Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Switching => General Switching Discussions => Exchange Names, Area Codes etc => Topic started by: WesternElectricBen on November 16, 2013, 10:31:53 PM

Title: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 16, 2013, 10:31:53 PM
Hello everybody,

Today, my dad said, " I have something interesting to show you." So I say alright, and he goes to this folder, and pulls out tons of pictures of our house, info and sales receipts from past owners. (We are the third owners)

But, what really stuck out to me, is the fact, of the extange number, and that it was "WA-.-...." I'm not sure what WA word would be but I thought I could ask.

Also look at some of the info on this old house, its pretty interesting what use to be a special feature, and what we now take for granted. Note I blacked out our address.

This piece is probably from the second sale sometime is the 60's or 70's I'm guessing. Sorry for the bad picture.

But my question for you, is, what is your local extange name or prefix? Feel free to share below.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: Phonesrfun on November 17, 2013, 12:17:09 AM
While many three digit prefixes that formerly had names still exist, many, many prefixes have come into existence long after exchange names were done away with.  For instance, where I grew up, my original phone number was LIncoln-1971.  In the mid 1950's a number 2 was added to the front, and LIncoln turned into ALpine 4.  Our number therefore was ALpine 4-1971 for many years.  The 7 digit equivalent is 254-1971.  The Alpine office still exists today.  In the same city, the newer 761 exchange came into existence after exchange names were no longer used, and so it was nameless.  I am sure a name could have been assigned to the 7 and 6 digits.  However, my current cell phone number has its 3 digit "prefix" of 200.  It would be impossible to assign a name to that.

As to your original exchange name fo WA for your city, you might try going to the Exchange Name project and look it up.  You can Google its address, or do a search on this forum, it has been discussed here in the past.  Best of luck in your research.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: ESalter on November 17, 2013, 01:08:06 AM
Clinton, IA (my hometown) was CHapel.  The small adjoining town of Camanche was ALpine, I believe.  I haven't seen it written anywhere, but my dad insists he remembers an exchange name of CHelsea.  The oldest local number cards I've been able to locate just say "CH2-XXXX" or "CH3-XXXX".

---Eric
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on November 17, 2013, 01:21:33 AM
Round here, it was CO7, or COnsett-7, or 207 (noting that our dials had the letters O and Q at the Number 0), they changed that to all-figures in 1966 and it became 0207, and then finally 01207 when outer london decided they wanted the Consett (0207) and Bodmin (0208) STD numbers (replacing 0171 and 0181 respectively after BT's "phONEday" added a 1 to everyone's STD, later adjusting london to 020x once the 1 conversion was complete and understood)... :)

Where I used to live, the current STD code is 01282, the 282 part being derived from BUrnley-2, again the number changed from letters & figures to all figures with the 0 prefix added, stayed as 0282 for many years and then the 1 was added to form 01282, funny thing was, a lot of older businesses in that area didn't bother to update their signs and shopfronts to accommodate the 1, so a lot of numbers still say 0282 xxxxxx... :D

Then there's 01429 (where my dad lives), HArtlepool-9, same happened to that as the other two, it gets confusing though as areas between where my dad lives and where Hartlepool is, 0191 numbers crop up, which muddies the waters a bit!! ???

It is funny though how despite starting off with essentially the same systems, the UK and the US & Canada ended up going completely different ways with phone numbers in order to maximise the amount of available codes and extensions for customers... :D
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: Contempra on November 17, 2013, 04:50:01 AM
I don't know Ben.. what's a local exchange name in french ??
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on November 17, 2013, 06:51:56 AM
I daren't even attempt to guess as it's been about 13 years since I was last in a french class at school... :D

All I can say is it'll be the name of your local telephone exchange or central office, or past names for long-defunct exchanges that no longer exist... :)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: Matilo Telephones on November 17, 2013, 07:36:56 AM
Commutateur téléphonique
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: david@london on November 17, 2013, 08:15:29 AM
CREscent was the exchange in our locale.........up the road was VALentine.

contempra....................some parisian codes detailed here.

http://tinyurl.com/q84zr89
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: poplar1 on November 17, 2013, 09:48:24 AM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on November 16, 2013, 10:31:53 PM


But, what really stuck out to me, is the fact, of the extange number, and that it was "WA-.-...." I'm not sure what WA word would be but I thought I could ask.



