Coin Telephone 54
(BT PAYPHONE 800)

When it comes to completing a Telephone Kiosk restoration project, the popular route is opt for either a "Jubilee Interior" (used from 1936 to the mid 50's) and install a Button A&B coin box. Alternatively, there is the more modern Pay on Answer (POA) Interior equipped with a grey (or black) armoured Tele. 705 Payphone.

(Occasionally, I've seen some private Kiosks fitted with the Red Portable Tele No. 735, which were never really fitted in public Kiosks and to me, 'just don't look quite right').

If you're either too young to remember the Button A&B era or you want something a little more up to date than a POA Payphone, then a BT Payphone 800 / CT54 might be the Payphone for you. This is the route I decided to go down after Covid-19 confined us all to home and I was left staring at the bottom of the garden at the K6 that had sat there untouched for the last 18 years or so. After a summer of sanding, wire-brushing and painting, it was time to complete the Kiosk restoration with a working Payphone.

In went a CT54B (or BT Payphone 800) along with a cashbox, two frames and a shelf, in keeping with the modern-day layout that is still found in kiosks today. What I rapidly found though was, how little information there is on the web about the CT54 and how it works. So in an effort to assist anyone else that is planning to go down a similar route to myself, what I've documented here is what I've learned so far about this Payphone along the way. If you have any information to add though, please do get in touch.

Disclaimer #1: The information contained within this guide is purely based on experimenting and ‘tinkering’ with an old BT Payphone in an attempt to have a fully functioning Payphone in my restored Kiosk. None of the information contained should be considered “official” or authorative, since there may be errors and omissions. The author is not connected with BT in any way and the views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author and not to BT. Finally, the information contained within this guide should be used at your own risk and the author will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of the information contained on this web-site.

Disclaimer #2: See here