Operator Collection (page 9)

Two Morse Code operators, Metropolitan Police
Two Morse Code operators at work in the Metropolitan Police communications office. Date: circa 1940s

Metropolitan Police vehicle database, London
View of the Metropolitan Police vehicle database at New Scotland Yard, London, with officers working at computer terminals, checking the details of stolen vehicles. (2 of 3) Date: 1974

Two Metropolitan Police telegraph operators at work, New Scotland Yard, London. Date: late 1930s

Metropolitan Police Information Room, London
General view of the Metropolitan Police Information Room at New Scotland Yard, London, with officers busy taking calls. In the foreground are the Inspectors and Sergeants positions. Date: May 1974

Two Metropolitan Police radio operators in the control room. One officer is giving instructions for an announcement to be broadcast over the microphone. Date: mid 1950s

Switchboard operators
Two female operators by a witchboard of Western Electric system, 1927. Date: 1927

Metropolitan Police telephone operator
A Metropolitan Police telephone operator at the controls, which link him with Police Boxes in the London area. He is wearing a combination microphone and headphones. Date: circa 1930s

A wireless operator
An illustration of an wireless operator sat at his desk receiving a message. Date: 4th May 1912

Telephone Operators
Men and women working as telephone operators. Trelleborg

QSL card - Lithaunian Radio Station
A commemorative card from a Lithaunian Radio Station (a QSL card) commemorating 20 years of the restitution of Lithuanian independence. These were sent abroad, hence the card is written in English

Jack Binns, wireless-telegraph operator
Jack Binns, the wireless-telegraph operator on the RMS Republic that sank after colliding with the SS Florida on 23rd January 1909, near Nantucket, Massachusetts

Axminster carpet loom, Festival of Britain, London
A large Axminster carpet loom on display and in action in the Power and Production Pavilion, Festival of Britain, South Bank, London. Date: May 1951

US War Bonds
Fire Away! Buy Extra Bonds. A plea to purchase war bonds, issued by the US Treasury Department War Finance Division. The card is in honour of the USS Dorrado

Copenhagen Phone Exchang
Telefonselskabets Centralbureau - the central telephone exchange, Copenhagen - note the operator with the long plaits ! Date: 1888

TITANIC: HAROLD COTTAM. The wireless operator who received the distress signals from the Titanic while aboard
TITANIC: HAROLD COTTAM. The wireless operator who received the distress signals from the " Titanic" while aboard the " Carpathia."

TITANIC: INQUIRY, 1912. Before Senator Smith in the earlier stages of the senatorial inquiry, the commission listens to witnesses in the ballroom of the Walfdorf-Astoria Hotel in New York

SHIP: TELEGRAPHY ROOM. The telegraphy room of an Atlantic liner, similar to that of the Titanic

Training in taking telephone messages
Men of the London Fire Brigade being trained in taking telephone messages

Men working at watchroom telephone switchboard
Firefighters working on the watchroom telephone switchboard at Southwark Fire Station

Early video phone system, 1930. Historical artwork showing the two-way television communication system demonstrated by Bell Labs on Manhattan Island, New York City, USA, in 1930

Russian space mission control centre. Large display screens and computer workstations at Russias control centre for space missions

Wheatstone telegraph system
Telegraph system. Historical artwork of operators using a Wheatstone telegraph system. The Wheatstone automatic telegraph consisted of a tape perforator, transmitter and receiver

Baudot telegraph system

19th century telegraph operator
Telegraph operator, historical artwork. Telegraph transmitters were used to send information as a series of electric pulses

HeliFlight helicopter flight simulator. Tutor guiding a trainee pilot from the control room of a HeliFlight simulator (yellow). It can simulate a helicopter or a fixed-wing aircraft

Petrochemical factory control room. Operators at computer workstations in the control room of a petrochemical factory. A petrochemical factory is a chemical factory where oil is used as a raw

