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1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Need help fixing or installing a lock? We welcome questions from the public here! Sorry, no automotive questions, please.
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WE DO NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT AUTOMOTIVE OR MOTORCYCLE LOCKS OR IGNITIONS ON THIS FORUM. THIS INCLUDES QUESTIONS ABOUT PICKING, PROGRAMMING, OR TAKING APART DOOR OR IGNITION LOCKS,

1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby wolff » 30 Jun 2015 23:25

I thought I should start a separate thread for these from my lock repinning thread, just a quick photo for now of 2 of the locks I mentioned. These are part of some 1895-1930 era gamewell fire alarm boxes I own, most of which lack keys, the ones that do have keys usually those keys don't fit the others, looks like each city who had these wound up with different keys.

The one on the left is an "inner door" key and there's at least a few small variations of it, but they are all very simple locks that keys can be made to fit real easy if a correct sized blank key is found.

Image

The one on the right is the exterior door trap-lock as viewed from the inside of the box, the main key to open this door is on the other side and it becomes trapped in the lock once turned and the door is opened, it can only be removed by inserting a small narrow key in the key hole shown. The idea with this was to identify which key holder opened the box, most of these boxes have their main door keys in them permanently trapped since almost no one seems to sell the smaller keys or even has them.

With these being antiques, obviously, modern looking or "home made" keys just would not look right, so the issue is how does one find keys that fit the key holes and are correct in size/length/bit width etc in order to cut/file them to work?


There's a couple of other locks these have, but I don't have a photo handy at the moment, they used at least 4 different keys on these things! 5 if you count the spring winding key.

Here's a picture of what these are, the main door key can be seen in the door, and above that there's a round weather cover over the lock that keeps the small hinged swing-down door (which usually has glass in it) closed over the main door key

Image
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby wolff » 1 Jul 2015 1:37

I did a couple more videos, showing the 2 locks i mentioned, and a few others I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRAoTHa0Ows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1ZqW9aNDo
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby jeffmoss26 » 1 Jul 2015 7:35

Very cool!
"I tried smoking a blank once. I was never able to keep the tip lit long enough to inhale." - ltdbjd
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby phoneman85 » 2 Jul 2015 21:31

I have one of the Gamewell keys that was used by the NYPD supposedly. I got it because it was cool, the seller had several, and I didn't have one. Also suposedly fits old traffic light controller cabinets. these style of keys were usually all the same, but think they fit the "newer" gamewell boxes from the 50's on. they are easy to find repros of online.
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby wolff » 2 Jul 2015 22:08

phoneman85 wrote:I have one of the Gamewell keys that was used by the NYPD supposedly. I got it because it was cool, the seller had several, and I didn't have one. Also suposedly fits old traffic light controller cabinets. these style of keys were usually all the same, but think they fit the "newer" gamewell boxes from the 50's on. they are easy to find repros of online.


Hi,
That's probably one of those flat steel keys, that's around when Gamewell was going cheap and started using plastics and stamped steel locks replaced the solid cast brass locks, the all-brass mechanisms were replaced with mostly steel and aluminum, glass replaced with plastic etc

Here's what they look like, I never bought one of these newer models since they don't appeal to me at all due to the cheapness, I collect the older cast-iron and brass, the newest model I have is their "Herculite" aluminum alloy that was produced in the 1930s

Image

Image

The flat steel key used from about 1930s forward, they are sold brand new on at least one fire alarm box parts site for a few dollars.

Image

All of my cast-iron Gamewell boxes take the old barrel & bit keys, and the door keys seem to have been cut differently for each city they were installed in, which makes sense since they were installed across the country and elsewhere over decades and only the employees and fire dept in each city had auth to access their city equipment.

NYC used 2 types of locks- pinned and barrel & bit, and those were cut the same for all the boxes, but i've found that many of the barrel & bit locks were not even really functional locks, since ANY barrel & bit key that fit the keyhole would open the locks- there was no locking mechanism in many of those locks.
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby wolff » 2 Jul 2015 22:24

Here's one of the newer FDNY aluminum locks which are exact replacements for the old Sargent sized cast brass locks which use the barrel & bit keys, this lock did away with any actual locking mechanism, so any key that fits in the keyhole will open them as should be obvious in the 2nd photo, guess they figured the boxes no longer needed security.
they machined these out of a block of aluminum.

Image

Image

Image
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby phoneman85 » 14 Jul 2015 18:52

Mine is a brass lever style key about 4" long. like this one, but longer. http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/gamewell-police-fire-call-box-key-77693291

Would like to get one of the old gamewell alarms, as it would fit in nicely with my antique telephone gear.
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby Matt9759 » 23 Feb 2023 14:43

Wolff, I found your post about the Gamewell Fire call box.
I also have one of these and I'm trying to find the same key for (YOUR PICTURE NUMBER 2) is this something you can help me with?

Matt9759
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Re: 1895-1930 Gamewell locks

Postby billdeserthills » 23 Feb 2023 17:01

Have you tried www.bluedogkeys.com
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