TANDEM OPERATION IN THE BELL SYSTEM 



389 



tandem operator connects herself to the trunk and gives the order 

 tone to the orig:inating operator by operating a key associated with 

 the trunk. The ring-release and overflow features are not provided. 



Fig. 5 — Toll office tandem, No. 1 — Long Lines office, New York City. 



In a few cases where the volume of traffic to be handled by "A" 

 operators over toll board circuits is very small, a form of toll ofifice 

 tandem operation is obtained, without the use of tandem positions of 

 the types described above, by terminating automatic signaling trunks 

 from the "A" boards on jacks and lamps at the outward toll board 

 positions and having the connections between the trunks and the toll 

 circuits made by means of the regular pairs of cords. The answering 

 jacks are multipled at a number of the toll positions and none of the 

 features normally associated with toll ofifice tandem equipment are 

 provided. The toll board operator answers on the trunk verbally and 

 after receiving from the "A" operator the name of the place desired, 

 establishes a connection to the toll line and rings the distant olifice. 

 From this point on, the "A" operator handles the call in essentially 

 the same manner as when regular toll tandem equipment is used. 



Straightforward Toll Line Tandems 

 While ringdown operation is the general rule at toll boards, there are 

 a few toll board circuit groups which are operated on a straightforward 

 basis, notably the terminal circuits between New York and Philadel- 



