Rafi’s back.
What they undertook was not mere destruction—it was the embodiment of lost memory and anger, the crystallization of their trust and mutual understanding.
In darkness and silence, their plan advanced steadily.
The theory of architecture and the principles of electrical engineering, the pain of the past, and the will of those who had survived—all of it flowed quietly forward, converging toward a future act of ruin.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My new novel:
B♭ (B-flat)
There’s still more to come. 😃
(This is not the final draft.)
Set in New York City.
10
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54737038151/in/dateposted...
9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54720346098/in/dateposted...
8
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54713957969/in/dateposted...
7
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54703714420/in/dateposted...
6
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54696914108/in/dateposted...
5
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54686544606/in/dateposted...
4
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54653035442/in/dateposted...
3
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...
2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...
1
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...
Soundtrack.
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:
youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV
iTunes Playlist Link::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD
My new novel:
B♭ (B-flat)
Notes
1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"
•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.
•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).
•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.
•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.
2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing
youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K
3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally
youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Title.
Rock.
( LUMIX G3 shot )
マンハッタン。ニューヨーク。アメリカ。2017. … 5 / 8
Images.
Beck - Cycle + Morning
youtu.be/crpKXePB714?si=wjcQgBn5Rcp1WFzV
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
第11弾。 😄
以下は、まだ初稿の段階です。まだ推敲します。
重要な部分は公開していません。
(もちろん最終稿ではありません。)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
ーー 夜明け前が、一番暗い ーー
ニューヨークの夜明けは、その言葉を思い出させた。アミールが、イスラム大学工学部のザカリア教授から聞いた言葉だ。教授は生前、理論と現実の狭間で苦悩しつつも、弟子たちに冷静な意思を植え付けた。アミールは電気工学を、ラフィ・ガンナムは建築学を学び、互いに補完し合う才能を持っていた。ラフィは世界中の構造物を理解した後、電気工学へ知識を広げ、電子機器からプログラムまで手を伸ばしていた。アメリカの脆弱なITネットワークを熟知することなど、二人にとっては容易いことだった。
地下フロアの蛍光灯がむき出しの薄暗い空間で、ラフィは配電盤と排水ダクトの交差部にしゃがみ込んだ。電工業者のベストとヘルメットの下、ガザの赤土色のスカーフが彼の首を覆う。アミールはその横で、埃まみれの作業靴を床で擦りながら、緊張を抑えていた。
「早くしてくれ。もうすぐ朝の組が来る」
「静かにしろ、音が響く」
ラフィは冷静に答え、工具箱を開いた。中には改造された圧力スイッチと、光を吸い込むように黒光りするC4が収まっていた。仕掛けるのは、構造梁と配線シャフトが交差する“ノード”の背面——完成すれば、二度と取り外すことのできない場所だ。
「ここに埋めたら、二度と誰にも見つからない」
「……でも、本当に５年後でいいのか？」
「５年経った時こそ意味がある。建物が完成し、忘れ去られた時に——爆破は記憶の復活になる」
アミールは横顔を見つめ、静かに頷いた。ラフィの手の動き、呼吸の一つ一つが、師としての父のように頼もしく感じられた。建築を学んだ者の手が、今、建築を破壊する準備をしている。信頼と共感の感覚が、胸の奥にじわりと広がった。
扇風機の回る音と乾いた黒板の響きが、ラフィの記憶を呼び覚ます。大学の夜の講義室で、彼は梁の剪断角とコンクリートの破断点をノートに描き込んだ。講師は黒板の図を指し、静かに言った。
「構造が崩壊するのは、欠陥ではなく“設計の意思”に従ったときです」
その言葉に教室は静まり返った。振動試験でどこが揺れ、どこが耐え、どこが音を立てるか。それを理解することが、崩壊を“形”に変える。
その冬、ラフィの家族はイスラエルによる湾岸の空爆で家を失った。絶望は怒りに、怒りは意思に変わり、ラフィの手に力を宿した。アミールもまた、同じ痛みを知る者として、その意思を分かち合っていた。
５年前、ラフィはパイレーツラジオを設置し始めた。カリブ系やヒスパニック系の移民コミュニティのネットワークを利用し、伝令を静かに届ける。SNSやスマートフォンはすべて監視されている。彼らは必要最小限の通信にとどめ、日常的な他愛ないやり取りだけに絞った。
スイッチを押すと微かなクリック音が夜の静けさに吸い込まれる。小さな赤いランプが灯り、近隣の同胞たちに接続された。
午前2時、FM87.9から女の声が流れた。砂嵐のような静寂の中、詩が紡がれる。
「この世界が終わるなら、私はひとりで歌っていたい」
ラフィが選んだ一節は、彼の静かな決意の象徴だった。
アミールはその声を聞きながら、ラフィの背中を見つめた。彼らが行うのは単なる破壊ではない——失われた記憶と怒りの象徴であり、互いの信頼と理解の結晶でもあった。闇と静寂の中で、二人の計画は着実に進行する。建築の理論と電気工学、過去の痛み、そして生き延びた者の意志が、未来の破壊へと静かに繋がっていくのだ。
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
舞台はニューヨークです。
10
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54737038151/in/dateposted...
