Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-08-13
RAILRoAD TICKETS


GnGe<uards A ADOPTED I'm Priasings and Pre-
pari.x the PaSsebeArsts-
sss,ee thisz- sid the foremanoe big
Job printing establishment 70 a.reporter.
yes" was the reply. WHAT is the
machine DOING
Printing snd numbering railroad
tickets said tbs gentleman.
Railroad tirkceS
Yes. SIR
Tell me how its DONE" said the
scribe.
.-:c,arta;nIv. YoIrsrlrst bear in mind.
no sever. that this class cs printing is
purely speciality. and oEiy about two
out OF the various printing establish
rnents in this city arespEeI,ar'sd . do the
work In fact the work cannot weH be
done with the ordinary printing presses
But let's see how its aCIss.
VERY often special kind Of card
board is used in printing the tickets,
though the ordinary kind is usually
serviceable. AL caIcrs are used. and
many times several impressions are nee
essary to turn out q complete ticket
ready for stan ping and selling. Let's
take an ordinary coupon ticket. 1t gen
ersllv consists Of several paris that HAY
be detached Wen, the reading matter,
such as the special directions to the cen
ductor, agent or passenger, IS usually
printed on an ordinary press. just Us any
other class Of printing Is done. II there
are several cc.ors on ticket 50 many
impressions are necessary. That's all
there Is III ii.
How about the numbers.
.'Oh. that's the difficult part Of it.
Wen 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, by
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 10 the press automatically. Sup
pose we ara printing round trip tickets.
The bits of pasteboard, WHEN the little
machine begins to work, pass one by
one under the pres, the form being
made mp in sections The first imores-
sion prints the ntinper, the form rises
instantly. descending again and printing
the ticket Again the form risss and
descends, while the ticket is pushed
along Just its length, when another i'm
preston Of the form stamps the number
on the other end Of the ticket.
you see the tickets must be number
ed consecutively. sometimes both the go
ing and returning ends having the
same number. while quite as often the
two ends have different numbers, for re;l-
| sons best known 10 the railroad com
| Iany. Again, the two ends OF the 'caI
ticket may be in different colors, or
possibly each in two colors, with diff
ferent color running across the face of
the entire ticket. In such instances the
| process of printing becomes very in
tricate, but still the little machine does
it at the rate of 10000 an hour, or 49,,
900 if necessary. The numbering is done
| ut each end of the machine, the forms
being cylindrical in shape and pointing
| consecutively from one upward until u
large number is reached, when new
forms are put in. Bits Of pesteboard
go in Mt one end of the machine and
come ont at the other end comnlete car
or local tickets. good both going and
coming The printing Of single trip
tickets is n more simple matter. This
machine prints but one size Of tickets
hence everything p-.nted by it is of the
same shape and size
How about The printina, of books
commuters and So on
"Wel, "A spec,al machine is used in
printing books. the work being done in
| sections-thnt is. the separate leaves of