Ed Kennell 36,030 #26 Posted December 20, 2015 Hey Jay, I wonder if those party phone lines would be legal today. We were on a four party line in the forties with each phone having a different ring. Of course you knew by the ring which one your neighbors was getting a call. It kept everyone informed as to what their neighbors were doing. Also made it very easy to set up conference calls. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 22,273 #27 Posted December 20, 2015 We had those party lines at the relatives in rural Wisconsin when I was 16. I worked for Illinois Bell, started in 1974...we wrecked the last "Iron Wire" and what we called "Crazy Wire" here around me in Illinois in the late 70's. Managed to salvage a bunch of the old "10 Pin Arms" and glass insulators. Brings back a ton of good memories. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 52,159 #28 Posted December 20, 2015 The worst part I recall about the party line was the problem of attempting to call others on your party line. We had to call their number, let it ring and attempt to guess how many rings it would take for them to pick up, hang up before they answered then pick up again before they hung up. For the most part it was easier to walk down to their house! As for the computers, the only reason I have 7 is because the hard drive on my XP laptop crashed and I had to replace it. Now I have to subscribe to windows every year, it came installed on the old one. I must admit it is a bit faster, but I wasn't in a hurry anyway. I had never heard about all of these "Chrome" problems, I went to it from Explorer based on what Karl had recommended and haven't had a problem. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,981 #29 Posted December 20, 2015 I can remember as a kid walking past the phone office and seeing the lady sitting there plugging in the wires when someone would ring. She would ask who you wanted to talk to then plug in their wire and ring for them. Fairfield isn`t very big today but then it was less than a thousand people and not all of them had phones so we only needed one operator. Still don`t have a red light. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimD 3,345 #30 Posted December 20, 2015 What I find of most interest is the fact that this post about nothing generated more response than anything I might post with a real subject. Go figure!! 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 52,159 #31 Posted December 20, 2015 22 minutes ago, JimD said: What I find of most interest is the fact that this post about nothing generated more response than anything I might post with a real subject. Go figure!! we need more open ended topics, kind of like a real conversation, thanks for almost starting it. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WNYPCRepair 1,875 #33 Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) 3 hours ago, 953 nut said: we need more open ended topics, kind of like a real conversation, thanks for almost starting it. One of my favorite forums is almost completely like this. It goes off topic all the time, just like real conversations. Much more fun than rigid, dry forums Edited December 21, 2015 by WNYPCRepair 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,981 #34 Posted December 21, 2015 (edited) 1 hour ago, JimD said: What I find of most interest is the fact that this post about nothing generated more response than anything I might post with a real subject. Go figure!! Yea, we kinda hijacked your post, sorry. Hope nobody minds. Edited December 21, 2015 by roadapples 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 36,030 #35 Posted December 21, 2015 How can that be....there never was a topic. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimD 3,345 #36 Posted December 21, 2015 25 minutes ago, ekennell said: How can that be....there never was a topic. That's what I was thinking Ed. Like hijacking a ghost flight over the Bermuda Triangle. Hey now, there's an open ended topic for ya. Thoughts anyone? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 36,030 #37 Posted December 21, 2015 We gotta keep this thread going......Luv those party line stories. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,981 #38 Posted December 21, 2015 That`s just about the way it was when I was a kid. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JPWH 5,320 #39 Posted December 21, 2015 When I was a kid we had a small farm in Colorado that used an irrigation ditch for watering. We had a party line and sometimes at 3:00 am I would hear the 3 rings. That usually meant moving siphon tubes every 12 hours for two or three days because you never knew when your turn for water would be up next. The amount of tubes used was based on how much they would open the gate. The caller would say something like " You have a 3/4 gate for 72 hours." 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 24,273 #40 Posted December 21, 2015 8 hours ago, ekennell said: We gotta keep this thread going......Luv those party line stories. Instead of "one ringy dingy...two ringy dingy...maybe one wheely horsey...two wheely horsey...?" 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 22,273 #41 Posted December 21, 2015 CAPTION THIS... didn't work Who said "Nothing" didn't work??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 52,159 #42 Posted December 22, 2015 Maya Angelou, " Nothing will work unless You do". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