The following is from the Telephone Exchange Name Project:  http://rcrowe.brinkster.net/tensearch.aspx

 
927 WA7 WAlnut Minneapolis Minnesota USA My grandmother still had WAlnut7 on her telephone dial in the late 1970's. She still has that same number even to this  

ST Sterling Minneapolis Minnesota USA I remember when they added a "1" so our number became ST 1-1055. Loretta Spindler

82 TA Taylor Minneapolis Minnesota usa Growing up in area nanasue  

92 wa walnut minneapolis minnesota usa Grew up with this exchsnge. 922 walnut 2 mike
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: poplar1 on November 17, 2013, 10:12:39 AM
An example from Montreal, Quebec, on August 4, 1957:
WIlbank became WEllington 2
WEllington became WEllington 3 (a rare example of keeping the exchange name)
FItzroy became WEllington 5
GLenview became WEllington 7
VEndome became DUpont 7
HEmlock became POntiac 7
TRenmore became POntiac 8
HArbour became VIctor 5
MArquette became VIctor 9


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_exchange_names
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 17, 2013, 12:07:18 PM
Quote from: Phonesrfun on November 17, 2013, 12:17:09 AM
While many three digit prefixes that formerly had names still exist, many, many prefixes have come into existence long after exchange names were done away with.  For instance, where I grew up, my original phone number was LIncoln-1971.  In the mid 1950's a number 2 was added to the front, and LIncoln turned into ALpine 4.  Our number therefore was ALpine 4-1971 for many years.  The 7 digit equivalent is 254-1971.  The Alpine office still exists today.  In the same city, the newer 761 exchange came into existence after exchange names were no longer used, and so it was nameless.  I am sure a name could have been assigned to the 7 and 6 digits.  However, my current cell phone number has its 3 digit "prefix" of 200.  It would be impossible to assign a name to that.

As to your original exchange name fo WA for your city, you might try going to the Exchange Name project and look it up.  You can Google its address, or do a search on this forum, it has been discussed here in the past.  Best of luck in your research.

Thank you, that's interesting our area code 612 (we didn't have any others until 2000). WA=92, So I'm not really sure on the changing.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 17, 2013, 12:10:08 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on November 17, 2013, 09:48:24 AM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on November 16, 2013, 10:31:53 PM


But, what really stuck out to me, is the fact, of the extange number, and that it was "WA-.-...." I'm not sure what WA word would be but I thought I could ask.



The following is from the Telephone Exchange Name Project:  http://rcrowe.brinkster.net/tensearch.aspx

 
927 WA7 WAlnut Minneapolis Minnesota USA My grandmother still had WAlnut7 on her telephone dial in the late 1970's. She still has that same number even to this  

ST Sterling Minneapolis Minnesota USA I remember when they added a "1" so our number became ST 1-1055. Loretta Spindler

82 TA Taylor Minneapolis Minnesota usa Growing up in area nanasue  

92 wa walnut minneapolis minnesota usa Grew up with this exchsnge. 922 walnut 2 mike


Cool, exactly the answer I wanted, now, I plan to use these to make authentic look dial cards.

Thanks!~ :)

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: HarrySmith on November 17, 2013, 12:14:57 PM
I remeber my parents and my relatives in Stamford, Connecticut all had DA prefix on the dial cards. The entire town was one prefix at that time 32X-XXXX. Some were 325, 322 , 323 & 327, that I recall, I guess the other numbers were used but I do not remember because nobody in my family had one. You could tell which part of town someone lived in by the third digit. The 325 on my parents phone indicated the Cove Island area ;D
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 17, 2013, 12:16:13 PM
Quote from: HarrySmith on November 17, 2013, 12:14:57 PM
I remeber my parents and my relatives in Stamford, Connecticut all had DA prefix on the dial cards. The entire town was one prefix at that time 32X-XXXX. Some were 325, 322 , 323 & 327, that I recall, I guess the other numbers were used but I do not remember because nobody in my family had one. You could tell which part of town someone lived in by the third digit. The 325 on my parents phone indicated the Cove Island area ;D

He, that is pretty cool. It's kind of like finding what numbered crossroad they live on and how far down they are from it in the city.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: HarrySmith on November 17, 2013, 12:21:12 PM
BTW, that was in the late 60's, they still have the same phone number today!!
And so does my aunt. I memorized those numbers so many years ago, we did not have speed diaql back then, I don't think I will ever forget those 2 phone numbers!
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Contempra on November 17, 2013, 06:34:57 PM
thank you all but I don't know my local exchange name sorry :D
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: jsowers on November 17, 2013, 08:17:33 PM
Here it's REgent 1 and has been since the 1950s. I don't have a phone from this area with an old number card. The phone company had pretty tight control over the phones and few ever "got away." I'm also not sure many were bought when the opportunity arose. Also many of the phone numbers in my area changed in the mid-1960s (only the last four digits), so cards may all have been changed at that time and they were all numbers by then. But many businesses carried on the RE1 in their ads into the 1970s.

In nearby Lexington it's CHestnut. North of me in Winston-Salem it's PArk, SOuth and STate. West of us in Salisbury is MElrose. My oldest aunt still has the same phone number she had in the 1950s and my youngest aunt still remembers her phone number as ME3 and not 633.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: old_stuff_hound on November 17, 2013, 09:50:19 PM
TEmple (83). I remember back in the late 1980s I was working a retail job here in town and asked an older gentleman for his phone number for a special order. He replied "TEmple-4 blah blah blah". I don't recall the number now and at the time had no idea what he was talking about but wrote it down. He left and the guy in line behind him said, "Wow, TEmple? Haven't heard it called that in ages." He then explained to me what the old guy meant. Now, here I am, years later, and *I* have a TEmple number....
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 17, 2013, 09:56:43 PM
Quote from: old_stuff_hound on November 17, 2013, 09:50:19 PM
TEmple (83). I remember back in the late 1980s I was working a retail job here in town and asked an older gentleman for his phone number for a special order. He replied "TEmple-4 blah blah blah". I don't recall the number now and at the time had no idea what he was talking about but wrote it down. He left and the guy in line behind him said, "Wow, TEmple? Haven't heard it called that in ages." He then explained to me what the old guy meant. Now, here I am, years later, and *I* have a TEmple number....

