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Old 6th Feb 2018, 12:01 pm   #1
woody73
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Default Call-wire system circa 1903

Hi everyone,
I am seeking any info on the call-wire system as used by National Telephone Co from around 1903. This was used when magneto single wire (earth return) was changed to 2 wire (metallic) working. Quite a rare system, and as far as I know only used in Glasgow, Manchester, and the Potteries.
When the NTC handed over their 1565 exchanges to the GPO in 1912, only 3 of these were call-wire exchanges. Also known at the time as call-key or sometimes motor-calling working.
Any info appreciated.
Thanks
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Old 2nd Apr 2018, 9:58 pm   #2
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Default Re: Call-wire system circa 1903

It's a pity woody73 didn't get any response to his first post.
I have just been reading about "call-wire" working, mentioned throughout this book:
https://archive.org/stream/cu3192403.../n189/mode/2up
particularly page 175

It sounds like Bedlam.
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Old 3rd Apr 2018, 10:04 pm   #3
woody73
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Default Re: Call-wire system circa 1903

Further research shows me that "call-wire" and "call-key" were 2 completely different manual systems. In the call-key system, single wire magneto phones were converted to 2 wire (known as metallic working) with the addition of a call and clear key, to put an earth on one wire, which operated a relay in the exchange for operator supervisory purposes.

It's the call-key system, which operated at Hanley exchange (Stoke) from 1902 to 1927, that I am seeking info for, and would be very interested to know of any other places that used this as very little has been written.

Once again, many thanks for any info.

Woody
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Old 6th Apr 2018, 5:14 pm   #4
Pellseinydd
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Default Re: Call-wire system circa 1903

I can add some information that comes from original GPO documentation in my possession.

These were the exchanges in the Potteries area with the number of working lines-
As at 31st March 1927
Hanley 2263
Chesterton 42
Longton 553
Newcastle-under-Lyme 506
Trentham 104
Wolstanton 176

As at 31st Sept 1927
Hanley 2195
Chesterton 56
Longton 533
Newcastle-under-Lyme 524
Trentham 99
Wolstanton 166

All the above exchanges operated on the 'magneto, ring through system on lamps' as shown in the GPO's six monthly 'List of Exchanges' .

On 27th November 1927, the system went automatic in a 'Linked Numbering Scheme' i.e. no codes between the exchanges - you just dialled the number (see attached from GPO's 1928 directory). A new exchange was opened at Burslem (but subscribers had 'Hanley' as their exchange name) with some subscribers being moved off 'Hanley' and 'Wolstanton' exchange closed with the subscribers becoming 'Hanley' numbers on either 'Hanley' or Burslem.

By the 31st March 1928 the situation was -
with number ranges
Burslem......................866 ....................... 7xxx
Hanley......................1003.................. .....2xxx/4xxx/48xxx/5xxx/8xxx
Chesterton ...................46........................68xxx
Longton......................556 .......................3xxx
Newcastle-under-Lyme..559.......................6xxx/67xxx
Trentham.....................105.................. ....49xxx

The exchanges in the Potteries were opened by the National Telephone Company - the GPO didn't have any local exchanges in the area until they took the NTC over on 1st Jan 1912.

The book referred to - TE Herbert's ' The Telephone System of the British Post Office' - was published in 1901. It refers to the 'Newcastle' system after the Call Wire description but that must refer to the Newcastle upon Tyne area where the GPO did have an exchange presence - exchanges such as Newcastle upon Tyne, Shields Road, Clayton Road, Elswick Road, Gosforth, Wallsend, Ryton, Blaydon-on-Tyne and others - most other than Newcastle-upon-Tyne only had less than half a dozen lines. Note that the reference to 'Newcastle' stares it was 'the largest exchange in the area' - certainly not the case of Newcastle under Lyme in 1901 when it was way smaller than Hanley .

Poole's 'Telephone Handbook' 1910 edition (also describing the GPO public telephone system) says 'There were at one time, a number of exchanges using the "Call Wire" principle ... by means of special call wires (now more usually referred to as Order wires).

The 1891edition of Poole's 'Telephone Handbook' describes different 'Call Wire' systems. One known as the Law system has the 'call wire' line looping from one subscriber to the next - thus a break in the line cuts off up to 50 subscribers. The 'Mann' system used a singe wire direct to each subscriber as the 'call wire' and thus didn't have the problem of the Law system. The Mann system was employed successfully at Dundee so says Poole in 1891.

Looking in the originals of the GPO books of telephone circuit diagram for 1886, 1899 and 1909 which show the diagrams of GPO telephones then in use, I can find no reference to call wire telephones in any. I find it hard to believe that such a system would have been installed on 1902 as most systems of an size were Central Battery; systems by then.

