Director telephone system
The director telephone system was a development of the Strowger or step-by-step (SXS) switching system used in London and five other large cities in the UK from the 1920s to the 1980s.
British (BPO) Type 232 phone of 1932
The Strowger switch is the first commercially successful electromechanical stepping switch telephone exchange system. It was developed by the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange Company founded in 1891 by Almon Brown Strowger. Because of its operational characteristics, it is also known as a step-by-step (SXS) switch.
Western Electric 7A Rotary, friction drive (Bird-cage), No. 7001 Line Finder. Note the driven bevel gear on the right-hand side; this type has a steady rotary motion and does not employ an electromagnet for stepping.
Bank of two-motion switches
Télégraphie, Systeme Strowger