How many of you remember the old Ma bell days, and did anyone dumpster dive?

[Key2871]

I just had this idea to ask if anyone lived near a Bell telephone dispatch center. And did anyone dumpster dive and find goodies.

It seemed general practice that defective equipment was at times thrown out in my area. Depending on what it was.
Like trimline phone bases were regularly thrown out. Where handsets were returned to WE. As well as most items pertaining to 500-554/ 2500 sets were also returned.

Manuals , order manuals were also thrown out, as we're boxes for handsets, bases, etc.

I was driving around town one night, nature called so I went behind the dispatch garage. Asked for a flashlight, and to my surprise was a bunch of stuff just sitting in the dumpster for the taking. Manuals for station sets, order manual for everything bell. And I kept going back every now and again, to find goodies. Sometimes nothing, sometimes amazed at what they threw out.
At the CO found. Box of station wire with 25' missing, the box was soaked, because it rained a lot that day. But I just re wound the wire on a vacant spool. Free wire.
Tools, relays, the spring type for XBar systems, now. Loads of other thing's I had no idea what they were for.
One time I found myself in need of 25pair cable, ends etc.
About two or three weeks go by, there's a 200 foot henk of wire with a small amount taken with the amp end, the rest was mine. Then found an amp end, someone tried to terminate with no luck.

So anyone else have this happen?

[FABphones]

No dumpster diving, but Mr Fab (ex-BT) dumpster filled. Bakelite phones of all colours were hurled in to join several hundred others. I don't think he will ever get over the shock that I spend good money buying them back in. 

[Partyline4]

My grandad recalls seeing trucks with tons of AE equipment heading to a landfill here in Durham NC.  Buried under tons of dirt. Probably a few orchid 40s sitting there......

[Key2871]

I heard, that a few towns away, where the payphone guys worked out of, was a party in the dumpster when it was announced that they were getting out of payphones, signage,  set parts, all sorts of things ended up going in the dumpster.
I was working at that time and, I did make an effort to go, but it was only once, but things got locked up after they found out stuff was walking away... They figured people were taking stuff.
Next thing I knew, was cameras were going up.
So I missed out on that. But some were getting some parts, and other stuff.

I also heard of city's, throwing phones, parts all sorts of stuff out, filling dumpsters. They go out the next day 99% was gone. I guess this was standard practice for some places.

[Partyline4]

I heard, that a few towns away, where the payphone guys worked out of, was a party in the dumpster when it was announced that they were getting out of payphones, signage,  set parts, all sorts of things ended up going in the dumpster.
I was working at that time and, I did make an effort to go, but it was only once, but things got locked up after they found out stuff was walking away... They figured people were taking stuff.
Next thing I knew, was cameras were going up.
So I missed out on that. But some were getting some parts, and other stuff.

I also heard of city's, throwing phones, parts all sorts of stuff out, filling dumpsters. They go out the next day 99% was gone. I guess this was standard practice for some places.

One of my many fondest memories was contacting a local gas station chain in NC, and hearing them say I could go get as many old payphones as I wanted....Was a lot of great fun for myself, and a friend who was ill at the time. We'd be out in rush hour traffic, overalls and sawzalls, tearing one down....Never heard a peep.....found $40 in one payphone....Had to smash it to bits, though!