Where has the information that Hanley had a 'Call Wire' system come from?

Hope that is of some help?

regards
Ian
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Old 8th Apr 2018, 9:22 am   #5
woody73
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Default Re: Call-wire system circa 1903

Hi All,
Got my wires crossed at first.
J.H. Robertson's book ,The Story of the Telephone, (page 60) 1947,wrongly states that the call-wire system was in use in the Potteries.
I have evidence that there were only 3 systems ever in use at Hanley, firstly magneto, then call-key, and finally as Ian correctly states, automatic in 1927.
This was a Peel-Conner non director strowger system.
(Peel-Conner of Coventry, Harrogate and Hanley)
There is a brief mention of call-key on the BT archives site, but it is called Relay call-key, and refers to PBX working to Hanley exchange.
Many thanks to Ian for the info above.
Woody
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Old 8th Apr 2018, 3:55 pm   #6
Pellseinydd
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Default Re: Call-wire system circa 1903

Quote:
Originally Posted by woody73 View Post
Hi All,
Got my wires crossed at first.
J.H. Robertson's book ,The Story of the Telephone, (page 60) 1947,wrongly states that the call-wire system was in use in the Potteries.
I have evidence that there were only 3 systems ever in use at Hanley, firstly magneto, then call-key, and finally as Ian correctly states, automatic in 1927.
<snip>

Woody
The original GPO documents that I have (their 'List of Exchanges' which shows details of what type of exchange and how many lines were on them) shows the Potteries exchanges as still being a magneto system until it was converted to Strowger automatic working in late 1927. Where is the information that says the magneto system was replaced by a 'call-key' system ? If it was installed in 1902, that would have been by the National Telephone Company (GPO had no telephone presence for subs lines in the Potteries) and I've never seen reference to the NTCo having such a system. Somewhere I've got a copy of a document which lists all the National Telephone Company's types of equipment and their value used to work out the cost to be paid to NTCo when they were taken over by the GPO on 1st Jan 1912. If a 'key' was used for calling to an earth, it wouldn't be called a 'magneto' system. It seems odd that such a system was introduced in 1902 when Central Battery systems were becoming the 'in thing' at that time. The only thing I can think of is 'key calling ' is the facility used on magneto PBXs which earthed one line to recall the PBX operator.

Note that the information on the BT Archives website is not necessarily always accurate
For instance on https://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/BTsHi...wards/1995.htm they state -
"On 23 June BT officially removed the last Strowger exchange from its public network at Crawford in Scotland, bringing to a close 83 years service from electro-mechanical automatic telephony. This was the latest milestone in BT's £20 billion investment in the UK's phone network - enough to build two Channel Tunnels - over the previous 11 years. In 1984 BT had inherited a network of more than 6,700 telephone exchanges, many of which were based on electro-mechanical technology developed almost 100 years previously. With the upgrade at Crawford - and also Crawfordjohn and Elvanfoot, also in Scotland, which were replaced the same day - they had all been replaced by digital or modern electronic exchanges. "

I was there that day.

But weeks later, on the evening of 12th of July 1995, I was the only person present (other than the BT engineers) at the 'change-over' of another BT public exchange. Up to that day the 'subscribers' off the exchange had been dialling two digits to reach each other on an old electro-mechanical exchange!! I have video of the 'change-over' as it was definitely the last public electro-mechanical exchange in the BT/UK network. You can hear the selectors whirring around. However BT in London didn't seem to know it was still electro-mechanical as it was on Britain's most remote inhabited island - Foula - https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...la-in-pictures which until 1995 had its own STD code 0393 3 and all calls to/from were 'trunk calls'. the exchange is now in my collection.

I'd be interested to know where you've found this info about the Potteries exchanges being 'Key call/Call-key' and not magneto as the GPO have it listed?

Ian
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Old 8th Apr 2018, 6:59 pm   #7
woody73
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Default Re: Call-wire system circa 1903

Hi,
The term "call-key" comes from the memories of a Potteries lineman named Billy Weston, and describes telephone events from 1902 until 1927 when automatic exchanges arrived.
BBC Radio Stoke hold the copyright to a collection of audio recordings made in the 1970's by the late Arthur Wood , who was the Educational Producer, and one of these recordings was of Billy describing his work .
The original recordings were reel to reel and are currently being digitalised, with a grant from the National Lottery, to save them for posterity.
Billy was still working at Hanley exchange during WW2, where he was a test clerk in charge of the FA's (female assistants recruited to cover for men who had been called up)
These recordings are around 800 in number, and only the one from Billy describes local telephone history, most of them being about life on the local canals.
All very interesting stuff.
Regards
Woody
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