Heh, very cool story. I guess people never forget their first number, or before it was changed. OR its like the saying, "if it aint broke, don't fix it." Meaning, if its no different, why try to change.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Dan/Panther on November 18, 2013, 12:53:36 PM
Growing up, mine was 539-2725.
The prefix was Lehigh LE-9-2725. That goes back to 1957.
It was changed in the 80's to 636-8786, I don't have clue what that stood for ?
MD, ME, MF, ND, NE, NF, OD, OE, OF.  ???

Just a little side note, I purchased a 5302, with a West Point Dial Card, the last 4 numbers were 2527 Not a biggy, just strange..

D/P
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: dsk on November 18, 2013, 02:37:48 PM
I grew up with a number connected to ÅSEN 1 all Oslo numbers (6 digits) starting on 21 was connected here.
I believe this was an old A7 exchange.

Later we were forced to Åsen2 and a 15 number :-[

Today living in Hakadal, we are connected to Hakadal exchange. A sub exchange under Nittedal.
Nittedal used to have the 77 series in the Oslo area (6 digits) (Manual until 1968)

Now we have 8 digits, and 670 series are to Nittedal, but the portability makes this inconsequent, because you may keep your number when you move around in the entire country.

dsk
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: tallguy58 on November 18, 2013, 08:36:46 PM
Mine in Montreal was HUnter9-1005.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Contempra on November 18, 2013, 09:58:16 PM
je ne comprends toujours pas l'astuce !............:(
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: LM Ericsson on November 18, 2013, 10:46:35 PM
Qu'est-ce que c'est l'astuce?
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Phonesrfun on November 19, 2013, 12:12:29 AM
Quote from: Dan/Panther on November 18, 2013, 12:53:36 PM
It was changed in the 80's to 636-8786, I don't have clue what that stood for ?
MD, ME, MF, ND, NE, NF, OD, OE, OF.  ???
In the 1960's the Lake Oswego suburb of Portland, OR had NEptune 6 and NEptune 8 (636,638) numbers.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Greg G. on November 19, 2013, 03:46:31 AM
Growing up in the northern burbs of Seattle it was PRospect.  I don't know what the exchange name was in our current location, this old house was built in 1914.  It's just outside the Seattle city border and was in unincorporated King County until not too long ago when it was annexed into Lake Forest Park, WA.

Our pots line # is a custom number I requested because it was on one of my vintage phones, the first digits are 324, but I don't know what that exchange was, I couldn't find it in the TENproject Database. The original dial card just lists the number.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Matilo Telephones on November 19, 2013, 04:51:34 AM
Mine used to be 322. It was one of the city's exchanges. This one was for the north west. North east was 124. City centre was 512. Don't know all the exchanges.

But I moved a couple of times within our city. Now I live in the south south western part. But because of the modern system I was able to keep my telephonenumber. Luckily, because it is a very beautiful and easy number.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: david@london on November 19, 2013, 07:51:31 AM
..........this is a rare survivor - an old shop front at  Victor's hairdressers in the VALentine exchange area in north east london.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on November 19, 2013, 08:03:45 AM
Victor? I don't belieeeeeeve it!!! :D
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: persido on November 19, 2013, 01:15:45 PM
I grew up in Chelsea Massachusetts the exchange there was TUrner 9 (889), TUrner 4 (884).
I now live in North Andover located on the North Shore area of Massachusetts, the exchange was Murdock (68).
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: HarrySmith on November 19, 2013, 01:27:33 PM
Quote from: Brinybay on November 19, 2013, 03:46:31 AM
Our pots line # is a custom number I requested because it was on one of my vintage phones, the first digits are 324, but I don't know what that exchange was, I couldn't find it in the TENproject Database. The original dial card just lists the number.

That was one of the prefixes in my hometown DA4 ;D
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 19, 2013, 05:02:46 PM
Quote from: Brinybay on November 19, 2013, 03:46:31 AM
Growing up in the northern burbs of Seattle it was PRospect.  I don't know what the exchange name was in our current location, this old house was built in 1914.  It's just outside the Seattle city border and was in unincorporated King county until not to long ago when it was annexed into Lake Forest Park, WA.

Our pots line # is a custom number I requested because it was on one of my vintage phones, the first digits are 324, but I don't know what that exchange was, I couldn't find it in the TENproject Database. The original dial card just lists the number.

Brinybay, that is a really cool looking house, I like the open rafter look on the roof.