9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54720346098/in/dateposted...
8
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54713957969/in/dateposted...
7
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54703714420/in/dateposted...
6
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54696914108/in/dateposted...
5
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54686544606/in/dateposted...
4
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54653035442/in/dateposted...
3
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...
2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...
1
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...
Soundtrack.
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
追記 この小説を多少説明しました。
youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV
メモ
1
「Bombay型（ボンベイ型、hh型）」
•特徴：通常のABO血液型を持たない（A、B、Oに分類されない）特殊な型。
•発見地：1952年、インド・ムンバイ（旧ボンベイ）で初めて確認。
•発生頻度：インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。
•輸血制限：同じBombay型しか輸血できない。
2
2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』
youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K
3
Shots fired at Trump rally
youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Built in 1911, this Classical Revival-style building at the corner of Warsaw Avenue and Carson Avenue was constructed by the Cincinnati and Suburban Bell Telephone Company, now Cincinnati Bell, to serve as a phone exchange for the growing Price Hill area. The building features a red brick and limestone facade with terra cotta trim and colonnades in the center of the second floor facades with ionic columns, a decorative cornice, balustrades above the colonnades in the parapet, and a front entrance with a decorative surround. The building originally consisted of only the heavily ornamented front wing, with an addition being made to the rear of the building before World War II, and another addition made in the late 20th Century to the rear of the enlarged building. Once housing a series of switchboards operated by people inside the building, the operations of the exchange have since been fully automated.
one of the control rooms in the abandoned cement works Kaltenleutgeben/Rodaun - Austria
area 17/18: raw meal silos
Once waiting to carry the calls of a nation in fear of a war. The switchboard lines now sit in silence, no calls will come, no indicators will show. A silent reminder of the past.
Telekommunikations-Vermittlungsstelle anno 1924 ff., Fernmeldeamt Göttingen, 1950, Niedersachsen, Deutschland /
Telecommunications switching centre anno 1924 ff., telecommunications office Göttingen, 1950, Lower Saxony, Germany /
Von der Hand- zur Wählvermittlung
Die funktionsfähige Telefonvermittlungsstelle aus dem Jahr 1924 war das erste vollautomatische Ortswählsystem in Einheitstechnik. Die Deutsche Reichspost ließ das System
„SA 22" ab 1922 in großer Serie herstellen und führte es landesweit ein.
Kernstück des Systems war der Hebdrehwähler. 1889 gelang es Almon B. Strowger, die Vermittlung zu automatisieren.
An Stelle der Handvermittlung übernahmen 1892 erstmals Hebdrehwähler den Verbindungsaufbau. Die 1896 entwickelte Wählscheibe diente dabei als Fernsteuerung. Der gewählten Ziffer entsprechende Stromimpulse bewirkten das Heben und Drehen von Schalterarmen, mit denen die Leitung zum gewünschten Gesprächspartner geschaltet wurde.
Der Ubergang von der Handvermittlung zur automatischen Vermittlung bedeutete das Aus für das „Fräulein vom Amt". Seit 1890 wurden vornehmlich Frauen an den Vermittlungsschränken eingesetzt. Das manuelle Verbinden der Gesprächsteilnehmer war eine anstrengende Tätigkeit.
Acht Bedienschritte waren notwendig, um eine Verbindung herzustellen und die Leitung danach wieder freizugeben.
1959 wurde die letzte hessische Handvermittlungsstelle in Laubach durch eine Wählvermittlung ersetzt.
In Deutschland nahm 1908 die erste automatische Vermittlungsstelle in Hildesheim den Betrieb auf.
Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg ersetzte man in der Bundesrepublik das System 22 zunächst durch elektromagnetische, später elektronische Technik. In Weilrod bestand das System 22 bis 1958, in Offenbach bis 1965. /
From the manual to the dialling exchange
The functional telephone exchange from 1924 was the first fully automatic local dialling system using standardised technology. The German Reichspost had the system
"SA 22" from 1922 and introduced it nationwide.
The centrepiece of the system was the rotary dial. In 1889, Almon B. Strowger succeeded in automating the switchboard.
In 1892, rotary dials replaced the manual switchboard for the first time. The dial disc developed in 1896 served as a remote control. Current pulses corresponding to the dialled number caused switch arms to be lifted and turned, switching the line to the desired call partner.
The transition from manual switching to automatic switching signalled the end of the "lady from the exchange". From 1890 onwards, it was mainly women who were employed at the switchboards. Manually connecting the call participants was a strenuous task.
