issn 0261-2798 - transport ticket
TRANSCRIPT
ISSN 0261-2798
"'~,,~'
TTS OCCASIONAL P APEB No 18
~
~
ISSN 0261-2798
@Copyright 1991 GH.I.Fairchild.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, recorded or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior
permission of the author and the publisher.
~
~~
-..
~
~
~~~
"t
~~
~
~
t'
~
4
Upper left: A reminder of dark days in London -an LPTB edmondson authorisinguse of an UndergrounD station for shelter during air raids.
Upper right: The North Eastern Railway of India commemorates spiritual leader
and reformer Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Ghandi, 1869-1948.
Lower left: A Warrington Corporation Tramways 1td ticket evocative of the
style of the 1920s.
Lower right: The back of a Bombay, Baroda and Central India ticket helpfully
explains the Poonam for the initiated.
",:'"-0 -
~
FOR INFORMATION SEE OVER
A wideranging look at the matter to be
found on the back of tickets.
It is unfortunate that collectors in general can rarely devote sufficient time to
studying the information to be found on the backs of tickets. It is true that the
essential details of the journey are generally printed on the front, and the railway
ticket designer invariably pays more attention to the layout of the front, which in
aesthetic terms tends to become the more attractive.
Which is recto when a ticket is fully printed both sides, with one side being in
a principal language and the other in a different, seemingly secondary, language?
Textual matter frequently consigned to the back of card tickets includes the
conditions of issue, the date and advertisements. Collectors of British tickets will
recall that during the 1930s a couple of home railways sold tickets with advert-
isements inside a pocket formed in the thickness of the card. The holder of such
a card, once seated on station bench or in the train could pullout the insert and
find himself advised to take a particular soda water with his whisky, to smoke aparticular brand of cigarette or even to restore his health by purchasing a cycle -
on easy terms, of course!
This innovation had been in use in Italy
and Austria around the turn of the century,
with an exceedingly thin sheet of newsprintfolded and inserted into the thickness of an
otherwise conventional edmondson card.
..-') Illustrating this are tickets from the7 Mediterranean Railway 1895 [1], and the
/ Royal 6 Imperial State Railways of Austria
1896 [2]. In each case part of the insert is
shown protruding; that of Italy from the long
edge of the card, and that of Austria from
the short edge. Another country to use the
method, though now resembling the British
thin card insert, was New Zealand; fig.3
advertises the "Competent Optical Service".
: ~ 1" I 1\
1..7£ N'...r' ylA E
..:' ( ~ /*£e-~'\6
,...
"-
-4.,..;-' 1"" ),PO,.
/
2
\.\,1.1-3
~.'ii'.-
:,..\-""",,', J ~ SECONO CUSS.
0. .~,.: ~.~~'I":d"
}~;:,
:00.
3 -
abrikeJ:i-~
Reverse side content of tickets may be sub-divided to reflect the interests of the
collector. Blank backs are not credited with much importance, but even they
sometimes deserve special attention if drystamped, endorsed or inexplicably
marked. Some backs, officially blank, are known with extensive diarist reports,presumably to be ascribed to the travelling holder. Some will impart a morsel of
information by virtue of their specialised colouring and surface composition. In
special cases one might deduce that the back has missed its printing process and
therefore falsely displays a blank area. We all know of tickets which have been
back-printed and then fed to the front-print operation upside-down, giving a
double, and usually unintelligible result on one side, again falsely presenting ablank back. Quite a different aberration is illustrated by fig.4 from the Kowloon
Canton Railway of Hong Kong. The normal product was printed by fouroperations; first the title, journey text, and class; second the overprinted zonalnumerals (4 a 1) and category (Warrant); third the skeleton letter 'R' on the
right; and finally the serial numbers at each end. What actually happened was
4
~
somewhat different. The first and fourth processes reached the face side, while
the second and third managed to reach the reverse. This curious string of errors
was further compounded by the skeleton letter being upside down. The result was
a usable ticket, though hardly a likeable creation.
These matters are merely entertaining diversions. It is the properly printed
backs which provide a serious source of interest and research. Frequently they
carry conditions of issue or advertisements, but other features include monograms,
emblems, translations (of the opposite side) and, most frequently, the date of
issue of the ticket.
Six basic information groups, into which tickets may usefully be segregated for
study, will be considered in turn
A Identifying titles, initials and motifs.
B Conditions and regulations.
C Maps and devices related to the journey.
D Notices, slogans and advertisements.
E Dates a endorsements related to ticket function.
F Diarist messages, doodles and sketches.
Each of these groups will be illustrated by a geographical spread arranged to
demonstrate like and unlike treatment across a wide range of countries and
companies..
-4 -
~
A. IDENTIFYING TITLES, INITIALS AND MOTIFS
,~ ~j:;k~,.:
5
e
z
.~~,."
c
..
.
6
.~:~'"?";- }c~.;: :':--:z~:
, ~ .-
Leading the way is an example of how an early Scottish railway identified itself
with ornate initials. 'E Et G' [5] belongs to the former Edinburgh Et Glasgow Railway
which opened in 1842 and was taken over by the North British Railway in 1865.
The corporate practice of identifying the
administration in this way was carried to Asia.
Africa and South America in full measure. The
railways of Lebanon frequently applied their
French-Ianguage initials to the reverse of cardtickets. giving the only immediate means of
identification for Western eyes. Today. Indian
railways continue to initial their tickets.whereas the method has lapsed in Africa and
South America.
One of the originally British-owned
Argentinian railways continued the practice untilits demise in 1948. See the fine example of, CA ' (for Central Argentine) centrally printed
on the reverse of a Sleeping Car ticket [6].
This is followed by an Indian ticket [7] in which
the Bengal Assam Railway applied its initials to
the reverse. at the same time obliterating thoseof the pre-November 1945 administration known
as 'BEtAR' -the absence of the ampersandafter that time reflected the change inadministration. -
More spectacular is fig.8 in which four
initials are shown in two pairs as 'NG' and
'SR'. These represent the Nizam's GuaranteedState Railway. After the line opened in 1874
and went through two short periods of
independent and agency working. HH The Nizam
of Hyderabad registered a London company to
operate lines in his state. This company existed
from 1885 until 1930. after which purchase by
Hyderabad created a State Railway leading to
eventual annexation by India's nationally-owned
Central Railway during 1951. Although 80% ofHyderabad's population was Hindu. the rulingHouse of the Nizam was Muslim. This is
reflected in the use of a Crescent and Star
emblem depicted between the two sets of
initials.
rc~'.