Having an original phone is always sentimental.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on November 19, 2013, 05:03:24 PM
Quote from: david@london on November 19, 2013, 07:51:31 AM
..........this is a rare survivor - an old shop front at  Victor's hairdressers in the VALentine exchange area in north east london.

Now that is cool they kept the old number up!

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Doug Rose on November 19, 2013, 06:09:09 PM
Here are a few telephone exchange sites...Doug

http://ourwebhome.com/TENP/MaBell.pdf

http://phone.net46.net/boston/latenumer.html

Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Sargeguy on November 19, 2013, 06:52:08 PM
My grandmother, an old NET&T employee liked to tell us her phone number using "GAspee" as the prefix.  Now that I live in the house the number has changed to a 35 prefix, which would have been "ELmhurst" back in the day.

Gaspee refers to the British custom schooner HMS Gaspée, the burning of which by Rhode Islanders in 1772 started the American Revolution.  It was named for the city in Quebec.  Lest you Anglophone Canadians feel left out, we burned the HMS St. John in 1769.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: ReneRondeau on November 20, 2013, 04:42:27 PM
When I was growing up in Massachusetts our prefix was RE for REpublic.

Where I live today in California the old number prefix was WA. I assumed it to be WAlnut but I later found that it actually was WAbash. When I made dial cards for my working phones I printed them out with "WAbash 4", which was the exchange in this town, and rubber-stamped the remaining 4 digits. Very cool.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: dsk on December 19, 2013, 07:08:34 AM
I took 2 pics of our exchange today.
Hakadal Exchange was probably built when the wally went from magneto to rotary in 1968.
By some reason the short text on the boxes around in the area, always are named HAC + some numeric codes.

dsk

PS
I believe all number her was 02 (Oslo area) and 6 digits starting with 77.
When we got 8 digits, and no area-code  all numbers was starting with 6707 (and later some 6706).
By now we have number-portability, so you may move from another part of the country, and keep your landline number. 

DS
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Nick in Manitou on December 19, 2013, 09:25:47 AM
As a kid growing up north of Washington, D.C. in a rural part of Maryland, we had SPring4-9286 and that was changed after a few years to WAlker4-9286.

We had a party line for a short time and my mother was always saying "Please hang up now, thank you!" into the phone because she was sure that someone was listening in...

I still think that it would be easier to remember a phone number if someone said, "Evergreen 3 1307", than it would be to remember someone's number if told, "383 1307"

Nick
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Bridie on December 19, 2013, 09:46:10 AM
I'm not sure about exchanges here in Nova Scotia.  I found one online for Bridgewater (LIberty) but nothing about Halifax exchanges.  Last week I was poring over old Halifax telephone directories at the library.  In 1933 my great-grandparents' number was B 5504, and in 1956 my grandparents' and parents' number was 3-3257.  I created dial cards for a couple of my phones and my 1931 WE 202 now bears my great-grandparents' number, and my 1950s NE Uniphone #1 bears my grandparents' and parents' number, which I think is pretty cool :)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on December 19, 2013, 05:08:11 PM
Very cool pictures DSK! It's cool to go to one in real life. I have no clue where ours is in MN.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: JimH on December 19, 2013, 05:44:46 PM
Here, it was "OLive".
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: gpo706 on December 20, 2013, 09:02:21 PM
Our old one was "DONaldson", which made no sense atlall as it doesn't refer to any geographic area.

Then I had a revelation, it was named after Donaldson's School for the Deaf, by far the biggest landmark near the exchange.

The exchange is still operative, and still in it's original location at Russell road, it's basically a 5 or 6 minute walk from the (former) school, which has re-located to modern premises and the grand old building was being converted to luxury flats last I heard in 2008, just in time for the global recession...

DONaldson became 337 or 346 when they dropped the exchange names, our first number in the house was 337 8235, and on a party line with a neighbour 5 houses down!
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: poplar1 on December 20, 2013, 10:26:14 PM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on December 19, 2013, 05:08:11 PM
Very cool pictures DSK! It's cool to go to one in real life. I have no clue where ours is in MN.

Ben

Enter the NPA (Area Code) and NXX of a landline in your neighborhood. Then when it populates, click on "detailed switch info."

http://www.telcodata.us/search-area-code-exchange-detail
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on December 20, 2013, 10:48:26 PM
Cool sight, I just typed mine in and found the info.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Bridie on December 21, 2013, 08:44:20 AM
Quote from: poplar1 on December 20, 2013, 10:26:14 PM
Enter the NPA (Area Code) and NXX of a landline in your neighborhood. Then when it populates, click on "detailed switch info."

http://www.telcodata.us/search-area-code-exchange-detail

Thanks for that!
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Greg G. on December 21, 2013, 02:22:40 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on December 20, 2013, 10:26:14 PM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on December 19, 2013, 05:08:11 PM
Very cool pictures DSK! It's cool to go to one in real life. I have no clue where ours is in MN.

