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


pairing the P~asteboards.
"See this?" said the foreman Of a big
job printing establishment to q reporter.
eyes," wa the reply. "What is the
machine doing?' A
"Printing and numbering railroad
tickets" said the gentleman.
'Railroad tickets?" I'd.
eyes, SIR"
"Tell 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.
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 a 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 a ticket 30 many
impressions are necessary. That's all
there is in it,"
"How about the numbersf"
"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 thisr 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
ZION prints the number, the form rises
Instantly, descending again and printing
the ticket. Again the form rises 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 rea-
SONS best known to the railroad COM
pany. Again, the two ends Of the 'cal
ticket may be in different colors, OF
possibly each in two c%olors, with a 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,
600 if necessary. The numbering is done
at each end of the machine, the forms
being cylindrical in shape and pointing
consecutively from n upward until a
large number Is reached, when new
forms r put in. Bits of pasteboard
go in at one end of the machine and
come out at the other end complete car
or local tickets, good both going and
coming The printing Of single trip
tickets is a more simple matter. This
machine prints but one size of tickets,
hence everything printed by it is Of the
same shape and size"
How about the printing of books,
commuters and so ony
swell, a special machine is used in
printing books, the work being done in
sections-that is, the separate leaves of
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 a Thousand mile
advertising ticket, for instance. The
consecutive miles must be numbered on
the little sections Of the leaves of the
book. The number Of the book, the
name or initials of the road and some
other necessary details have to be print
ed. All but the number of the book il
generally printed at impression, and
hundreds Of books may be printed from
the same form But each book must
bear a different number, 80 a different
form Is required. The big sheet is cut
up into pieces, and the book numbers
printed on q machine especially adapted
to 1t, and these sheets are cut into small
er ones and the book bound as IN other
book"
What does it cost to make such a
bookf'
About ten cents when many of the
same kind are made. To get out a sin
gle book would cost from $50 to $75."-
Cincinnati Times-Star.
Alfred Dodge Felt Shoes for ladies at
Conrad's.
4 Pad Wonl II. :.