~
'--,-
r;I;
.'4.
!O;r{t'*,'g;.;"""" J
B
It is perhaps as well to observe that not all such marks may be entirely relied
upon: errors and omissions may create false impressions. A noted 'howler' of this
sort was originated by Britain's Railway Executive Eastern Region. The Early
Morning Return tickets printed in 1953 for travel from Brentwood 6 Warley to
High Street Kensington etc bore the title "L.O.Ry" (representing the Liverpool
Overhead Railway!) on the reverse. This collector's gem arose from the tradit-
ional process of printing the reverse side text in advance on bulk supplies of
edmondson blank cut cards. Stock was later given its face printing in individual
batches as orders were received. The ex-London 6 North Eastern Railway printing
works had for many years supplied the Liverpool company with tickets under
contract, and the Early Morning Returns of both undertakings were very similar in
appearance. It seems that when this order was processed, the wrong 'back-
printed' stock was selected. Incidentally, the correct Regional Letter (E) of the
mainline railway appeared on the face, along with the correct journey text, so
the operative front belies the back. These tickets were actually issued and
-5 -
honoured, and one wonders what might have been the legal position regarding
notification to the passenger of the terms under which he used the train early one
morning. Nothing has been heard of any litigation arising!
A counterpart of this Eastern Region example, from about the same time, was
the error whereby a Scottish watery title was applied to a journey by bus from
Southend Airport! Some Ultimatic tickets produced for issue at Southend Airport
agency to cover the BR bus leg of the journey to Liverpool Street were printed
with the title and conditions of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company Ltd. The
exact printing process used in this instance is uncertain, but clearly the roll of
ticket stock had been back-printed for a different contract.
Errors on tickets make an interesting and sometimes amusing study, but it is
well to remember that we all make mistakes at times. It is the misfortune of
the typesetter that his errors may well be reproduced 1,000 or even 10,000 times.
When Allied Forces took control of the few railways in Libya during World War II,
residual stocks of Italian Colonial Administration tickets [9] had somehow survived.
These were adapted for immediate use, at least for a time. An overstamped"MOV AND TN" made it plain that working of the lines was in the hands of
'Movement a Transportation', then a function of Britain's Corps of RoyalEngineers and America's Transportation Corps. In due course there were speciallyprepared tickets with a new military heading.
-.-'~~,-:'.;'~-.~~~-". -, ~.~
c .,lJ"-'c ~ ~,-,\ -..; , .' "f""'.. -;., ."."",
':r.t.o .:~'A.~.-TN.,': "c
-.;.~~j-.: ~ ' .~ ' ...,The Dubl:u lr. Drogheda. RAilW&l
'compl.Dy i1111. ~hil Ticket for -
the !(1'lrUp... "TOJ'd thllir O'WUline as t!,e.A;lIrliJ oDly for otA1.r
Compa71i~, for .hGm 1he1 &1'.DOt reSpaD-'ibl.
.0"'--
, "
.:'i:~:;;l"
; ".;---'-'-~ ~~:;;:00..:;:: ;... ~..J
9 10
The second group deals with conditions of issue on the reverse side of tickets.
Before considering this group however, a ticket [10] which effectiyely links groups
A and B requires attention. A helpful feature is the opening words which identify
the issuing company -often the face of the ticket tells nothing of the identity
while the reverse is equally unforthcoming. The Dublin a Drogheda Railway
opened late in May 1844 and lasted until 1875 when its identity was lost in an
amalgamation forming the shortlived Northern of Ireland Railway, later part of the
better-known Great Northern Railway of Ireland. The wording of this ticket is
effectively a giant disclaimer, absolving the DaDR from any responsibility beyond
its own lines; the ticket was Issued during 1864.
"'
B. CONDITIONS AND REGULATIONS
Notification of essential conditions and regulations is usually achieved by drawing
attention to them on the relevant tickets. Various forms are adopted -ranging
from a terse "See published notices", or "Valid as advertised" to a fairly full
explanation of the rigours to be enforced. Certain paper tickets of the former
Cyprus Government Railway even referred directly to acts of war, to enemies andto death! 11
.
The reverse of a Birmingham 6 Midland
Tramways Workman's Ticket [11] is quite
absorbing. The mechanic, in his second
mention, attracts an acute accent not
previously accorded. This ticket was for a
penny ride into the city; its holder would
scarcely have had time to read the legend,
let alone to appraise its full import. He was
nevertheless bound by it throughout.
-6 -
The reverse side of tickets needs to be considered from many standpoints.
Queensland Railways for example. when they printed through single journey ticketsto Aramac on the adjoining Aramac Shire Council Tramway. adopted an unusual
procedure [12]. The card. for a single journey and of edmondson size. was dividedinto two coupons. each coupon backed by a statement of the conditions applied by
the individual carrier. The face of these coupons also carried the operator's title.
Specimens have been seen however. which are heavily clipped or boldly over-
stamped so as to obliterate these details. The reverse then becomes the solemeans of identification for the collector.
,~-
j;!,~~~
);~J.!i-{.
",
""'i
anQ:frorri ~r;'1,ett8~WOOcS: .~--, -: at. W. - .J
12 13
Still within the notional group B, the tiny and shortlived 1938/9 Surrey Border
6 Camberley Railway provides the next illustration [13]. The company printed a
disclaimer on tickets for travel in Circus Trains to and from Mount Olivet Circusat Watchetts Wood, Surrey. It is no surprise that they "accept no resonsibility forthe safety of passengers visiting the Circus" but, very reasonably, they continued
to accept liability for any mishap that might befall the passenger while still on
the train.
c. MAPS AND DEVICES RELATED TO THE JOURNEY
This group has real potential for a
collector's archive. Maps, when they
appear in clear outline and with equallyclear placenames, complement other
ephemera of the same passenger line. Aneight-day kriskras (criss-cross) ticket of
the Netherlands Railways [14] is shown with
a map of the entire kingdom. An early
post-World War II pattern, it was
superseded in 1971 by a similar cardwithout the map. There are no placenames
shown,yet somehow the device clearlyconveys that travel was available throughoutthe railway system.
