Re: [telecom] 5XB arcana [Telecom]

I visited the CEntral CO in Topeka, Kansas around 1970. That was a
> huge Stroger SXS office, with the auxiliary line finders in wooden > cabinets with glass windows. I forget their actual name, but they > appeared to oscillate back and forth, left to right, with contacts > somehow stopping and held to terminals when a subscriber went ROH.

Are you sure that those weren't line switches instead of line finders? had some of those in in the office named "North," later "JAckson" in Oklahoma City, added to many times with W.E. SxS switches to accomodate growth. The line switches were part of the oroginal Strowger (A.E.?) switches installed when the office was built in 1920. They continued in service for the original A.E. part until the entire office was cutover to ESS in a new building built next to the original in the 1970s or 1980s, and renamed again, this time to "University." Wes Leatherock snipped-for-privacy@aol.com snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

Oh, I'm sure of nothing that far back (c. ~1969). ;-)

I was only visiting, and then only that one time. I might also have mixed up the Topeka CO visit with a Lawrence CO visit. My brain is slowly leaking off the memory charges. Perhaps this newsgroup will give me a "refresh" treatment, and use some new cells? ;-)

Back in those days, all you needed to get through a guarded door was your company ID. If you knew the door combination, you were in. COs were full of visiting splicers, tagging on the MDF, so a strange face was never challenged.

Your use of line "switches" does seem to bring back memories though. If it was indeed Lawrence, I could have visited them as late as 1984. I doubt if they still had SXS that late though.

Would you, by chance, have any links to Websites where they are described, or maybe a picture? Or a longer description of their technical operation, wiring, etc.?

TIA.