Eight operating steps were necessary to establish a connection and then release the line again.
In 1959, the last Hessian manual exchange in Laubach was replaced by a dialling exchange.
In Germany, the first automatic exchange went into operation in Hildesheim in 1908.
After the Second World War, System 22 in the Federal Republic of Germany was initially replaced by electromagnetic and later electronic technology. System 22 existed in Weilrod until 1958 and in Offenbach until 1965.
The Scottish Rite Temple was the precursor of Art Deco in Miami. Ahead of their time, the architects’ avant-garde modernist project was to become the first Art Deco building in Miami.
The building is a rare example of Egyptian influence architecture in Miami. Egyptian features were a global trend at the time after the archaeological discovery of Tutankhamun’s intact tomb in 1922 which sparked a sudden flourish of Egyptomania worldwide. Art Deco is considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism, which has been influenced by a wide range of sources. Among them were the arts of Africa, Ancient Egypt, and Aztec Mexico. Art Deco also drew on mathematics, such as geometry; also
on so-called streamline technology, modern aviation, electric lighting, the radio, ocean liners and the skyscraper for inspiration.
The Scottish Rite Temple was built to the requirements of the Scottish Rite association, however, it has held different functions throughout the years. Especially during the Depression years, the temple was leased to other companies to help support and maintain it.
The “Federal Theater” leased the property
to show silent movies for a period of time, then “The Miami Playhouse Group” used the temple for live
plays, and it was leased out for church events on weekends, from regular services to wedding
ceremonies. Today, the property is underused and in need of repairs to be able to accommodate other
functions besides the regular Masonic ceremonies.
The principal elevation of the building is characterized by four stylized Doric columns dividing the main façade into three bays.
The columns extend to a height of two stories and are capped by a stylized entablature bearing the name of the building as an inscription: “Scottish Rite.” There are four stylized
sculptural eagles which surmount the entablature atop the placement of each column axis below.
Behind the eagles is visible a gable end roof. The building’s configuration presents a “T” shape plan with
a projecting lower wing to the northeast. The principal elevation of the wing is characterized by a
colonnade delineated by similar stylized Doric columns and an articulated masonry entablature.
The principal roof of the building is a ziggurat-shape mass that is capped by a stylized cupola. The walls of the building are clad in smooth stucco.
The building is accessible by way of a set of masonry steps leading from the sidewalk level. The steps
span the width of the main façade and emphasize the Grecian overtones in the styling. The greater
part of the fenestration has been replaced by awning-type windows set in aluminum frames. A masonry
dentil course wraps around the perimeter of the building at the height of the entablature.
The auditorium is undoubtedly the most outstanding interior space. With a seating capacity of 700
persons the auditorium is composed , in addition to the main floor, of two major balconies and two
small balconies. Under the ziggurat roof is a dome from which is suspended a magnificent chandelier;
the four columns that support the dome have large light panels featuring the emblems of the Order.
The stage is large enough to accommodate extensive theatrical productions and is equipped with all
necessary equipment including a complete electrical switchboard to control all of the lighting effects.
The building was badly damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, therefore completely restored at a cost
of $2.7 million. The most impressive restoration work was the fifty hand-painted backdrops decorating
the stage for historic tableaus used in the Rite’s symbolic degree ceremonies. During the restoration an
orchestra pit was discovered under the floor of the auditorium; 700 new seats and a new sound system
were also installed. A Skinner pipe organ adds up to the list of features.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
egov.ci.miami.fl.us/legistarweb/attachments/71420.pdf
www.emporis.com/buildings/396404/scottish-rite-masonic-ce...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Revival_architecture
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Original Caption: Photograph of Women Working at a Bell System Telephone Switchboard
U.S. National Archives' Local Identifier: 86-WWT-28-3
Subjects:
World War, 1939-1945
Labor
Women
Persistent URL: research.archives.gov/description/1633445
For more information about records related to women and women’s issues at the U.S. National Archives, visit:
www.archives.gov/research/arc/topics/women/.
Repository: Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001.
For information about ordering reproductions of photographs held by the U.S. National Archives' Still Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/still-pictures.html.
Reproductions may be ordered via an independent vendor. The U.S. National Archives maintains a list of vendors at www.archives.gov/research/order/vendors-photos-maps-dc.html.
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted
Use Restrictions: Unrestricted
Rathmines Church was used as a weapons store during the War of Independence. On 26 January 1920 a fire started at the electrical switchboard in the vestry. There were reports of several members of 'A' Company of the IRA Dublin Brigade entering the church during the fire to retrieve the weapons.
Looking forward to our next Bodie interior access October 13, 2022. We'll have access to the Boone General Store for the first time in years.
Between the switchboard and the cash register, this is one of my favorite rooms in Bodie. My grandmother started a telephone answering service over 50 years ago, and up until about 5 years ago, they were using switchboards that look very similar to the one here. They have since updated to a state-of-the-art computerized system, but it was not long ago that switchboards like this were in everyday use.
