How do switches respond when more than 10 dial pulses are sent?
The extra pulses will simply be absorbed, except for the final digit which will be lost.

The 1st, 2nd etc. group selectors only accept a single digit, then hunt into the bank to find a free outlet to the next group. Once the carriage steps up to the top level it can't go any higher, so it just hammers into the backstop.

Final selectors step up for the penultimate digit, then step into the bank for the final digit. An extra pulse in the final digit will cause the carriage to step all the way around the bank and out the other side, where it will 'drop out' back to level 0 and start stepping up again.



Another selector type was the Discriminating Selector Repeater (DSR) which was designed to drop out when reaching certain levels, in order to absorb digits that weren't need in the local exchange. This monster had 29 relays, some with 2 or 3 independent coils. Here's a schematic - see if you can figure out how it works!