local-calling-guide@groups.io | Panel Switch Designed for 8-Digit Numbers, Used in NYC In 1940's? (was: Area Code Beer (2024)

The OP still has failed to identify the location of this WIndsor Pharmacy/Exchange he spoke of, but I've asked again. Meanwhile he posted another claim that has me scratching my head a bit:

"In a very few places there were _eight_ digit local numbers. In
manual days, a switchboard could handle 10,500 numbers and when they
went dial they stayed at eight digits, ie GA 4-10214. (This
capability was designed in the Panel switch. I've seen old newspaper
ads having such numbers for Queens, NY in the late 1940s). I don't
know how those numbers were handled when converted to uniform 7D. "

I told him I didn't think it was impossible, but "show me the facts". I also referred everyone to these groups and said I'd be presenting this claim here, where people with direct knowledge have truly factual information.

Elmer

Sklar, Robert

Are you sure those last digits weren't multiparty-line ringing codes?

Robert L. Sklar
GIS Specialist, Citywide GIS
New York City Department of
Information Technology & Telecommunications
59 Maiden Lane, 33rd floor
New York, NY 10038

1-212-232-1084
rsklar@...<mailto:rsklar@...>

[cid:image002.jpg@...]

From: local-calling-guide@... [mailto:local-calling-guide@...] On Behalf Of ElmerCat
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 1:29 PM
To: local-calling-guide@...; centraloffice@...
Cc: strowger@...; TENproject@...
Subject: [local-calling-guide] Panel Switch Designed for 8-Digit Numbers, Used in NYC In 1940's? (was: Area Code Beer - Businesses Named After Exchanges?)

The OP still has failed to identify the location of this WIndsor Pharmacy/Exchange he spoke of, but I've asked again. Meanwhile he posted another claim that has me scratching my head a bit:

" In a very few places there were _eight_ digit local numbers. In
manual days, a switchboard could handle 10,500 numbers and when they
went dial they stayed at eight digits, ie GA 4-10214. (This
capability was designed in the Panel switch. I've seen old newspaper
ads having such numbers for Queens, NY in the late 1940s). I don't
know how those numbers were handled when converted to uniform 7D. "

I told him I didn't think it was impossible, but "show me the facts". I also referred everyone to these groups and said I'd be presenting this claim here, where people with direct knowledge have truly factual information.

Elmer

________________________________
From: John Novack

The Op certainly has it backward. Exchanges were often named or the
area, or subdivision or landmark. Lincoln in Washington D.C. was near
the Lincoln Park in N.E. D.C. Local businesses the same, seldom if ever
after a telephone exchange. In many cases even predating telephones!
I feel sure others can find hundreds of examples in their home towns
that were even large enough to have exchange names.

Revisionist history is alive and well!

Have the Op cite his authority, rather than simple supposition

John Novack

ElmerCat wrote:

I was reading an Off-Topic post in one of the roadgeek groups about Budweiser exploiting area codes as a regional marketing ploy (e.g.: "215 Beer" in Philadelphia, "312 Beer" in Chicago, etc.)

http://groups.google.com/group/misc.transport.road/browse_frm/thread/4fa12f5ba49dcb0f

... but the OP also made a statement that in the olden days, businesses would sometimes name themselves after their exchange "For instance, if the community was served by the WIndsor exchange, a pharmacy might be called the Windsor Phamarcy." [sic]

Does anyone know of that really happening? I think the more likely scenario was that because the exchanges were frequently named after a local neighborhood, landmark, or other well-known name in the community; businesses would coincidentally choose their names because of the same neighborhoods, landmarks, etc.. For example, near where I grew up, both the Arsenal Pharmacy and the ARsenal-3 exchange were named after the nearby Watervliet Arsenal (in this case, the pharmacy was not named after the exchange).

I suppose it's possible, but I can't think of any examples of a business being named solely after its telephone exchange. Can you?

PULlman exchange in Chicago had 10xxx phone numbers as late as 1946, but
they were still a manual exchange at that time.

Charles Fregeau

From: local-calling-guide@...
[mailto:local-calling-guide@...] On Behalf Of ElmerCat
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 12:29 PM
To: local-calling-guide@...; centraloffice@...
Cc: strowger@...; TENproject@...
Subject: [local-calling-guide] Panel Switch Designed for 8-Digit Numbers,
Used in NYC In 1940's? (was: Area Code Beer - Businesses Named After
Exchanges?)

The OP still has failed to identify the location of this WIndsor
Pharmacy/Exchange he spoke of, but I've asked again. Meanwhile he posted
another claim that has me scratching my head a bit:

" In a very few places there were _eight_ digit local numbers. In
manual days, a switchboard could handle 10,500 numbers and when they
went dial they stayed at eight digits, ie GA 4-10214. (This
capability was designed in the Panel switch. I've seen old newspaper
ads having such numbers for Queens, NY in the late 1940s). I don't
know how those numbers were handled when converted to uniform 7D. "

I told him I didn't think it was impossible, but "show me the facts". I also
referred everyone to these groups and said I'd be presenting this claim
here, where people with direct knowledge have truly factual information.

Elmer

________________________________
From: John Novack

The Op certainly has it backward. Exchanges were often named or the
area, or subdivision or landmark. Lincoln in Washington D.C. was near
the Lincoln Park in N.E. D.C. Local businesses the same, seldom if ever
after a telephone exchange. In many cases even predating telephones!
I feel sure others can find hundreds of examples in their home towns
that were even large enough to have exchange names.

Revisionist history is alive and well!

Have the Op cite his authority, rather than simple supposition

John Novack

ElmerCat wrote:

I was reading an Off-Topic post in one of the roadgeek groups about

Budweiser exploiting area codes as a regional marketing ploy (e.g.: "215
Beer" in Philadelphia, "312 Beer" in Chicago, etc.)

http://groups.google.com/group/misc.transport.road/browse_frm/thread/4fa12f5
ba49dcb0f

... but the OP also made a statement that in the olden days, businesses

would sometimes name themselves after their exchange "For instance, if the
community was served by the WIndsor exchange, a pharmacy might be called the
Windsor Phamarcy." [sic]

Does anyone know of that really happening? I think the more likely

scenario was that because the exchanges were frequently named after a local
neighborhood, landmark, or other well-known name in the community;
businesses would coincidentally choose their names because of the same
neighborhoods, landmarks, etc.. For example, near where I grew up, both the
Arsenal Pharmacy and the ARsenal-3 exchange were named after the nearby
Watervliet Arsenal (in this case, the pharmacy was not named after the
exchange).

I suppose it's possible, but I can't think of any examples of a business

being named solely after its telephone exchange. Can you?

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