Posted by John Wilson on May 03, 2007 at 01:13:06 from 202.154.136.28 user hugo.
In Reply to: Re: Changes in Technologies posted by Peter Ceresole on May 02, 2007 at 21:51:04:
In both the lakes (PP) and the broads (CC), Captain Flint and Mr Farland have problems with the operator at the local manual exchange, and the way CF flashes the phone switchhook indicates that they are both “common battery” manual exchanges, and probably a light would come up on the exchange switchboard. The local phones would not have batteries or a crank handle.
A few villages would have the British UAX or Unit Auto Exchange then, but with 3 figure numbers starting with 2 eg 234. The Tysons didn’t have a phone to call out the fire fighters!
Manual exchanges could have 2 3 & 4 digit numbers eg both 75 and 750. Local battery manual exchanges as used in New Zealand country areas had phones with two large “No 6” 1˝ volt batteries, and a hand crank magneto to call the exchange which would activate drop shutters on the board. For party lines with code rings, the parties were rung by code indicated by a letter, so the number would be 123A or 45M.
Only step or strowger type automatic exchanges would have dials, and when the London system began to be automated in the thirties but still with many local manual exchanges (using step exchanges in the Director system) , the manual exchange numbers were all made up to 4 digits, so that whether MAYFAIR 1234 was on a local manual or automatic exchange the numbers looked the same. The first Strowger or step (step-by-step) system was invented by an undertaker who thought he was was missing calls to his compeditor (though that story may be unverified)!