Over the course of telephone history, there have been many different analog telephone switching systems used in North America – primarily the Step by Step, Panel & Crossbar switches. By the late 1990s, most of not all of these switching systems were long gone, but not forgotten! Before these switches were torn down for scrap metal, many people including myself collected the sounds produced by these unique and wonderful systems. Enjoy the sounds of yesteryear here at the Vintage Telephone Sounds section.
Automatic Electric Step by Step
Various recordings of Step by Step (Strowger) equipment including dial tone, ringback, reorder & busy from GTE (Automatic Electric) switching equipment.
Stromberg-Carlson XY
Various recordings of Stromberg-Carlson XY switching equipment including dial tone, ringback & reorder.
Western Electric Crossbar
Various recordings of Western Electric (Bell System) Number 1 Crossbar (#1XB) and Number 5 Crossbar (#5XB) switching equipment.
Canadian Step By Step Recordings
Various recordings of Canadian Step by Step equipment.
Private Collector Step by Step
Various recordings from three different Step by Step switches owned by a private collector (FTR-Kellog, Stromberg-Carlson XY and AE).
Miscellaneous Vintage Sounds
Other vintage recordings not elsewhere categorized.