Ingenuity characterises the next item,fig.15 on page 8. This is the reverse of a
Hong Kong Tramways Souvenir Ticketcomplete with sketch of a tramcar and adiagram of the system. It must rate among
the most enlightening drawings, but it is
not known if there were matching Chinese
language issues. If not, one might suggestthat the tram stops should have beenbilingual, as indeed is the recto in certain
respects.
;;
r
I'
~
~" "
Slechts geldlg. .met kasreglster- .opdruk en tezamen met NS-
Identlteltsbewljs, mlts het num-mer hlervan op de voorzljdevan deze kurt Is Ingevuld.
G-"?9
-7 -
krlskras per treln door
Nederland I
15
~ ~ ; ~~--~:;:.~16
t ~; il
,
1".
!;
a.t.&.R.a.
by the quickest and
best route to and from
CANADA
AND THE
UNITED STATES
0!;
~~
;;:
"
"'7
The mode by which railway
passengers transferred from the
independent Dominion of Newfound-
land to the mainland of Canada
before the territories were united is
shown very clearly in a map issued
in 1937 at St.John's [16]. The
1.067m gauge Newfoundland Railway
operated across the island 875
kilometres from St John's in the
east to Port-aux-Basques, issuing a
wide-ranging series of tickets in the
process. There were also a variety
of coastal steamer tickets and many
through tickets to continental
destinations.
At Port-aux-Basques railway
steamers connected with North
Sydney, Nova' Scotia, where
passengers entrained for journeys
across Canada, and southward into
the United States. Although the
familiar lengthy coupon strips
usually suffered badly on the long
trips they documented, the
Newfoundland item illustrated has
survived largely intact. Travel was
from St John's to New York City
via Montreal, over the metals of the
Newfoundland, Canadian National,
~ i I Rutland, Boston 6 Maine and New
~. York Central Railroad Companies.
~ The printed map doubtless
[~': entertained the passenger in some
rffJ small measure during his watery
t~:~1j~-:, ", ,,~~~:!. passage.
From Spain comes a fourth 'map;..ticket' [17] in which groups B and C come
together happily. This is a First Class Annual Ticket of the 65 km metre-gauge
Ponferrada-Villablino Railway, formerly working in Spain north of Portugal. The
company not only printed its lengthy conditions of issue on the reverse (in black)
but combined this with a map of the line (in red) running through the textual
matter. At the foot of the card, one can see the proximity of the National
Railways (RENFE) station at Ponferrada.
)~z
~OF I
I
'!b;ST.LA II'RENCE ,
~ '. NORTH SYDNEY
APE BRETONID.
ATLANT.lC
OCE4N
-8 -
\
10.
9
"
,.1
,1
tY
.;
i~
\~
~
0; ---~~- ---r:."" -,..-~~~=--.:.~ ""-~~=~;~" ry,,c::-..;-~{J.:
Vll.l.Aal.lNOEst. billet. quedar6 nulo tronscurrido el ono ~ .1 cuol haya lIdo
;: , , , -,
..1 r
Se consld.ror6 nulo si por el interesodo, quien no
podr6 negorse o identificor su pe { ona por medlo de la firma o de la
cedula personal. ...T.qqo.r.
Deber6 ser presentado cuanta veces 10 exiian los empleados de la
Compaiira y ser6 recogida si 10 va tillzanda atra persana que aquella a.",l\fNO .
cuyo favor se hayaexpedldo.
Firma del interesada,
- ~ OHGOST... Satisfecha el impuestaoprim
del SeQura Obligalaria de y- 0 -
jeras. (R. D. 18 Octubre 19 ).PONFEI\I\ADA """' ..H"
~ ~~~~ :--~~ ~~:-;.- -.,~"'"'~~,,~- ~~~=.,, ~'-"=:>---""'--".-"""-
"..
17
\
.~ -, ,;od 1 ~~ "; I ~ or-,~,"j ."" P ,-~,- '0~.:!?
'r'~LOOE' £HGtll.. CHA"N£L
"'"-
.~-,IA::SA No0111
~
Operation wasI principally for mining
and the iron and steel
industry, with a
skeleton passenger
service using no more
than twenty carriages.
The stations, reading
northwards, are shown
as: Congosto, Toreno,
Matarrosa, Paramo,Palacios, and theterminus at Villablino.
The map seems also
to indicate eight
smaller un-named
stops (?flagstops).The function of the
map is uncertain; on
an annual ticket itcould have been little
more than a public
relations embellish-
ment.Fig. 18 shows the
back of a Holiday
Runabout Ticket ofthe years immediately
after the nationalis-ation of Britain's
railways in 1948.
Runabouts were gen-erally valid for seven
days within a defined
area, which was allo-
cated a number (in
this case 21). The
map on t~ back
served lthe / railway
authority.~~; by' clearlydefinIng tile territory
within which it was tobe honoured and at
the same time enabled
the passenger to planeach day's outing.
19 The idea was a pre-
war one. It fell outof favour during the 1950s, probably due to the constant changes brought about by
the closure of lines and stations and to a lesser degree by the alterations to
regional boundaries. Maps were replaced by lists of stations between which thetickets were available, the lists being more easily amended.
18
Another functional use of the reverse side, is that of affixing adhesive stamps.
These generally levy local or national transport surcharges, especially taxes of a
temporary nature; other examples are medical and disaster appeals. Fig.19 from
America's New York Lake Erie a Western Railroad, erroneously received its
adhesive revenue stamp on the face side. Fortuitously this makes it easier to
reproduce it in its entirety. An ordinary 1883 US postage stamp was used to
collect two cents. The United States had a considerable range of Revenue Stamps
-9
which were used for such purposes. Mr George Slaughter, mentioned as the holder
of this Multi-Trip ticket, was the grandfather of a close friend of its recent
owner. It has thus remained safely in one social circle for the whole of its
century and more.
