Flat top, huh? Haven't seen any around Los Angeles. There were still a few 1SOBs around when I left Otis in 1992, but not many-any of these "flatops". We had a lot of 10,20,and 30 UCLs, 260 VIPS, basically 60s and 70s stuff. Had some MRSs, 401s, and 411s.

However, I did have the opportunity to run an old Otis elevator with a carswitch into the overhead!

Back in the 60s'I was sent over to another Haughton job to load tools and excess material on a truck to be returned to the shop. I had worked 108 West 6th Street a few months earlier. Bud had been the foreman during the installation. 108 was a 10 story building built in the 1900s. The four-passenger cars that were indirect roped water hydros that traveled at around 500 feet per minute. Hard to believe a hydro could travel that fast. It was quite a sight to watch those old jacks shoot up and down in a separate hoistway adjacent to the elevator that they served. This equipment was 70 years old, leaked like hell and squirted the water oil mixture everywhere. Here�s how it worked. . . the large water and soluble oil reservoirs were pressurized with air compressors that kept constant pressure in the system. Los Angeles was full of these water hydros. We modernized some with the jack lying on its side some distance from the hoistway. There was also a 10 stop water hydro freight. Everything had to come out, right down to the guide rails. Four new gearless passenger elevators replaced the old passenger cars. A new geared freight replaced the old hydro freight. As usual Bud and his crew did an excellent job.

ive never seen a otis flat top machine in melbourne. what was the years of construction for these?

Installed in Brisbane until about 1937.Had round-carbon controllers. All gone now. Superseeded by 20U.
Coles and David Jones' were still running just fine until the developers got hold of them. Coles came down in 2005, DJ's was desecrated about the same time. DJ's might still have the Otis 70 machines. (gearless) All the drum-drives were AC'ed in the 50s/60s.

We lost most of them here in St.louis when they stopped producing DC at the power plant downtown. But ran into 2 the other day that had installed transformer and rectafiers in the basement to keep them going.

I could use that potato masher relay.

Still one in use at Boston store downtown milwaukee.

and who do you think installed them? Daniel.