The first generation of the automatic telephone exchange used in Russia was a decade-step exchange. The decade-step exchange was replaced with a crossbar exchange which in its turn was followed by a quasi-electronic exchange and digital exchange.

You are unlikely to find a decade-step exchange today while there are plenty of crossbar exchanges in the country.

So, let us take you to Kaliningrad to show you a crossbar exchange belonging to Rostelecom, Russia’s leading long-distance telephony provider.

There are two crossbar exchanges in the building on the right.

Wires connecting telephone subscribers and the exchange go to the cross room.

A couple of decades ago, these wires were extremely valuable and were used in household universally.

After the cross, the signal reaches the exchange where it gets switched by a device for switching telephone calls.

There are two automatic telephone exchanges in the building, number 45 and 46.

The crosspoint is a device operated by electric magnets.

Test telephones.

The exchange is larger than it seems.

Crossbar exchanges have been introduced in Russia from the 60 till the 80s. Nowadays, they are being replaced with digital exchanges.

A block malfunction light panel.

The first exchange serves about 10 thousand subscribers while the other serves just 5.

A call-signaling assembly.

Checking register-senders of the exchange.

The exchange on the inside.

This board has 10 numbers for the transmitting device of the automatic number identifier (ANI) encoded.

Some fragment of the ANI transmitting device.

That green light indicates that one of the subscribers doesn’t hang up the receiver for a long time which increases the wear and tear of the equipment. In this case, they try to contact the subscriber and remind him to hang up the receiver.

On the first floor of the building, you will find a museum launched by a local skilled artisan who collects and repairs the exhibits by himself.

“Reel-to-reel machine TEMB-2M, 1972”.

“Tape recorder Chaika-66, 1966”.

“Mayak-233 stereo”.

“Wire broadcasting amplifier Dnepr, 1975”.

“Radio receiver Kazakhstan, 1963.”

Multiple malls appearing in the city take away the scenery.

The House of Soviets. The building is completed only on the outside.

Trolley cars in Kaliningrad are the oldest in the country.

Location: Kaliningrad

via russos