The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-11-29
RAILROAD TICKETS.



pairing the Pasteboards.
'sSee this?'' said the foreman Of big
job printing establishment to q reporter.
eyes," was the reply. "What is the
machine doing?"
printing and numbering railroad
tickets" said the gentleman.
Railroad tickets?"
"Yes, sir"
sTell me how it's done," said the
scribe. ,..
Certainly. You must bear in mind,
however. that this class of printing is
purely a speciality, and only about two
out of the various printing establish
ments in this city are prepared to do the
work. In fact the work cannot well be
done with the ordinary printing presses.
But let's see how it's done. I
every often a special kind Of card
board is used in printing the tickets,
though the ordinary kind Is usually
serviceable. All colors are used, and
many times several impressions are nee
essary to turn out complete ticket
ready for stamping and selling. Let's
take an ordinary coupon ticket. It gen
orally consists of several parts that may
be detached. Well, the reading matter,
such as the special directions to the con-
ductor, agent or passenger, is usually
printed on an ordinary press, just as any
other class Of printing is done. If there
are several colors on ticket SO many
impressions are necessary. That's all
there in in it," ~-.-t. ~
~ 4
"Oh, that's the difficult part of it.
Well explain later on. Excursion tick
cts, usually in the form of coupon tick
cts, are printed in the same way. But
see this? Here's the peculiar part of the
work. The printing and numbering Of
local, or what are called car tickets, b.
| this machine is a unique process. The
| cardboard is cut into pieces just the size
| Of the ticket desired, then they are
placed in one end of the machine and
pass to the press automatically. Sup
pose we are printing round trip tickets.
| The bits of pasteboard, when the little
machine begins to work. pass one by
one under the press, the form being
made up in sections. The first impress
| mon prints the number, the form rises
Instantly, descending again and printing
the ticket. Again the form rises an6
descends, while the ticket is pushed
along just its length, when another i'm
preston Of the form stamps the numbe,
on the other end of the ticket.
| "You see the tickets must be number
ed consecutiYely, sometimes both the go
ing and returning ends having thu
same number, while quite as often tht
two ends have different numbers, for rea
| sons best known to the railroad com
pany. Again, the two ends Of the 'ca
ticket may be in different colors, O.
possibly each in two colors, with IL diff
ferent color running across the face O
the entire ticket. In such instances th'
process of printing becomes very in
tricate, but still the little machine doe
it at the rate of 10000 an hour, OF 40,
600 If necessary. The numbering is don,
at each end Of the machine, the forms
being cylindrical in shape and pointing
consecutively from one upward until ,
largo number is reached, when new
forms are put in. Bits Of pasteboart
go in at one end of the machine ant
come out at the other end complete car
or local tickets, good both going ant
Coming The printing Of single tri]
tickets is more simple matter. Thi
machine prints but one size Of tickets
hence everything printed by it is Of tn
same shape and size"
] ''How about the printing Of books,
commuters and SO onY'
"Well, special machine is used il
printing books, the work being done il
sections-that is, the separate leaves o
the books are printed in one sheet
which is afterward cut in smaller pieces
and the numbers are put on by a sep
arate machine. Take Thousand mile
advertising ticket, for instance. Th
consecutive miles must be numbered o.
the little sections of the leaves of tn
book. The number of the book, th
name or initials Of the road and som
other necessary details have to be print
ed. All but the number Of the book j
generally printed at one impression, an
hundreds of books may be printed fro1
the same form But each book mus
bear u different number, SO a differen
form is required. The big sheet is Gu
up into pieces, and the book number
printed on machine especially adapte
to it, and these sheets are cut into small
er ones and the book bound as any othe
book"
What does 1t cost to make such
book"
'sAbout ten cents when many Of th
, same kind are made. To get out sir
gle book would cost from $50 to x15, y