20 :~~.~. ..~~ iI 1~\.;,!:,:.'l- "'1 "~,1~~
2221
Four further examples of adhesive stamps on the back of tickets are given:
from Roumania [20], Bolivia [21], Thailand [22], with a fourth [23] issued in
Spain; in Spain the use of adhesive stamps in this way was widely practised
immediately following the Civil War of 1936-1939. The 10 centimos stamp incl-
udes a portrait of Jose Antonio, the political activist executed during that war.
During World War II German Army personnel were issued with an annual quota
of free travel stamps, and could acquire additional stamps for approved reasons.
These stamps were affixed to a military travel card validating it for a first or
subsequent journeys up to the distance value unused. Generally stamps were
affixed to the back of an extensive three-part card on which the holder's identity
and the railway conditions were set out at length.
Finally, in this group, it is intriguing to be able to show another Spanish ticket
which displays ...morse code, no less! This item [24], a Second Class single from
the former Northern Railways of Spain, codes the word Combinado (Combination)
[the code also appears on fig.23 but is largely obliterated by the stamp]. The
reason behind this use of a very un-railwaylike language has not been discovered
despite several years of enquiry. The code takes its name from its inventor,
Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872), an American painter, but so far as can
be ascertained he was not being commemorated by this railway and had no
particular Spanish or transport association. This conundrum is commended to the
attention of readers!
,,~--~-~~--~24
CAMINm DEH\f.RRD DEL ftDRll.
;. .;~~~.~~, : -.:..
.;..J ..,; ,.,~:~.:.;i:i. ..,-
-.* ., ~:-;~~., ,-- -.:1
NOTICES, SLOGANS AND ADVERTISEMENTSD
In this group is placed an assortment of material- slogans, advertisements and
notices to the passenger -which can be a source of entertainment and
occasionally light relief. Other prints provide sound information for the
researcher, not least as pointers in social history.
10 -
The official Notice printed on fig.25 deserves special consideration. This item
was sold around 1919 by the Detroit Fort Wayne 6 Belle Isle Railway jointly with
the Detroit Citizens' Street Railway. The City of Detroit was in almost constant
verbal warfare with these local operators: peace came only when their lines were
purchased by the City in 1922. In August 1918 the City had issued an Ordinance
reducing the regular fare from 6 cents to 5 cents. The companies had little option
but to comply, hence the statement "Sold under protest". Litigation continued for
some time and the legend remained until reluctantly omitted from tickets in 1921.
The prominently displayed 'W' denoted 'Workman's Ticket'.
There was little mutual sympathy between the transport operators seeking
profits, and the City Fathers looking towards re-election. Ephemera referring to
verbal skirmishes with authority and attendant legal niceties were not uncommon
among North American operators, railways and tramways (railroads and street
railways) frequently becoming involved in litigation in times of rising fares.
Either a separate ticket or a portion of the standard ticket would be retained by
the passenger,so that when a case went against the operator, the passenger could
present his retained portion as evidence of a refund due. Unpresented receipts
held by passengers often resided in their family papers for years, some of them
eventually finding their way into collections.
Advertisements, commercial and official, are well-known back-of-ticket features;
even the plain anonymous roll ticket that bears no more functional printing than
the serial number and amount charged can nevertheless provide an interesting
verso. When the local hotel or golf club advertises its wares, this may offer an
initial clue as to date of issue and perhaps even the identity of the issuer. When
the origin is not known the colour of the roll m aterial, the exact expression of
the fare and the advertisement wording can together sometimes clinch an identity.
Not always is the wording printed directly on the ticket. A fragment of a
1938 United States Great Northern Railway ticket is shown [26] which, apart from
its manuscript endorsement, validation stamp, and rubber-stamped "Summer
Excursion ", carries an enlightening printed sticker. This proclaims that for no
extra charge the journey was booked on The New Oriental Limited train, which
was "Specially Pullman equipped". The journey was from St Paul in Minnesota,
westward across the states of North Dakota, Montana and Idaho, to Spokane in
Washington, some 1,400 km and return, for $62 30c.
26 t
27
~ ~ , ., .i
'I'i:, L/I'.',. , , - /..f. Ii"'
~r;'IL M 1J :~, i.' : ,.':~:-
~'.I ~~n" o .~, ..-t :.I; j , ., ..r.. ,., !~. - ,.~ ~ ;..',~ >, , r. -.. " -.-, -.~
.",,-~
! :'
r ~i t .
, -,
.~ t\:,
-
~-~ -., ' ,-
,~
~"--l;~i- -.\';-
The backs of soft card tramway tickets have been a favourite site for advert-
isements in cities allover the world. Recalling the days of 1930s suburbia and
the doubtful joys of paying for a mortgage with the weekly groceries, the
advertisement on a London Transport tram ticket [27] m,akes nostalgic reading.
We are told the sum of 9/3d weekly included interest as well as capital repay-
ment. One wonders as to the purchase price!
11
Still pre-war, but now on the west coast of Canada. Vancouver's 1936 Golden
Jubilee was celebrated on tickets of the British Columbia Electric Railway [28].
There was no room on the form for more than the bare statement and the two
dates, for these were among the tiniest of complete tickets; cards of this size
were in use on streetcar lines of Canada for many years. Generally they were
sold in strips or carnets, perforated for easy removal of a single item. Purchasers
of booklets enjoyed substantial discounts, as did scholars, teachers, workmen and
certain other groups for whom there were special prints.
28
~
30
Also in celebratory vein is the ticket in fig.29 on which Douglas Corporation,
referred to its trams as "Still going strong" on their 80th anniversary in 1956.
Just a year later Liverpool Corporation, after a mere 60 years, marked the end of
its tramcars with the issue of a series of souvenir tickets [30]. These also used
an equine theme with a drawing of a horse tram but "Last Tram" is far less
jubilant than "Still going strong".