Ben

Enter the NPA (Area Code) and NXX of a landline in your neighborhood. Then when it populates, click on "detailed switch info."

http://www.telcodata.us/search-area-code-exchange-detail

Somewhere in this building downtown:  http://tinyurl.com/koxcueg   (http://tinyurl.com/koxcueg)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on December 21, 2013, 02:26:34 PM
At first I thought that truck was a late 50's or 60's truck, but even though it looks 70's I like it.. And if you also look from the street view a 70's valient as well.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Greg G. on December 21, 2013, 02:36:41 PM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on December 21, 2013, 02:26:34 PM
At first I thought that truck was a late 50's or 60's truck, but even though it looks 70's I like it.. And if you also look from the street view a 70's valient as well.

Ben

Nope, it's a Ford.  I don't think Chevy had extended cabs that early.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_truck#Extended_cab (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_truck#Extended_cab)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: WesternElectricBen on December 21, 2013, 02:59:16 PM
Yeah, after I posted that, I knew I was wrong, I have never seen extended cabs on a chev. either.

Ben
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: AE_Collector on January 14, 2014, 08:22:29 PM
Quote from: dsk on December 19, 2013, 07:08:34 AM
I took 2 pics of our exchange today.
Hakadal Exchange was probably built when the wally went from magneto to rotary in 1968.
By some reason the short on the boxes oround in the area, always are named HAC + some numeric codes.

dsk

Hi dsk:

Are you quite certain that is your main telephone exchange there? It looks very rural and is it right beside a river or creek? That looks like a bridge and the main town looks to be on the other side. That is a little unusual in that they usually locate an exchange as close as possible to the middle of town to minimize the wire length.

That building looks as though it would have been a microwave radio location but of course all that is on the tower now is cell antennae's. could the radio equipment have been located remotely from the main exchange or maybe there was room to install the automatic equipment in the radio building when they went from Magneto to Automatic in 1968. Do you know where the MagnetomOperators were located? Maybe the building still exists in town but is now used for another function.

The cross connect boxes with HAK and a number are just record keeping numbers. They basically start assigning numbers at number 1 or maybe 100 and progress through the numbers so that each connection point has a unique number.

Terry
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: AE_Collector on January 14, 2014, 08:43:21 PM
Here is my local exchange building built in the late 1950's. My service actually comes from a remote off of this "Base Unit Exchange" which is shown in the second picture. And the third picture is the Magneto Exchange building that is now a house that was replaced by the new Automatic Exchange in the late 1950's.

Terry
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: N7LTH on January 14, 2014, 09:18:13 PM
Where I grew up it was EMerson, surrounded by LIncoln, PRospect and HUnter among others.

I think the EMerson exchange had a No. 1 XB since you could hear the MF tones when you dialed inter-office... always thought that was cool.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: dsk on January 15, 2014, 01:46:55 AM
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 14, 2014, 08:22:29 PM
Quote from: dsk on December 19, 2013, 07:08:34 AM
I took 2 pics of our exchange today.
Hakadal Exchange was probably built when the wally went from magneto to rotary in 1968.
By some reason the short on the boxes oround in the area, always are named HAC + some numeric codes.

dsk

Hi dsk:

Are you quite certain that is your main telephone exchange there? It looks very rural and is it right beside a river or creek? That looks like a bridge and the main town looks to be on the other side. That is a little unusual in that they usually locate an exchange as close as possible to the middle of town to minimize the wire length.

That building looks as though it would have been a microwave radio location but of course all that is on the tower now is cell antennae's. could the radio equipment have been located remotely from the main exchange or maybe there was room to install the automatic equipment in the radio building when they went from Magneto to Automatic in 1968. Do you know where the MagnetomOperators were located? Maybe the building still exists in town but is now used for another function.

The cross connect boxes with HAK and a number are just record keeping numbers. They basically start assigning numbers at number 1 or maybe 100 and progress through the numbers so that each connection point has a unique number.

Terry

Yes, I am 100% sure of the location.
The building are located next to where the local manual exchange was. (building is removed.) The original cooperative telephone organization founded in 1906 was nationalized in 1942, and had the huge number of 83 telephones.  :)
At that time it was a natural location, and still it is not to bad, a few villages within a few kilometers in all directions. Whats the most strange thing is the location on the edge of a river with a risk of flooding.

dsk

PS It is at least one sub-exchange (??) located about 5 kilometers away, it is only a box, or shed of ~8 sq. meters (~85 sq. feet) DS
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: AE_Collector on January 15, 2014, 11:28:04 AM
Okay, that makes sense. The remotes can be quite small as well, like the one behind the fence in my previous post. There are some that are just a metal box at the side of the road as well.

Here are six pictures of various "remotes" off of CO's in the area.

Two buildings that we refer to as RSU's named after the type of GTD5 remote switch called an RSU which was the type of equipment that these were initially built for. The first one built to look like a home to fit into residential neighbourhoods. It also has a Cross Connect box in the front.

Then two trailers or tin huts that were outfitted in town and trailered to site.

Then a MUX (multiplexor or concentrator) at the side of the road with a Cross Connect box in the background.

And finally, a CEM (controlled environment manhole) which has a lid that pops open so you can climb down a ladder to the bottom (about 12 feet down) which is a round room about 10 foot diameter.