Main Street USA
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World Resort
I was once asked by a castmember on the Disney switchboard as to what my favorite part of Walt Disney World was when she was assisting me with a reservation. I pondered on the subject for a moment and thought across the four parks all the rides and shows. Then it it me. Without question my favorite part of Walt Disney World is the first few steps you take on to Main Street USA.
STARLIGHT MOTOR HOTEL
250 Silver Lake Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Tel. DUnkirk 5-9151
The heart of the freeway system.
Completely air conditioned.
Hi-Fi music piped to each room.
Twenty-four hour switchboard service.
Free Television in all rooms.
Heated swimming pool.
Suites - Kitchen Apartments
Published by Mellinger Studios, Pasadena, California
This is a scan of my crew on the 25th Air Division Switchboard during the Korean War... I have a few more of these shots from that period of my life but have put them on my page sparingly because I didn't think most of you would be really interested...
Title.
Tourists and Advertisements
( LUMIX G3 shot )
Manhattan. New York. USA. 2017. … 3 / 8
Images:
Beck - Cycle + Morning
youtu.be/crpKXePB714?si=wjcQgBn5Rcp1WFzV
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My new novel.
B♭ (B flat)
Volume 11. 😄
What follows is still in its first-draft stage. It will go through further revisions.
The crucial passages have not been made public.
(Of course, this is not the final manuscript.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My New Novel.
B♭ (B Flat)
— The darkest hour comes just before dawn —
The dawn in New York brought that phrase back to mind.
It was something Amir once heard from Professor Zakaria of the Faculty of Engineering at the Islamic University.
The professor, in his lifetime, had struggled between theory and reality, yet instilled in his disciples a calm and unshakable resolve.
Amir studied electrical engineering; Rafi Ghannam, architecture.
Each possessed talents that complemented the other.
After mastering the structures of the world, Rafi had gone on to extend his knowledge into electrical engineering, reaching from machinery to programs.
To the two of them, the vulnerabilities of America’s IT networks were but an open book.
In the dim underground floor, where bare fluorescent lights flickered, Rafi crouched at the intersection of the switchboard and the drainage duct.
Beneath his electrician’s vest and helmet, the red earth–colored scarf of Gaza wrapped his neck.
Amir stood beside him, scuffing his dusty work boots against the floor, fighting down his unease.
“Hurry. The morning shift will be here soon.”
“Quiet. Every sound echoes down here.”
Rafi answered evenly, opening his toolbox.
Inside lay a modified pressure switch and a block of C4, black and light-absorbing, gleaming like coal.
The device was to be set in the hidden recess where the structural beam and wiring shaft crossed—a “node” that, once sealed, could never be retrieved.
“Once it’s buried here, no one will ever find it.”
“...But are you sure? Is five years really the right time?”
“It must be five years. When the building stands complete, when it has been forgotten—then the blast will become the return of memory.”
Amir studied his profile and nodded silently.
Every motion of Rafi’s hand, each measured breath, carried the authority of a father, a teacher.
The hand that once learned to build was now preparing to destroy.
A slow tide of trust and kinship welled in Amir’s chest.
The sound of a fan turning, the rasp of chalk on blackboard—these rose in Rafi’s memory.
In the night lecture hall of the university, he had filled his notebook with shear angles of beams and the breaking points of concrete.
The lecturer, pointing to the diagram on the blackboard, had said quietly:
“When a structure collapses, it is not from defect. It follows the very will of its design.”
The classroom had fallen utterly silent at those words.
To know what would sway, what would endure, what would crack with sound during a vibration test—that knowledge was what could transform collapse into form.
That winter, Rafi’s family lost their home to an Israeli airstrike along the coast.
Despair turned to rage, rage to resolve, and resolve gave strength to his hands.
Amir, too, carried the same wound, and shared in that resolve.
Five years earlier, Rafi had begun to set up pirate radio.
Through networks of Caribbean and Hispanic immigrant communities, he passed messages quietly.
Every social platform and smartphone was under watch.
They restricted themselves to the barest communications, leaving only casual, trivial exchanges for daily use.
When he pressed the switch, a faint click was swallowed into the night’s silence.
A small red lamp lit up, linking him to nearby companions.
At two in the morning, a woman’s voice drifted from FM 87.9.
Through the static hush, a poem unfurled:
“If the world should end, I want to be singing alone.”
The verse Rafi chose was the emblem of his quiet resolve.
Amir listened to that voice while gazing at Rafi’s back.
What they undertook was not mere destruction—it was the embodiment of lost memory and anger, the crystallization of their trust and mutual understanding.
In darkness and silence, their plan advanced steadily.
The theory of architecture and the principles of electrical engineering, the pain of the past, and the will of those who had survived—all of it flowed quietly forward, converging toward a future act of ruin.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My new novel:
B♭ (B-flat)
There’s still more to come. 😃
(This is not the final draft.)