Earlier it was asked which side is to be
regarded as recto when one is effectively a
translation of the other. Fig.31 is a ticket
commemorating the first year of service (1973) of
the Bala Lake Railway in North Wales, but this
must be the back of the ticket for two reasons: it
is un-numbered and the text is in English whereas
this is essentially a Welsh railway. Confirmation
is provided by the fact that the other side is
serially numbered and wholly in Welsh, the
commemorative text reading
~
31
TOCYN I DDATHLU'R FLWYDDYN
GYNTAF O WASANAETH
.~
The next two items [32] and [33] are quite remarkable. Each has a colourful
poetic fragment on the reverse where one would expect to find the conditions of
issue. The rhyming slogan on fig.32 translates as
Rush hour and prams
Don't get on well together.
This was a contribution to the staff magazine of the Bochum tramways in 1953,
by Guard Heinrich Becker, earning him second prize in a competition. An
unidentified contributor in 1954-5 submitted the verse on fig.33 which may be
rendered as
The platform, like a magnet
Attracts everybody to stand there
They prefer being badly squashed
To moving up the car.
-12 -
;"- ~' ,'..::.'.".C; '-,. ' r Fahrgast unterllegt 'den Beforderungsbedangungen
" --~ -,- --;-::- ::,;;
; -" , "
BerufSVerke~ und Klnderwagen
kOnnen sldt leider nldlt:vertraien.I. ~ ;
"I
b~~~i:'
33~ "'~-;-::- I-~.. , ;..;..,
'Die .PIatt.to~1at:'w1e eb1;;Ka~t,.!.c:;-~: ..). i !..:.:',.. .c..c;-; :..:,:,...,;!..:,..",.::..~ ,
:"\..'Der jedeD't~~.,WO er- ateht. ,.' ';';;~:!-\:,' i'.~~.~;:.\~'.~...:' ~~ ...".. ",.\
" .I~t 81~.1l;eber'arg~ei'drQcken~ ' '~
;(~!"r.. ..:#.c~..'.~':I,... '".,".-,; \AIs 1n den: ~~aufzurUcken..'-: ' ..:".t~ ' , "
~'
12000000 6.12. .5.5.
."'.. .;;~
32
,. .
.: ..: ., ~,.
-"' ..
\ c'.,.~, ...:.
-:.- -~~:~
, .
-~.,.
'. ;I:
~,: :" :.-:"-:~..:::.l;.:-,
These artistic contributions are from a long series of 1953-58 flimsy issues by the
tramways of the Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Strassenbahnen AG. Over sixty different
'poetickets' are known.
E DATES AND ENDORSEMENTS RELATED TO TICKET FUNCTION
Dates and validation marks are the principal items in this group. In the formative
days of railways, the familiar Edmondson dating press had not been invented and
it was necessary to enter dates in longhand. From the 1850s Thomas Edmondson's
equipment came into general use and an increasing number of railways worldwide
relied upon its dating system. This produced an unmistakable inked image,
endorsed on the ticket by metal type in various configurations. Variations
included the use of numerals and letters for months, positioning the month at one
end or in the middle of the string of characters, and the placing of the year first
or last. Refinements such as the time of departure, train number, machine
number or office identifier were sometimes added. There are cases where
abstract symbols served specialised local purposes (some not obvious to the
uninitiated). The year might be expressed with four, three, or two digits, or
indeed not at all [34].
r; ;. fA",;,'i~:~- -r .~I.. , .j 35
~ '- -., ..' , ,
:~~~ ..i;;:'.'.-~.~=.:~~~'~~~~ ::~, j...() I;',,", .'-. j:: : ---t;. .,,:;... ..~=::.
: ., .,.. 1::: :: J ' ~'.:.-~--., , .:.:.!i
34
Some companies used dating schemes designed to guard against fraudulent use.Others, unintelligible at first glance, conformed to a local calendar as in Japan,
Thailand, Moslem territories and elsewhere. In a few East European areas a
cyrillic alphabet is encountered, while Middle East territories may adopt arabic
script. Fig.35 comes from the former Lithuanian State Railways in the 1918-1940
era. Russian station spellings were in use until 1922. The 1937 perforated date
("23 29 III 37") has the potentially misleading prefix 1231, but this merely
identifies the machine which produced the perforation.
13 -
The reason why two different dates are found on the reverse of certain
Argentinian return tickets of the 1930s and 1940s is of interest. The ticket was
dated at one end at the time of issue, usually by standard drystamp. The holder
was then enjoined "This ticket should be presented at the station where return
journey is to commence, to be revalidated." Here the second date was applied at
the opposite end, giving useful additional control. United States practice in this
respect was meant to ensure that the holder who made the outward trip was also
the person who used the return coupons. Evidence of identity of the holder was
obtained at the time of sale by signature in the presence of the selling clerk
(agent), as well as, usually, denoting the gender by appropriately punching the box
provided.
"
Predating of card tickets is usually on the face-side (which excludes them from
this essay), but there are nevertheless instances of predating on the reverse.
Methods of dating edmondson cards may be considered under seven sub-headings:
Predated. Dates fixed for the entire print run of one issue, generally in the text
but occasionally by overprint when the operative date became available only after
initial production. Predating is usually adopted for long runs of excursion and
special occasion cards, regulation tickets, and souvenirs.
A problem is that of estimating the optimum number of tickets for a
particular occasion; it is necessary to print rather more than the likely demand
but if the response is less than forecast, wastage is inevitable. During the early
1930s, the Canadian Pacific Railway solved the problem by ordering bulk supplies
of excursion tickets printed on one side with part of the journey detail, excluding
the date and occasionally even the destination. When these were firm, an
appropriate number of tickets would be passed through a second back-print process
as illustrated by Fig.36, issued for a "Moonlight Excursion" in 1943.
z~~-z-"""i-r ~'i"""'.i~ -, -F
... i!3 '3I~lii~~1 ~ 1.!!L I~~~ ~ ~ UI Th!' ticket 1, I'","d 0" tt,e t.ondjtj"". It,at tJ1o
..., I' 1 O I6 e L -n I 8, 'ti,h Railway, 80ard, Great We.tern Society
~ to ~ to to 9 V Limited, Great We,torn Pro,orva,lon, liml!ed-~ and Marlow Maldenhoad RaIlway P..,en,or
N A"oclatlon .hall not be lIable In re,pect orCAliFORNIA STREET CABLE R. R. COo a"ypor.onallnluryorlo..ofordam.,etoproperty
however cou,ed that may be .u,'olned by the
holder."