Terry
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: Scotophor on March 06, 2014, 05:32:37 AM
My local exchange was built as a manual switchboard exchange in the 1940s (phones without dials; you would pick up and wait a few seconds for the operator to come on and ask, "Number, please?", or if it was an emergency you could tap the switch hook a few times which would flash the light for your line on her switchboard and maybe she might respond more quickly, if people she served didn't often abuse that feature.) The exchange was converted to direct-dial in the 1950s, and still occupies the same building today. However, since area codes came into use it has changed from 213 to 818 (circa 1984) and then again (circa 1997) to 626. I'm on one of the original NXX numbers and have done the research at TENproject (having to do a little sleuthing to disregard some erroneous info submitted there) and printed up some reproduction old number cards for my phones with correct "EDgewood-6 ####" numbers on them.

Quote from: Phonesrfun on November 17, 2013, 12:17:09 AMHowever, my current cell phone number has its 3 digit "prefix" of 200.  It would be impossible to assign a name to that.
No, actually it wouldn't... many old telephone dials had "Z" at the zero position, so a fantasy exchange name such as "AZure" (or if you lived in my area, "AZusa") could be used. Some dials even had "Q" at zero too, which opens up the possibilities further. Unfortunately, confusion is possible since a few recent devices put Q and Z on the "1" key.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: G-Man on March 06, 2014, 09:02:01 AM
Re-posting...

"Q" was never standardized since it has appeared on various dials at the "1," "7," and "0" positions while "Z" has shown up in both the "1" and "0"positions.


Quote from: Scotophor on March 06, 2014, 05:32:37 AM
My local exchange was built as a manual switchboard exchange in the 1940s (phones without dials; you would pick up and wait a few seconds for the operator to come on and ask, "Number, please?", or if it was an emergency you could tap the switch hook a few times which would flash the light for your line on her switchboard and maybe she might respond more quickly, if people she served didn't often abuse that feature.) The exchange was converted to direct-dial in the 1950s, and still occupies the same building today. However, since area codes came into use it has changed from 213 to 818 and then again very shortly afterward to 626. I'm on one of the original NXX numbers and have done the research at TENproject (having to do a little sleuthing to disregard some erroneous info submitted there) and printed up some reproduction old number cards for my phones with correct "EDgewood-6 ####" numbers on them.

Quote from: Phonesrfun on November 17, 2013, 12:17:09 AMHowever, my current cell phone number has its 3 digit "prefix" of 200.  It would be impossible to assign a name to that.
No, actually it wouldn't... many old telephone dials had "Z" at the zero position, so a fantasy exchange name such as "AZure" (or if you lived in my area, "AZusa") could be used. Some dials even had "Q" at zero too, which opens up the possibilities further. Unfortunately, confusion is possible since a few recent devices put Q and Z on the "1" key.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 07, 2014, 03:23:53 AM
Here in the UK, the letters O and Q were located on the Zero position (most modern BT phones still do I believe), until they dropped lettered dialling in favour of all-number dialling, there used to be "Operator" on the Zero too until they changed the operator number to 100... :)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: david@london on March 07, 2014, 12:21:18 PM
twocvbloke -

which british phones had 'operator' on the dial & when ? i can't remember seeing that.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 07, 2014, 02:13:04 PM
Quote from: david@london on March 07, 2014, 12:21:18 PM
twocvbloke -

which british phones had 'operator' on the dial & when ? i can't remember seeing that.

Phones like the 200 and earlier 300 series I think with dial plates such as the "Brighton" plate or earlier lettered dials in director areas, so quite a long time ago, and changing the Operator number from "0" to 100 meant that it wasn't needed to print Operator on the Zero... :)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: david@london on March 07, 2014, 04:25:10 PM
thanks.......
do you have any images ?
i found this when doing a quick search for 'british telephones brighton dial plate' -
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 07, 2014, 04:45:38 PM
I don't have any pictures myself, but Bob Freshwater's site (where your pic above seems to have come from) does, the pictures are drawings though depicting the Brighton, Figured and Lettered dials:

http://www.britishtelephones.com/dial1.htm
(scroll down a bit to the B, F and L images)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: david@london on March 07, 2014, 06:00:20 PM
.....thanks.

this would seem to be the diagram for the above photo.

i had not seen these before.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 08, 2014, 12:08:45 PM
Yep, that's one of them, finding one like that now though might be a bit tough, but I'm sure they're out there... :)
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Sargeguy on March 13, 2014, 10:56:41 PM
I managed to locate a card with exchange that was used in my house prior to me moving in 20 years ago.  My grandmother, an old AT&T employee, used to give her number as "GAspee-1 4521".  I saw an E-1/D-1/684 on eBay with a card with that exchange (poplar1 also pointed it out to me, thanks).  I contacted the seller about local pick up and he told me the phone was also available on Craigslist, so I arranged to buy it for $99.  The seller grew up in my neighborhood, which is called Gaspee, in Warwick and he thought the phone came from there.  I explained to him that our exchange back then began with either 46 or 78, and that GAspee stood for 42 and was actually used in Providence.  At this point he gave me an odd look and jumped in his car with the money and drove off to Saunderstown.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 13, 2014, 11:04:37 PM
My odd mind can't help but wonder if us brits still owned the US, would that place have been named Petrolwee...  :P
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Sargeguy on March 14, 2014, 05:39:50 PM
You Brits are the ones who came up with the name, Americans would never name a ship that!
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 14, 2014, 07:34:31 PM
Quote from: Sargeguy on March 14, 2014, 05:39:50 PM
You Brits are the ones who came up with the name, Americans would never name a ship that!

