Many miles of telephone line required

“WITH REFERENCE to last Saturday’s article on Ninewells and the number of phone lines that were needed,” emails Alf Blair Smart, “perhaps I can provide more details of the installation.

“I was the semi-permanent telephone systems engineer employed by the Post Office telephones, then BT, at that time for the installation and the subsequent maintenance of the telephone exchange.

“The exchange itself was installed on level 4 with the operator’s switchboards on level 7. There were 30 outside lines, four lines to the DRI and 1,000 extensions, with approximately 500 sub extensions.

“All this was accommodated on 14 equipment racks similar to the ones in the photograph attached taking up considerable floor space, along with the necessary power plant.

“There were six positions on the opera- tor’s switchboard and it went non-stop as you would expect. There were also outside lines to the trolley phones in the wards which originally had a ‘first come, first served’ system which did not prove adequate and was later changed. No mobiles then.

“The system was in service until 1988 when it was replaced by a digital exchange which was more in keeping with the era and the requirements of the hospital.” in touch on the subject. “I’m not sure that the bell has been there all that long,” he says. “I would guess that it’s less than 20 years.

“I wondered if it might be to slow down passers-by as it is situated on a ‘blind corner’. In fact, I’m quite surprised that the bell was allowed as it must be causing an obstruction.”