ELCBs in those days were the voltage-operated type, where a voltage would be detected in an earth wire to trip the breaker. They were big Bakelite units that were generally only installed in meter boxes. They probably would be more trouble than they are worth now, with most electronic appliances feeding leakage into the earth cable as a matter of routine. Lightning also tripped them so if you were on holidays, you'd come back to a warm fridge full of rotten food. Yukkie!

Well, getting back to the subject:

SC published a reply in the April edition. It's a fascinating read.

While grudgingly admitting everything I said was true, the reply was listed as "Pye history is complicated"!

I'll admit there's not much in the public domain about this incredibly innovative and productive period at Marrickville.
Maybe everyone has died?

The only proof that this ever happened is now all in landfill......

I lived at South Marrickville for a while, in 1978, and remember there being a Pye building in the area, a bit towards Tempe.

Perhaps this was the place you speak of?

Half of the southern end of Carrington Rd was Pye.

They had some WW2 vintage hangar style buildings with curved laminated timber beams and a curved roof. Disguised with red brick facades.

Technico used to make large numbers of replacement aircraft ignition coils there for "tropical service" during WW2. Very important to not have an ignition coil quit on you in a plane! That's where their early slogan "aircraft quality" comes from. it was basically true.

Pye made all their own windings there right up until the close in 1980.

The plant that encapsulated the WW2 ignition coils in "Berry Wiggins Compound" was still in use for horizontal output transformers right up to the end. Scary facility, lots of very hot inflammable material in a very large vat, with a timber frame around it, in an all timber building. And lots of fire extinguishers everywhere you looked!

Choice is now in an ex-Pye building up the southern end that used to house the service department.All the WW2 timber buildings are gone.

I remember back to the time I did a pictorial thread on former radio factories in Sydney. It's probably time I worked on another. There's several more that I know about or have found since the last time.