Actually the name was French, we just bought the boat from their canadian colonies and took the accent off the e, changing it from Gaspée to HMS Gaspee... ;D

At least that's what wikipedia claims, that might not be 100% true, given that history is always written by the people who win... ;D
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: twocvbloke on March 30, 2014, 04:25:15 PM
Whilst trying to figure out why our ADSL is on a go-slow, I was looking for where the local telephone exchange was located, then a big duh moment hit me, the present exchange (a very drab, beige, 1960s design) is right behind what I believe to be the original 1926 Stanley telephone exchange, the general design, shape and layout of the building lends itself to being potentially a former home of lots of click & bang goodies, shame all that's there now is a wallpaper warehouse... :-\

And ironically, I've been right next to it and never even realised... ???
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and whats yours?
Post by: markosjal on March 01, 2018, 02:27:39 AM
Quote from: Phonesrfun on November 17, 2013, 12:17:09 AM
While many three digit prefixes that formerly had names still exist, many, many prefixes have come into existence long after exchange names were done away with.  For instance, where I grew up, my original phone number was LIncoln-1971.  In the mid 1950's a number 2 was added to the front, and LIncoln turned into ALpine 4.  Our number therefore was ALpine 4-1971 for many years.  The 7 digit equivalent is 254-1971.  The Alpine office still exists today.  In the same city, the newer 761 exchange came into existence after exchange names were no longer used, and so it was nameless.  I am sure a name could have been assigned to the 7 and 6 digits.  However, my current cell phone number has its 3 digit "prefix" of 200.  It would be impossible to assign a name to that.

As to your original exchange name fo WA for your city, you might try going to the Exchange Name project and look it up.  You can Google its address, or do a search on this forum, it has been discussed here in the past.  Best of luck in your research.

Ya talkin bout my home town. Thanks for the history on the Portland ALpine exchange

PRospect7 3139 was mine and is mine on C*Net now

Mark
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: dc4code on February 12, 2019, 01:22:31 PM
FAirfax7 - Winter Springs, FL
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: andre_janew on February 12, 2019, 06:39:23 PM
Here in Lawrence, Kansas, USA, the oldest exchange is VIking3, but they are retiring all the VIking exchanges from 0 through 3 that are currently not in use.  I found this out when I got a new land line and tried to get my grandmother's old phone number.  My new phone number has an 838 exchange.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: AT2796 on February 14, 2019, 11:00:11 PM
Out here in AT&T west, every exchange (and remote terminal) has it's own "legal" AT&T name consisting of four letters to identify the location! 2 letters for the state followed be 2 numbers to identify if they are switched or remote. Example would be my local office (probably proprietary, so the following example will not be accurate) Baywood Park, CA would be BAYWCA01. That would be the engineering and or financial identification

We also use 2 letter designations to identify switched exchanges (not remotes). So the actual 2 letter designation for Baywood Park is BQ, San Luis Obispo is OB...etc

We are pretty rural out here, only 1 switched exchange per city/town as opposed to bigger cities like San Francisco. I think we have 9 separate exchanges in SF, can't quite remember it's been a long time since I worked there.

I wish I knew what my original 2 letter prefix was so I could make repro dial cards. I have a hunch that our CO may be new enough to have been switched from the beginning. Before we were probably trunked from San Luis Obispo. Just my guess, maybe someday I'll try to really research the history.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: jsowers on February 14, 2019, 11:55:51 PM
Quote from: AT2796 on February 14, 2019, 11:00:11 PM
We also use 2 letter designations to identify switched exchanges (not remotes). So the actual 2 letter designation for Baywood Park is BQ, San Luis Obispo is OB...etc

We are pretty rural out here, only 1 switched exchange per city/town as opposed to bigger cities like San Francisco. I think we have 9 separate exchanges in SF, can't quite remember it's been a long time since I worked there.

I wish I knew what my original 2 letter prefix was so I could make repro dial cards. I have a hunch that our CO may be new enough to have been switched from the beginning. Before we were probably trunked from San Luis Obispo. Just my guess, maybe someday I'll try to really research the history.
San Luis Obispo is LYric and LIberty, but it doesn't list Baywood Park on the Exchange Name Project. You can see what turns up. And be patient--it's not very fast. You can change the city and then wait a few seconds and it will bring it up. Don't use the state part unless absolutely necessary. People have used all kinds of different abbreviations for that and it only brings up the ones with that particular abbreviation. Here's the link...

http://www.ourwebhome.com/TENP/TENproject.html

Click Search our database and you're there.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: AT2796 on February 15, 2019, 03:16:17 PM
Very cool, thanks!
I looked up my town by its other name (Los Osos/Baywood Park, I don't know why) and Los Osos comes up as JAckson! So the new dial cards will be
JAckson 8-8600!
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: dc4code on February 16, 2019, 02:59:13 PM
Cool!