This transfer Is void unless presenle<l .t
P'9per traosler polnl .nd before explralloo 0'
time p\111tbe4 In DI8f&ln.
LEST£R K. WELLS. Sec'p
,- -.-:-:c,c~. --.,.-~ ~.,-.-"
37
ISlh IULY 197J
36 38
Sometimes the date is incorporated directly into the text. Fig.37 is a 1944
card of the California Street Cable Railroad, predated with month first, followed
by day and year; the apostrophe before the year is an uncommon form of punct-
uation in this context.
A ticket predated as recently as 1973 is shown in fig.38. This was a
commemorative issue for the centenary of Britain's Marlow branch -familiarly
the 'Marlow Donkey'. On anniversary day, 15th July 1973, restored locomotives
worked various special services but the occasion was something of a damp squib -
the wettest, windiest and coldest July day in recent memory. The date is,
however, permanently recorded by the surplus tickets (there were predatedplatform tickets as well). The face of the travel tickets shows a fare of " 5/-"
and "Third Class", yet the conditions and preprinted date betray these as
anachronisms fifteen years after BR's third class was redesignated second, and
nearly 2! years after the currency was decimalised.
Rubberstamped. Application of an unsteady hand-held rubber stamp, with day/year
numerals and month names. An example is fig.39 from the Kent 6 East Sussex
Railway, endorsed "29 MAR 1938". Characteristic of rubberstamped dates is the
use of four digits for year numbers, the year being a single element in the
stamp, whereas the units and tens of the day numerals are changed independently.
The method is routinely used for tickets issued in advance, to avoid changing pre-
set date type, but wear and tear and haphazard inking lead to poor alignment and
legibility.
-14
Dry-stamped. Type pieces relying upon precise, usually case-hardened, steel type
to create a deep impression on the surface of the ticket. Some impressions cut
so deeply as to almost penetrate the opposite side; these are generally dates using
the minimum of characters. Where there are added features and smaller
typefaces, as in fig. 40, the type needs to be particularly precise.
Added security, and the absence of ink ribbons and associated extras, probably
justifies this process; dry-stamping is also useful in hot climates where inked
ribbons would dry out quickly..
"""
~9.j.\1.,ltJl"; )::~;~J:~
:'.1' ':;:'-.::l':rtJr) ('" I: {,'(7 ; : .; t (J v (:1;
jc:~;~2~jjj
42
""""
39 4041
,.. :;f':,;;APel.6-
\- ,:~, c , c ,
t'hl. TI"ku la e~
Cran.ferable; .IL i.
la.ued.Dbject' to Lb.
Bye I£W8. CoDdiLiOD..RoIH &Dd RegulaI.ionaot Lbe"relJ1lOCLiva Oom-
panle8 0... wh08LiD. I' la ;. ~UabJe,
-~ pub!i.l' ,- Lbelrc -""b.
" c
There are twelve characters in the drystamp from the Royal Siamese State
Railways [40]), an organisation which dated either the front or the back of its
tickets. From left to right these characters are: day-month-year-TRain number-
clerk number. The Siamese year in this case is (24)76, equating with the Western
(19)33. Two other drystamped dates are illustrated: fig.41 issued by the
Quelimane Railway in Mozambique with its 1962 year expressed by three numerals,
and fig. 42 from the former Austria-Hungary State Railways. In this case, the
year, expressed as three digits, appears before the !lJUL 12!1 date, with a trailing, 2' identifying the office ( window) of issue.
lnk-pressed. Type is inked via either a ribbon or a pad, the two processes being
quite distinct: ribbons come between the ticket and the date-type; pads are rather
less advanced and simply serve to ink the type before it meets the ticket. Ink-
pressed dates are produced by means of a press or hefty instrument which holds
the typeface, the ink-source, and the mechanism to create pressure. Typically it
is a simple free-standing table-top machine. One Thomas Edmondson design
incorporated two pivoting components or jaws in which the ticket was gripped
during endorsement, a locking pin ensuring that the type remained in place.
Another model incorporates a sliding
chase into which type may be held ready v J
and inserted on commencement of
business for the set date. Although
nowadays regarded as 'low-tech' the
process survives in widespread use.
Examples of ink-pressed dating are
fig.34 (page 13), ascribed to 1862, an
early form with the year omitted, and
fig. 43 from Britain's South Eastern a
Chatham Railway 24 January 1906. The
ticket shown in fig.44 was issued the
following day and some thousands of .
kilometres away in Cape Colony: this fdating shows the standard of clarity ~
achieved when the equipment was kept in
good order.
c~
4443
-15 -
i ~--;-]~24AU &3~1f 'i
I; -.,: '- ; ;i. c, ";.; .: ~, .
t ..'N 1:. J";
.." .\
Fig.45 shows the back of a Victorian Railways single dated 24 August 1913, with
train number 1 as a suffix, while fig. 46 is a 1 July 1936 specimen displaying the
smaller fount often employed by Britain's London 6 North Eastern Railway.
--~- -~ , -r-.~uL~ --I ',.t\f." 8 lfi
,; .",;":':;"i"a 1.S IiI ,
cl;s;:!.~ i~..-Q c~
~ 'i.G-- .~ ~,~- .~.~
-, Q.Q -'~CI '.1 ,". ..
10 .~;s-~ ;-= .
-~ ) ..oS
~ ~: "
,
0" 0""'
o-I~=.-'~ >
'~~~'I..;..!'.'J'= -~J"
47
~::=.
-:.A ~ --~..L-
~.~..!!\. "' L'-~.'.';.;': ':
48
-~,
.,. .
--,---:-c'-'"-.~ "--"
4645
49
~.
