The type of connector described by Ranger sounds very similar to a type found on some British appliances of the 1930s/1940s/early 1950s.
These things were huge. The prongs were certainly the size of those on a 15A BS546 plug, if not larger, and the side earth contacts would come into direct contact with the metal appliance casing, which was formed around the prongs of the connector.
Some types came with a built in switch, often the type where a cylindrical bar extends through the body of the socket with a red button for "on" on one side and a black or white button for "off" on the other.
Just like the BS546 range, these things were rather conservatively rated at 15A.
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 03-05-2003).]