I know all of Oviedo, Sanford, Winter Springs, Lake Mary/Longwood and surrounding towns use the FAirfax 0 to FAirfax 8 exchanges.

They are still in use as 32X, Winter Springs AT&T Exchange is 327 (used to be FA7 or FAirfax 7)

32X (FAirfax X) Used to be a #5 XB installed in 1947 for Central Florida. It was cut over to a #5 ESS in the early-mid 1990s. (It still is a 5ESS!)

407-327-1000 is the Winter Springs PD (used to be FAirfax 7-1000)

I think that is REALLY cool that it's been in use for all these years!
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: SUnset2 on February 16, 2019, 07:04:25 PM
I'll add my exchange history.
I was born in Seattle with a GArfield telephone number, as we lived on Queen Anne Hill.  I had that for a few months until they went to 7 digit numbers, and GArfield was changed to ATwater 2.  The next year we moved North, and now had a SUnset 2 number.  Recently, when my parents had to move into assisted living, I ported that number to my cell phone to handle business for them.  So I have the same number that I had as a child, and the area code hasn't changed, and I therefore have the same number as 60 years ago.

When I first moved out on my own, I got a 783 number (would have been originally SUnset 3), and moving again I was assigned a 283 (ATwater 3) number.  Our most recent move took us to the North part of King County (near Brinybay), where we should have an EMerson (36X) number, but we still have the 283 number thanks to local number portation.

I am attaching photos from Google Maps of the offices that I have been served by.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: SUnset2 on February 16, 2019, 07:16:17 PM
To add to bit more trivia, the GArfield exchange was originally a Panel switching system until the 1970s, when it was moved to an expansion of the ATwater office to be served by (I think) at 1A ESS.   The building was converted to library storage.  Recently, plans are underway to convert it into apartments.

The SUnset office was originally manual, and was converted to No. 1 Crossbar about 1946.  That was replaced with a No. 5 ESS about 1984.  EMerson was built new in 1948 for No. 1 Crossbar, with some units of No. 5 Crossbar added later.  I think it is all No. 5 ESS now.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: jiimhoff on February 16, 2019, 09:20:52 PM
SUnset 6- was mine growing up in the 60's and 70's in Brookfield WI. 
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: dc4code on February 17, 2019, 04:08:56 PM
Nice CO Building pictures!

I know someone who a couple days ago was going down the street and visited one of his local CO Buildings, He peeked through the window and saw in the dark, Step-By-Step Strowger equipment!! STILL There! (Obviously it's been long since cut-over, But the equipment remains!)

Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: HowardPgh on November 16, 2022, 04:57:40 PM
Where I grew up, it was HIland 1, EMerson 1 and 2, MOntrose 1. This was the East End of Pittsburgh.
Some other places nearby had a different name that used the same first two digits, so the third one had to be different.
Where I live today it was BRandywine 1.
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: markosjal on November 17, 2022, 02:32:29 AM
I just listed an "old school" phone umber on ebay , just to see what happens. it is 503 256 XXXX. It has been in the family for many years and an elderly family member recently passed away. It was one of the original Portland Ma Bell prefixes and Back in the day it was ALpine. I will always remember asking my mon what My uncle's number was an it was always "Alpine2 XXXX" that she would answer with
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Kellogg Kitt on November 17, 2022, 09:41:08 PM
Quote from: markosjal on November 17, 2022, 02:32:29 AMI just listed an "old school" phone umber on ebay , just to see what happens. it is 503 256 XXXX. It has been in the family for many years and an elderly family member recently passed away. It was one of the original Portland Ma Bell prefixes and Back in the day it was ALpine. I will always remember asking my mon what My uncle's number was an it was always "Alpine2 XXXX" that she would answer with

I thought buying and selling telephone numbers was a violation of FCC regulations.  Apparently, either that has changed, or it is not enforced anymore.  I see plenty of them for sale on eBay.

Yours might be difficult to sell without revealing what the entire number is.

Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: markosjal on November 18, 2022, 04:12:23 AM
Quote from: 3463319 on November 17, 2022, 09:41:08 PMI thought buying and selling telephone numbers was a violation of FCC regulations.  Apparently, either that has changed, or it is not enforced anymore.  I see plenty of them for sale on eBay.

Yours might be difficult to sell without revealing what the entire number is.



I do not think that is accurate I have seen MANY "premium"  numbers for sale
Title: Re: My Local Exchange, and what's yours?
Post by: Kellogg Kitt on November 19, 2022, 08:49:05 PM
I read it many years ago.  That rule probably went by the wayside a long time ago.  It would probably be impossible to enforce today anyway, with number portability and so many "telephone companies" having access to the numbers.