Set in New York City.
10
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54737038151/in/dateposted...
9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54720346098/in/dateposted...
8
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54713957969/in/dateposted...
7
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54703714420/in/dateposted...
6
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54696914108/in/dateposted...
5
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54686544606/in/dateposted...
4
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54653035442/in/dateposted...
3
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...
2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...
1
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...
Soundtrack.
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:
youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV
iTunes Playlist Link::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD
My new novel:
B♭ (B-flat)
Notes
1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"
•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.
•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).
•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.
•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.
2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing
youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K
3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally
youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Title.
観光客と広告。
( LUMIX G3 shot )
マンハッタン。ニューヨーク。アメリカ。2017. … 3 / 8
Images.
Beck - Cycle + Morning
youtu.be/crpKXePB714?si=wjcQgBn5Rcp1WFzV
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
第11弾。 😄
以下は、まだ初稿の段階です。まだ推敲します。
重要な部分は公開していません。
(もちろん最終稿ではありません。)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
ーー 夜明け前が、一番暗い ーー
ニューヨークの夜明けは、その言葉を思い出させた。アミールが、イスラム大学工学部のザカリア教授から聞いた言葉だ。教授は生前、理論と現実の狭間で苦悩しつつも、弟子たちに冷静な意思を植え付けた。アミールは電気工学を、ラフィ・ガンナムは建築学を学び、互いに補完し合う才能を持っていた。ラフィは世界中の構造物を理解した後、電気工学へ知識を広げ、電子機器からプログラムまで手を伸ばしていた。アメリカの脆弱なITネットワークを熟知することなど、二人にとっては容易いことだった。
地下フロアの蛍光灯がむき出しの薄暗い空間で、ラフィは配電盤と排水ダクトの交差部にしゃがみ込んだ。電工業者のベストとヘルメットの下、ガザの赤土色のスカーフが彼の首を覆う。アミールはその横で、埃まみれの作業靴を床で擦りながら、緊張を抑えていた。
「早くしてくれ。もうすぐ朝の組が来る」
「静かにしろ、音が響く」
ラフィは冷静に答え、工具箱を開いた。中には改造された圧力スイッチと、光を吸い込むように黒光りするC4が収まっていた。仕掛けるのは、構造梁と配線シャフトが交差する“ノード”の背面——完成すれば、二度と取り外すことのできない場所だ。
「ここに埋めたら、二度と誰にも見つからない」
「……でも、本当に５年後でいいのか？」
「５年経った時こそ意味がある。建物が完成し、忘れ去られた時に——爆破は記憶の復活になる」
アミールは横顔を見つめ、静かに頷いた。ラフィの手の動き、呼吸の一つ一つが、師としての父のように頼もしく感じられた。建築を学んだ者の手が、今、建築を破壊する準備をしている。信頼と共感の感覚が、胸の奥にじわりと広がった。
扇風機の回る音と乾いた黒板の響きが、ラフィの記憶を呼び覚ます。大学の夜の講義室で、彼は梁の剪断角とコンクリートの破断点をノートに描き込んだ。講師は黒板の図を指し、静かに言った。
「構造が崩壊するのは、欠陥ではなく“設計の意思”に従ったときです」
その言葉に教室は静まり返った。振動試験でどこが揺れ、どこが耐え、どこが音を立てるか。それを理解することが、崩壊を“形”に変える。
その冬、ラフィの家族はイスラエルによる湾岸の空爆で家を失った。絶望は怒りに、怒りは意思に変わり、ラフィの手に力を宿した。アミールもまた、同じ痛みを知る者として、その意思を分かち合っていた。
５年前、ラフィはパイレーツラジオを設置し始めた。カリブ系やヒスパニック系の移民コミュニティのネットワークを利用し、伝令を静かに届ける。SNSやスマートフォンはすべて監視されている。彼らは必要最小限の通信にとどめ、日常的な他愛ないやり取りだけに絞った。
スイッチを押すと微かなクリック音が夜の静けさに吸い込まれる。小さな赤いランプが灯り、近隣の同胞たちに接続された。
午前2時、FM87.9から女の声が流れた。砂嵐のような静寂の中、詩が紡がれる。
「この世界が終わるなら、私はひとりで歌っていたい」
ラフィが選んだ一節は、彼の静かな決意の象徴だった。
アミールはその声を聞きながら、ラフィの背中を見つめた。彼らが行うのは単なる破壊ではない——失われた記憶と怒りの象徴であり、互いの信頼と理解の結晶でもあった。闇と静寂の中で、二人の計画は着実に進行する。建築の理論と電気工学、過去の痛み、そして生き延びた者の意志が、未来の破壊へと静かに繋がっていくのだ。
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
舞台はニューヨークです。
10
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54737038151/in/dateposted...