Heat supply station. Control centre of a heat supply station. The heat supply station is supplying heat in the form of hot water flowing through pipes

Control room, Fawley power station, UK
MODEL RELEASED. Operators working in Fawley power station control room, Hampshire, UK. This power station is powered by heavy fuel oil

DEUCE computer, 1956
DEUCE computer. Operator using the Digital Electronic Universal Computing Engine (DEUCE) computer. This was a commercial version of the Pilot ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) design

Pilot ACE computer, 1952
Pilot ACE computer. Controller operating the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) pilot model. This was a preliminary version of the full ACE design

Factory control room
MODEL RELEASED. Factory control room. Conceptual composite image of technicians in clean room clothing monitoring an automated production line from a computer control room

Light microscopy
MODEL RELEASED. Light microscopy. Researcher operating a light or optical microscope. She is looking through the eyepiece of the microscope and operating the focus control with her hand

Pneumatic drill testing. Health and safety worker testing a pneumatic drill. This is a powerful piece of equipment that requires its operators to wear protective clothing

Rotary-dial telephone
Plastic rotary-dial telephone photographed at Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, Pontiac, Illinois

Cut timber being stacked for drying
Sawmill. A truck carrying a stack of freshly cut wood at a sawmill. Once the wood has been cut from the log, it must dry before being sold

Timber coming from a saw line at sawmill
Sawmill. Lengths of wood cut from a tree trunk at a sawmill. These pieces come from the first cut, in which the trunk is sliced in one direction

Strela computer, 1956
Strela computer. This was the first mainframe computer to be produced in the Soviet Union and distributed to different locations. Seven of these computers were manufactured, the first in 1953

Physicists in SLAC control room
SLAC control room. Wide angle view of physicists and technicians in the control room of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), California, USA

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE, 1920s. A still from a silent movie, 1920s

WEDDING: CABLE CAR, 1970. A young Taiwanese couple, she a cable car conductor, he a cable car operator, are married in a supended cable car north of Taipei, Taiwan, October 1970

CHICKEN A LA KING, 1928. Arthur Stone and Amber Norman in a scene from the 1928 motion picture Chicken a la King

Film Still: Office Scene

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE, 1920s. A still from a silent movie

LINOTYPE OPERATOR, c1920s. Motion-picture still

IN SEARCH OF A SINNER, 1920. Constance Talmadge in a scene from the film

M6 motorway toll - at booth paying

Car Wash Cleaning with powerhose RF 2000s current contemporary

Female wool weaving operators, Yorkshire
Female wool weaving operators tend their machines at a Yorkshire factory

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Capturing the Essence of 'Operator': A Journey through Time and Technology" From the bustling cotton weaving shed in Preston, Lancashire to the intricate world of metalwork, operators have been at the heart of industrial progress. Witnessing the skillful hands of cotton weavers at their looms in Preston, Lancashire reminds us that operators have long played a vital role in facilitating production processes. The telephone switchboard: an iconic symbol of communication revolution since its inception in 1929 at the Telephone Exchange. Stepping into history with a glimpse of the switchboard at Newcastle Telephone Exchange on January 24th, 1931 - where connections were made and lives changed forever. Survivors from tragic events like those aboard Empress of Ireland remind us that even amidst chaos, skilled operators provided crucial assistance and support. Beyond telecommunication duties, operators found themselves refueling not only machines but also human connection – just like this mini being filled up for another journey ahead. Peering into London's Metropolitan Police operations room reveals how operators worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes to maintain law and order throughout the city's streets. Celebrating completion as Earls Court station opens its doors to commuters; a testament to operator expertise ensuring smooth transportation for all passengers. A mesmerizing sight unfolds as a long line of telephone switchboards stands tall - each representing countless conversations connecting people across distances near and far. WWII brought challenges aplenty but London's telephone exchange remained resilient thanks to dedicated operators who kept lines open amidst adversity.