Old style phones

[Ally]

I clicked a 'like' on facebook as it was a picture of the old style telephone..the one where you dialled!

I can still remember our first phone number.
It was Motherwell 66492.

Did anyone ever get a 'crossed line'?

This used to happen lots years ago..you'd pick the phone up to ring a mate and someone would be gassing away.
Oops sorry..then try again in a few minutes.

I remember when I lived in London and I once picked the phone up to call my mum and by the most amazing coincidence ever there was a crossed line and my mum was talking to my aunty Bunty!

[JoM]

Our number was 3395. I remember when we stayed at my sister's ex boyfriend's house on the Isle Of Wight just after Joe was born, there was still a three digit number there - I thought it was so quaint!

We didn't get a phone until I was about 8 or 9. Before then it was either a walk up the road to the phone box or popping around to Mrs Taylor next door to use hers (leaving money on the side). When my parents arranged to have the phone connected, at first they were told we'd have to have a party line with some neighbours but when it was connected we had our own line.

I remember crossed lines too

[TheOstrich]

In our case, three letters for the local town exchange, and four numbers for the line. It was a big black bakelite phone on a stand in the hallway. And yes, plenty of crossed lines; you'd be tentatively saying "hello" into the receiver, and there'd be a silence, and someone would say, "I think we've got a crossed line ......." and then carry on talking to the third party!

[Workingman]

Party lines, they were called. Ours was with Clare and Henry two doors down and God could they natter!

It mattered not when we picked up the phone, they we blabbing away.....

[JoM]

Oh did you ever call that number to listen to a record out of the charts?

[miasmum]

yes I did Jo, Dial a Disc I think it was called

My nan had a phone before we did and hers was a party line with the people over the road.

Our first phone number was 29492. My dad moved in with his new partner not long after and her number was 29497

[Kaz]

We didn't have a phone when I was growing up, although my mum's friend next door but one had one she was happy to let us use, and there was a phone box at the end of the road so we didn't seem to miss having one........hard to imagine now managing without mobiles, let alone a landline

My nan had a phone, one of those huge heavy bakerlite black ones with a cord rather than a curly wire The number was 58987............when my Aunt J and Uncle C bought nan's house they kept the number then when my aunty eventually sold it and moved locally she took the number with her, so that is still her number

[Rodo]

We didn't have a phone until we had our first house. Hubby's boss had it installed so that he could be on call. Our phone number was just one digit different from the local taxi firm and we used to get a lot of calls in the night asking for a taxi!

Do you remember the Trim phone call? There is a blackbird in this area who still imitates the trim phone!

[pederito1]

First phone did not even have a dial. You had to pick it up and wait for the operator to say the number you wanted. Not sure if you had to wind a handle though.

[Ally]

Dial a Disc....brilliant memories!