"
Returning to the more normal size we have three more ink pressed dates: fig.47
dated 17 FY 7 displays an abbreviation for the month first associated with
railways, but the failure of the first digit of the year number to print up leaves
one in doubt as to when this ticket of the Londonderry a Lough Swilly Railway in
Ireland was issued; probably it was in 1897. Fig.48, a single ticket with the joint
heading of South Eastern a Chatham a District Railways shows the abbreviated
month name leading the day and year, as "AP 3 15"; the month also leads the
date on the ticket from England's London Brighton a South Coast Railway [49]
where before the month is the mark 'B' identifying a particular booking office
window.
Perforation. In this process, a perforated base carries a matrix of holes matching
which are pins or styli arranged to create shapes and symbols forming figures and
letters. Typically the male pins are the upper element and these enter a lower
chase or frame. The two units are formed of variable precision-machined
segments. As with the drystamping mechanisms, wear and tear must have been
considerable, especially when dating card tickets. Probably the over-riding
advantage is security; perforated dates are unalterable. They also have the
advantage of piercing several layers of ticket material when used to date booklets
and multiple documents, though these perforators generally use much larger
components and characters.
The Lithuanian ticket (fig.35 on page 13) illustrates a 1---;: ;:-:-:-;::-- ] " fairly conventional day-month-year string of characters. i ':: :.~::.~ ::::
Another example of a perforated ticket date is fig.50, a F~ .
return journey card of India's North Western Railway. It is I. .~,!d&..-:-J
not possible to say which year this was issued, although from~ ~
the style of printing and other evidence 1938 would be a f£J'"""
reasonable assumption. The perforation specifies "19 MR ' ---~~-~J
B", the suffixed letter meaning 'window B' or 'till B' as it 50
might be described in some quarters.
Validators" These are various sorts and sizes of free-standing machine; many are
intricate self-inking ribbon-fed handstamps. There are proprietory makes peculiar
to an operator or group, with refinements dictated by the volume and nature of
the traffic. Validators on board the Canadian National Railways West Coast
Steamers held very large rubber plates with a centre variable date and 'sailing
number', whereas those used at a tiny wayside station in northern Mexico were
small steel frames holding a poor grade dating chase in the centre and fixed
station type spaced around it.
-16 -
0000..;
"
Q.C.-;-~i...!E '
.~ ' .
~ ,;8" ,,"0:,;. ~
."~,
~ ,t.~ , ,
-..""'!
Equipment described by a former New York country agent. because of its
weight had to be counterbalanced in a light metal jig. This enabled endorsement
features to register in the preferred area of the form each time with minimal
effort. Otherwise the endorsement is prone to overlap the ticket edges.
Characteristic features included purple ink. and circular badges enclosing the
text; generally these features are found across North and Central America. where
such daters enjoyed widespread use. Among the exceptions was an intricate shield
shape found on many early Canadian Pacific edmondsons. and throughout the
United States there were validators producing only the text with no frame or
outline of any kind. Three shapes are reproduced in figs. 51-3: the Chihuahua
Pacific Railway of Mexico used the circle at one main station July 3 1962. the
Spokane Portland a Seattle Railway in Washington State used an oval design
Oct 16 1947 and north of the US border Canadian National Railways adopted a
square. May 10.1938.
~
51 52
5453 55
.~.
Manuscript Frequently found on tickets dated at wayside stopping places (when
staffed), at factories, and units not geared to station practices. At larger
stations and some agencies, dates may be in manuscript when entered in advance.
Manuscript dates are also commonly found on tickets issued through the post and
specimens fully printed but awaiting date of issue or payment of the fare.
Manuscript dates are subject to the idiosyncracies of personal handwriting. The
month often turns out to be a numeral- it is easier to write '9' than 'Sep' or
'September'. On the ticket shown in fig.54, issued by the industrial Tharsis Rio
Odiel Railway in Spain, the writer has entered "7.21.2.49", identifying the train
number with an initial '7'. This railway provided for dating on the front, but
sometimes ignored that space to apply dates on the reverse- rather like the
Bolivians who generally print a space for fares only to use it for seat numbers or
departure times !
From the Indian sub-continent comes fig. 55, with its printed conditions, three
rubber-stamped endorsements and an added signature. This shows just how much
can be accommodated on the back of a ticket, though at the expense of clarity;
it is a Third Class return issued in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for travel to Madras,
India. The ( then) Ceylon Government Railway printed a two-coupon edmondson on
behalf of itself and the Southern Railway of India, to include journeys by ferry.
On the journey north from Colombo 11 August 1980, the ticket was rubber-
stamped by inspectors at Talaimannar Pier on the island line running northwest,
the endorsement correctly placed on the back of the northbound portion. At the
jetty the passenger boarded the TSS Ramanujam for the 3! hour trip across to
India's Tamu Nadu state. For the return journey from Madras via Tiruchirapalli
(Trichinopoly) the card was endorsed as "Available on 13/8/80" and at the pier at
-17 -
Rameswaram a further check was endorsed by rubber-stamp. The same vessel was
used for the southbound ferry journey, although in this case the ferries did not go
alongside the pier; passengers were ferried in smaller boats to and fro as required.
DIARIST MESSAGES, DOODLES AND SKETCHESF.
The first example in this unpredictable group is the reverse of an 1860s ticket
from Edgware Road station in London [56]. The manuscript message, presumably
to be ascribed to the original holder of the ticket, is transcribed here in so far asit can be deciphered -
56 "F.T.Edwards. Jany.8.1868.Living at 28 Addison Gar-
-dens South Kensington W.
Went to call upon Col.W
de StHelena, a spent
evening alone with Aunt
Sarah Jane at the Lodge.
For a week continual snow
frosty a very cold.
This morning to Garton
St Church a Westr Abbey."
'-I
~
What is one to make of this? In the absence of any trace of Colonel St Helena
and Aunt Sarah Jane, the specimen is carefully preserved in case its few clues
may be of interest to some researcher.
More tangible is the romantic endorsement on a Sleeping Car ticket [57] issued
in the eastern United States in 1870 by Train Conductor C.H.Bagley of theConnecticut a Passumpsic Rivers RR. On the reverse is written -
"On our Wedding Tour in Canada 12/2/70" [1870]
How fine it would have been if the newly married couple had retained tickets
covering their entire tour astride the US-Canada border. With no information
regarding the precise journey, it would be highly speculative even to list the likely
railway companies concerned. Had the couple added their family and home town
names to this endorsement it would have been possible to trace more detail.