9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54720346098/in/dateposted...
8
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54713957969/in/dateposted...
7
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54703714420/in/dateposted...
6
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54696914108/in/dateposted...
5
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54686544606/in/dateposted...
4
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54653035442/in/dateposted...
3
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54639396885/in/dateposted...
2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54628511025/in/dateposted...
1
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54599616429/in/dateposted...
Soundtrack.
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
追記 この小説を多少説明しました。
youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV
メモ
1
「Bombay型（ボンベイ型、hh型）」
•特徴：通常のABO血液型を持たない（A、B、Oに分類されない）特殊な型。
•発見地：1952年、インド・ムンバイ（旧ボンベイ）で初めて確認。
•発生頻度：インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。
•輸血制限：同じBombay型しか輸血できない。
2
2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』
youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K
3
Shots fired at Trump rally
youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Marble switchboard in the machine hall
Schalttafel aus Marmor in der Maschinenhalle
The Zeche Zollern II/IV (translated: Zollern II/IV Colliery) is located in the northwestern suburb of Bövinghausen of Dortmund, Germany. The Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG projected Zollern in 1898 as a model colliery. The “mansion of labour” is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and impressive testimonies to Germany's industrial history.
Colliery
Ground up construction began in 1898 on a new site. Most of the buildings of the colliery were built in solid brickwork by the architect Paul Knobbe and were completed in 1904 with the central engine house, in which the most up-to-date generators and machinery used in the colliery were housed. The architecture and state-of-the-art technology support the transition of Gothic-revival to Art Nouveau and the industrialization of the early 1900s.
Due to deadline pressure, the central engine house was built in iron framework construction with infilling of red brickwork, planned and executed by the Gutehoffnungshütte. The Art Nouveau styled main entrance was designed by the Berlin architect Bruno Möhring, it shows a lead glazing of blue, green and-glass. Counterpart of the main entrance is the big control board of polished marble in brass mounting, with a brass clock hanging from above.
Other buildings on the site include administration bureaus, blacksmith's shop and carpenter's shop, first-aid and fire station with stable, pithead baths, tools store and the central gateway.
Museum
In 1969, three years after it closed down, the colliery was recognized as Germany's first technical building monument of international importance. Since 1981, it has been the headquarters of the Westphalian Industrial Museum.
The original pit frames had been scrapped before 1969, two similar constructions from other collieries were reconstructed on this site in the 1980s.
The museum is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
(Wikipedia)
Die Zeche Zollern ist ein stillgelegtes Steinkohlebergwerk im Nordwesten der Stadt Dortmund, im Stadtteil Bövinghausen. Es besteht aus zwei Schachtanlagen, die unter Tage zusammenhingen: Die Schachtanlage I/III (das heißt: die Schächte I und III) in Kirchlinde und die Schachtanlage II/IV in Bövinghausen.
Die Zeche Zollern II/IV ist heute einer von acht Museumsstandorten des dezentral angelegten LWL-Industriemuseums, das zugleich hier seinen Sitz hat. Die Zechenanlage ist ein Ankerpunkt der Route der Industriekultur im Ruhrgebiet und der Europäischen Route der Industriekultur (ERIH).
Geschichte
Zollern 2/4 entstand zwischen 1898 und 1904 als Musterzeche der Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG (GBAG) unter dem Einfluss deren Direktors Emil Kirdorf. Die Architektur und Technik des Bergwerkes sollte wirtschaftliche Potenz und Modernität zum Ausdruck bringen. 1899 stieß man bei einer Teufe von 139 m am Schacht 2 auf das Flöz Präsident. In der ersten Stufe wurde der Schacht bis zur 3. Sohle in 282 m Tiefe abgeteuft. In den Jahren 1921 und 1942 wurde der Schacht bis zu einer Endteufe von 490 m weiter ausgebaut. Der Schacht 4 wurde im Jahr 1900 bis zur 3. Sohle abgeteuft und diente als Wetterschacht. Es erfolgte ein Durchschlag zu den Schächten Zollern 1 und 3. Bis zum Ersten Weltkrieg wurde hauptsächlich von der 3. Sohle gefördert; anschließend verlagerte sich die Förderung auf die 4. Sohle (366 m Teufe). Trotz der Modernität der Anlage zeigten sich Unzulänglichkeiten bei den Tagesanlagen. In der kurzen Schachthalle war kein Wagenumlauf möglich, mangelhafte Aufbereitungsanlagen für die Trennung und Aufbereitung der Kohlen. 1908 wurde unter Tage die Lokomotivförderung eingeführt. Die Zerstörung der Betriebsanlagen im Zweiten Weltkrieg auf der Schachtanlage 2/4 waren vergleichsweise gering.
