FROM RIOTS TO RAILWAY TICKETS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 30 November 1933, Page 11

FROM RIOTS TO RAILWAY TICKETS

' EVOLUTION OF THE IDEA 1 ' . i “Small riots”- among waiting pasi sengers in the ’thirties of the last century were the source of the modern railway ticket, according to the “Southern Railway Magazine.” The early railway companies regarded themselves us superior stage-coach concerns, and took over the stage-coach system of tickets, admirably suited to an age of infinite leisure,' for their own purposes. When the passenger reached the station, with perhaps barely a dozen minutes to spare, was presented with an imposing document in triplicate to fill in. His name, destination, the station by which he was leaving, the train he hoped to catch, the fare to be charged, and the seat lie would be given—this last was as serious as choosing a good seat at the cinema—had to be inscribed on. each of the three forms. It was then, as a queue of anxious passengers waited behind him, that distressing “brawls and small riots” began. Presently the idea penetrated even to the head offices that tickets were too hard to get, and soon checks of brass, copper, gild even ivory were being introduced, to tlie detriment of the flowery triplicate document, which was retained chiefly for the “gentry.” The guard collected the checks, each of which was engraved with a serial number and the name of a destination, when tlie travellers left the train, and took the “tickets” back to their station of origin in a , leather bag. Meanwhile Thomas Edmondson was ( working out the details of the first , ticket-machine, which was to print card- < board tickets, and which was the pro- i totype of all modern railway tieket-ma- , chines. A last difficulty was ingeniously j overcome. Neither ticket collectors noi ]no st of the public could read tickets or ■ anything else. So one company, at least, ; took to printing a symbol for each station on tlie back of the ticket, a sheep’s j fleece representing Leeds, where there ! were wool factories, and a sack of cotton representing Manchester. In addition, c „ch station had its own special colour of ticket. . ! First, second and third class tickets I were distinguished by plain paper, cross- 1 hatched paper, and striped .paper re- < speetively. ‘