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26th Aug 2018, 4:48 pm | #1 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 55
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Early automatic exchanges UK
I was referred to this forum by someone on a newsgroup, who spoke highly of the expertise here. I hope this question is not off-topic through being about history rather than about any individual piece of equipment.
I have been reading about Director exchanges. My understanding is that to dial any number in the Director area (eg London, Glasgow) it was necessary to dial all seven 'digits' - three letters and four numbers. I can see why this was necessary as the first three digits of the subscriber number could correspond to the three digits (letters) of another exchange. As I understand it then, it was necessary to dial seven 'digits' to call someone in your own exchange. However, this got me wondering. When the first London automatic exchange was introduced (Holborn?), did you then dial only four digits - and use the operator for all other London numbers - or seven digits in anticipation of the roll-out of the Director system? |
26th Aug 2018, 9:07 pm | #2 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
In summary, and from Wikipedia: Director_telephone_system:
Quote:
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27th Aug 2018, 12:52 am | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
The first Director exchange in what became the 'London Director Area' was HOLborn which opened on 12th November 1927 and by the end of March 1928 it had 5491 working lines on it.
Next was BIShopsgate which opened on 3rd of March 1928, SLOane on 28th July 1928, BERmondsey on 1 Sep 1928 and so the rollout of Director started in London. By the end of 1930 there were thirty automatic Director exchanges in the London Telephone District plus Epsom, the only other auto in the District. However it took until well after WW2 for them all to be converted. It wasn't until 1951 that exchanges within the Director area could dial to other 'Non-Director' exchanges within the local call area such as Epsom !! There were still fourteen of what were to become Director automatic exchanges which were still manual in the early 1960's after the start of Subscriber Trunk Dialling ! Ian J Last edited by Pellseinydd; 27th Aug 2018 at 1:18 am. |
27th Aug 2018, 2:11 pm | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
With careful use of search techniques, perusing Hansard can while away a few happy hours, eg
https://hansard.parliament.uk/common...xchangesLondon and going back to 1902 https://hansard.parliament.uk/Common...phoneExchanges |
27th Aug 2018, 4:04 pm | #5 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
Quote:
Ian J |
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30th Sep 2018, 7:47 pm | #6 |
Triode
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Glasgow, UK.
Posts: 32
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
Scott
This has nothing to do with your original question but may interest you from an historical and geographical viewpoint (last paragraph) |
30th Sep 2018, 8:45 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
Do you, by any chance, have the continuation (on page 150)?
Although I am familiar with the work of Mr Strowger, the Kansas undertaker, it would be good to able to read what the article has to say about him.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
1st Oct 2018, 2:41 pm | #8 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
Quote:
Incidentally, the was an internal automatic system installed by Andrew Carnigie at his Skibo Castle around 1906 and there were said to be other earlier systems but little has been found out about them |
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27th Oct 2018, 8:22 pm | #9 |
Triode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Northampton, UK.
Posts: 36
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Re: Early automatic exchanges UK
There were three dial telephone systems in Britain before Skibo Castle. Just visit
http://www.britishtelephones.com/his...0INSTALLATIONS |