Schon Ende der 1920er Jahre gab es Pläne bei der damaligen Eigentümerin, der Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG, die Förderung der Schachtanlagen Zollern 1/3, Zollern 2/4, Germania 1/4 und Germania 2/3 zusammenzufassen. Mit der Ausrichtung der Förderung auf die 6. Sohle sollte eine zentrale Förderanlage errichtet werden. Allerdings wurde erst im Dezember 1939 die Bautätigkeiten auf dem Gelände der Anlage Germania 2/3 aufgenommen; die vorläufige Endteufe wurde am 17. März 1942 mit 649,5 m Tiefe erreicht. Der ursprüngliche Plan, eine Skipförderung einzurichten wurde bedingt durch die kriegsbedingte Mangelwirtschaft aufgegeben und es wurde eine Gestellförderung vorgesehen. Zum Anschluss der Grubenbaue an den zentralen Förderschacht mussten Bunker und Blindschächte angelegt werden. Ab 1958 wurde die 7. Sohle bei einer Teufe von −683 m NN aufgefahren.
Bis 1945 waren in der Zeche auch Zwangsarbeiter beschäftigt.
Im Jahr 1951 wurde die Lampenstube auf Zollern 2/4 neu gebaut und ein Brausenraum an der Kaue errichtet. Die Kohlenförderung auf der Anlage wurde 1955 eingestellt. Ende der 1950er Jahre wurden schrittweise Anlagen abgebrochen (Seilbahn, Bergebrechanlage, Schachtgebäude) oder nur noch als Reservekapazitäten (Druckluftversorgung) zur Verfügung gehalten.
Im Jahr 1965 musste das Verbundbergwerk Germania/Zollern die Förderung zurücknehmen; der Vorstand der Dortmunder Bergbau AG beschloss, die Schachtanlage Zollern 2/4 stillzulegen und die Bergleute auf die anderen Teilanlagen zu verlegen. Die Schächte Zollern 2 und 4 wurden 1967 und 1966 verfüllt. Die Tagesanlagen blieben bis zur Übernahme durch die RAG bei der GBAG. Die Zentralschachtanlage Germania wurde bereits 1971 stillgelegt. Ursache der Stilllegung waren die ungünstigen Lagerstättenverhältnisse, die der Mechanisierung des Abbaus entgegenstanden. Ferner waren die erschlossenen Kohlenvorräte des Bergwerkes gering und dies hätte einen hohen Ausrichtungsaufwand für die Erschließung weiterer Vorräte bedürft.
Im Jahr 1904 wurde eine Kokerei auf dem Zechengelände Zollern 2/4 errichtet, die allerdings nur bis 1918 in Betrieb war.
Bauten/Zechenanlage
Zollern gehört zu den architektonisch bemerkenswertesten Bergwerksanlagen des Ruhrgebietes. Hinter dem Zechentor erstreckt sich ein großer baumbestandener Platz. Der vordere Bereich der Tagesanlagen erinnert an eine dreiflügelige barocke Schlossanlage im Stil des Historismus der Jahrhundertwende. Die Architektur orientiert sich an dem Idealbild der norddeutschen Backsteingotik, das rote Ziegelmauerwerk wird durch Formsteine, Zierverbände und helle Putzfelder aufgelockert. Diese Gebäude entwarf der Architekt Paul Knobbe (1867–1956), der in jener Zeit einen großen Teil aller Neubauten der GBAG plante. Aufwändig ist auch das Innere der Lohnhalle gestaltet, das nach einer langen Zeit der Zweckentfremdung erst vor wenigen Jahren – wie alle Gebäude – sorgfältig restauriert wurde.
Tatsächlich war die Schachtanlage insgesamt jahrzehntelang ohne größere Veränderungen geblieben. Nur einzelne, verschlissene oder nicht mehr benötigte Teile der Anlage waren abgebrochen, verschrottet oder ersetzt worden. Darunter auch die originalen Fördergerüste, die jedoch in den Jahren von 1986 bis 1988 durch zwei baugleiche Gerüste anderer Zechen ersetzt wurden. So stammt das heute über dem Schacht Zollern II stehende Gerüst von der Zeche Wilhelmine Victoria in Gelsenkirchen, das über Schacht Zollern IV von Friedrich der Große in Herne.
Ende der 1960er Jahre, als nach der Stilllegung ein vollständiger Abriss der Anlage zu befürchten war, erregte dann endlich das spektakulärste Gebäude der ganzen Anlage die Aufmerksamkeit der frühen Industriedenkmalpflege: die Maschinenhalle.