Fortuitously, the card attracted a heart-shaped punch.
f!;'~~~,~ "' " "~;,-"- " ~ 7- ...
'1(;";C>'\~..bvt' ty e..0..d.'l.~\~ ,,~~,,::,::;~,:-3-;-~ "
-," '. ;v~."-'\~'-".:I" -\,'\ "C.\t\~,;. ,ryl~lio .."- '~;:- -' ;~:
I ;c!'~'.\,i.-,-,:,-.c c--,~~-.\'~l'.;'... .' ,,:- ;: ;,
f..
,.
58
57
Considerably more informative and from much earlier in the history of railways
is a ticket of Scotland's North British Railway [58] -for a journey partly
accomplished by stagecoach! The North British Railway was opened between
Edinburgh and Berwick on 22nd June 1846 but until the Newcastle 6 Berwick
Railway was opened throughout on 1st July of the following year connection to the
south was maintained by a shortlived service of horse-drawn stagecoaches. This
ticket was from Edinburgh to Newcastle, 'First Class' and 'Inside', and endorsed
-18 -
~
on the back as valid on the High flyer at 11 36am (presumably from Berwick) on
23rd September 1846. The ticket was one of a number retained by the coach
proprietor for 50 years or so; when eventually instructions were given for them to
be destroyed, a small bundle nevertheless survived to provide priceless specimens
for collectors.
.s- -Conclusion -
He who examines the reverse of every ticket is assured of further information.
Sometimes this will amount to 'nothing new' -on the other hand a whole new
area of interest may unfold.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper is based on an unpublished manuscript prepared several years ago. It isoffered as a contribution from many sources -members of the TTS and others -
who have provided tickets, information and encouragement. Particular mention
must be made of the ready assistance given at all stages by Peter Wootton, but I
am also much indebted to Michael Farr, Friedhelm Friedrichs, Mike Sparrow,
Robert Wheeler and Trevor White; even these must represent less than a tenth of
my valued correspondents over the years.
Gordon FairchildJune 1991
~
-19 -
Iodex of Companies and Corporations
,
"
...
Antofagasta (a:tili) & &:>livia Ry 10
Aranac Shire Comcil Ty 7
Armies 6
Austria-Hungary State Rys IS
Bala Lake Ry 12
Bengal AsSaIl Ry S
Bengal & AsSaIl Ry S
Bi1miDgblln & Midland Tys 6
~1Selki.rchen Tys 12
&:>Stoo & Maine RR 8
British Columbia Electric Ry 12
British Railways Board 14
Caledooian Stean Packet Co 6
California Street Cable RR 14
Canadian Natiooal Rys 8 16 17
Canadian Pacific Ry 14 17
Cape Goverme:t t Rys 1 S
Central Argentine Ry S
Celtral Ry India S
Cey loo Govemrent Ry 17
Chihuahua Pacific Ry 17
Connecticut & Pas~sic Rivers RR 18
~ Goverme:tt Ry 6
Detroit Citizens' Street Ry 11
Detroit Fort Wayne & Belle Isle Ry 11
District Ry 16
fuuglas CorJX)ratioo Tpt 12
D.Jblin & Drogheda Ry 6
EdinbJrgh & GlasgrM Ry S
Great Eastern Ry 13
Great Northern Ry Ireland 6
Great Northern Ry USA 11
Great Western Ry 18
Great Western Society 14
Hong Katg Tys 7 8
Italian State Rys 6
Kent & East Sussex: Ry 14
~l000 Canton Ry 4
Libya Region of Italian State Rys 6
LitlnJanian State Rys 13 16
LiverJX>Ol CorIX>ratioo Passe:tger Tpt 12
Li verlXX) 1 Overhead Ry 5
Lcndoo Brightoo & South Coast Ry 16
Londoo & North Eastern Ry 5 16
Lcndoo Passe:tger Transrx>rt fuard Tys 11
Lond<X1derry & Laugh Swilly Ry 16
~terranean Ry 3
~tropolitan District Ry 16
~tropolitan Ry 18
MJveIe1t & Transrx>rtation 6
Nether lands Rys 7
New York Central RR 8
New York Lake Erie & Western RR 9
New Zealaxxl Rys 3
Newfomdland Ry 8
Ni~'s Guaranteed State Ry 5
North British Ry 5 18
North Western Ry 16
Northern of Ire land Ry 6
Northern Rys of Spain 10
Ponferrada-Villablioo Ry 8
~laxxl Rys 7 ,-
~linmte Ry 15
Railway Executive, The 5 9
Rounanian State Rys 10
Royal Engineers 6
Royal & ~rial State Rys 3
Royal Si~e State Rys 15
Rut land Ry 8
~th Eastern & Chat1UBn Ry 15 16
Southend AirIX>rt Agelcy 6
~thern Ry India 17
Spanish National Rys 8 9
Spokane Portland & Seattle Ry 17
State Rys of Thailand 10
Surrey Border & CalIber ley Ry 7
Tharsis Rio (kliel Ry 17
United States Transrx>rtation Corps 6
Victorian Rys 16~
-20 -
~
-
....T
'!
~'.
Published by The Transport Ticket Society
18 Villa Road, Luton LU2 7NT~
The Transport Ticket Society was formed in 1963 and aims to further
the study, collection and exchange of transport tickets of the world,and to publish information on tickets and methods of fare collection.
[
OTHER OCCASIONAL PAPERS IN THIS SERIES
~
£1.25
~
OP3 German Ticket Terminology. £1.50
opg Bus 6 Tram Tickets of the Guernsey Hallway Co.
OP13 The Hallway Passengers Assurance Co. £2.35
OP17 The London Explorer Ticket. £1.55
Coming soon
Tickets of the Llverpool Overhead Hallway.
Order from
TTS Sales, 6 Breckbank, Forest Town, Mansfield, Notts NG19 OPZ
Prices include postage. Complete list of TTS publications sent
on receipt of SAE.~
.
t~~!f
:t