Our tones are pretty similar, only the ring tone sounds like the busy tone, only longer and wih longer gaps.
Never heard the call forwarding here. If a number doesn't exist you get the tritone in endless loop (officially) or sometimes just busy forever.
Connector boxes for hardwired phones were about 5x10x2 cm and usually beige, old ones black. You sometimes still see them around, especially where the subscriber had more than just 1 standard phone. There were 2 types of modular jacks, a round one with 4 concentric rings, like a headphone plug only thicker and it got much thinner with every ring towards the tip. Other type, mostly used in commercial buildings had IIRC something like 10 pins in 2 horizontal rows. Pretty weird beasts.
Connector boxes had 4 spade terminals, 2 used, 1 reserved for auxiliary bell, 1 used for whatever (there was a green wire in all phone cords that was almost sleeved and unused). IIRC the terminals are a, b, W2 and E (maybe earth?). Aux. bell hooked up to a and W2, W2 has to be connected to W2 in the phone, W1 is the interbnal bell connector.