Die Maschinenhalle
Die zentrale Maschinenhalle der Zeche war seinerzeit nicht mehr in massiver Bauweise (wie zunächst von Knobbe geplant) ausgeführt worden, sondern in der Hoffnung auf schnellere Fertigstellung als eine mit Backstein ausgefachte Eisenfachwerk-Konstruktion. Vorbild war die Ausstellungshalle der Gutehoffnungshütte auf der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Industrie- und Gewerbeausstellung Düsseldorf 1902, in der auch die elektrische Fördermaschine für den Schacht II (vor ihrer endgültigen Montage in Bövinghausen) ausgestellt wurde. Wie bei der Düsseldorfer Halle sorgte der Berliner Architekt Bruno Möhring (1863–1929) für die Ausschmückung der Maschinenhalle mit Details in Jugendstilformen, als deren Höhepunkt der Haupteingang mit farbiger Verglasung und einem geschwungenen Vordach (ähnlich den Pariser Metrostationen von Hector Guimard) gelten konnte. Das Vordach ist wohl schon in den 1930er Jahren nach einem Schaden abgebrochen worden, aber andere Einzelheiten ziehen noch heute den Betrachter in ihren Bann.
Wenn auch der Jugendstil für ein Industriebauwerk insgesamt eher ungewöhnlich war, so gab bzw. gibt es doch einige Beispiele für seine Verwendung im Zusammenhang mit Bauten der Elektrizität, z. B. das Wasserkraftwerk Heimbach in der Eifel, oder modernen Eisenkonstruktionen, z. B. bei der Berliner U-Bahn. Die Maschinenhalle erfüllt beide Kriterien: Sie war eine damals moderne Eisenkonstruktion, und sie beherbergte fortschrittliche Elektrotechnik, als auf anderen Zechen noch ohne Elektrizität gearbeitet wurde.
Ab 2009 wurde die Maschinenhalle grundlegend saniert und restauriert. Ein Sturmschaden im November 2010 an der Dachhaut der Maschinenhalle verzögerte die Fertigstellung. Seit dem 11. September 2016 ist die Maschinenhalle wieder für den Publikumsverkehr geöffnet.
Das Museum
Die Maschinenhalle wurde dank der Initiative von Hans P. Koellmann 1969 nicht wie geplant abgebrochen, sondern als erstes Industriebauwerk in Deutschland unter Denkmalschutz gestellt und wurde zunächst vom Deutschen Bergbaumuseum in Bochum betreut. 1981 integrierte der Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe die Zeche in das dezentrale Westfälische Industriemuseum. Nach und nach wurden die umliegenden Gebäude restauriert und für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht. Neben den eindrucksvollen Bauwerken sind auch die Außenanlagen Teil des Museums. Die Kohleverladestation, der ehemalige Zechenbahnhof und ein begehbares Fördergerüst gehören zu den Attraktionen. Das Innere der Maschinenhalle wurde bis zum Spätherbst 2012 umfassend saniert.
Im Bereich des ehemaligen Zechenbahnhofes und dem sich anschließenden Freigelände ist eine umfangreiche Sammlung an Eisenbahnfahrzeugen abgestellt, die größtenteils von ehemaligen Werkbahnen der Montanindustrie stammen. So findet sich hier beispielsweise auch die Dampflok „97“ der ehemaligen Schmalspur-Werkbahn der Westfalenhütte.
1999 wurde die Dauerausstellung Musterzeche eröffnet. In dieser wird die Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte des Ruhrgebiets sowohl für Erwachsene als auch für Kinder anschaulich dargestellt. Die Ausstellung thematisiert das Ausbildungswesen des Ruhrbergbaus, die Entwicklung des betrieblichen Hygiene- und Gesundheitswesen sowie die Anstrengungen zur Reduzierung von Arbeitsunfällen.
Speziell für Kinder gibt es Kinderführungen über das Museumsgelände angeboten. Ein 2006 fertiggestellter Kinderspielplatz rundet das Angebot für Kinder ab.
Die Räumlichkeiten des Museums werden zunehmend auch als Veranstaltungs- und Tagungsort genutzt und können gemietet werden. Unter anderem war die Maschinenhalle schon Spielort im Rahmen des Klavierfestivals Ruhr. Das Foyer des Verwaltungsgebäudes mit seinem ornamentreichen Treppenaufgang wird häufig für Trauungen genutzt.
Für das leibliche Wohl sorgt das Restaurant „Pferdestall“ auf dem Museumsgelände.
Veranstaltungen
Seit vielen Jahren wird die Zeche Zollern als Veranstaltungsort für Produktionen aus der Region genutzt. Zu den bekanntesten zählt der vom freien Theater Fletch Bizzel alljährlich organisierte Geierabend, eine Persiflage auf die parallel stattfindenden Prunksitzungen im rheinischen Karneval.
Sonstiges
Am 6. November 1987 erschien im Rahmen der Briefmarkenserie Sehenswürdigkeiten eine Briefmarke mit dem Motiv des Portals der Maschinenhalle. Die Briefmarke hat einen Markenwert von 80 Pfennig. Die Marke wurde sowohl von der Deutschen Bundespost als auch von der Deutschen Bundespost Berlin ausgegeben.
(Wikipedia)
The control panel situated at the end of numerous switchboards at a particularly derelict sugar refinery.