Can anyone pin a date on this ticket?

Hey guys - I got my hands on an old, and well preserved, on board train ticket from the LIRR.

Here's the link - it's about 130k in size.
http://users.rcn.com/nasadowsk/lirrtik.jpg

No idea when it's from, I figured someone here might be able to figure it out though.

Much different from today's. I noticed the notches on it were quite particular - were these designed to be scanned by some old tabulating machine or such?

Wonder who the conductor was - didn't they all have unique punches?

Thanks guys!

I would say the ticket is 1950s, what with H.A. Weiss' name indicated.

Also, the phone number of "Jamaica-6" is 50s. Back then we had all kinds of word-number exchanges, such as "Juniper 8", "Grover 5", "Atlantic 9", etc., etc. To call Jamaica Station, you'd first dial "JA6" then your 4 digit number.

(Hence the phone dial and/or keypad having letters!)

Don't know the trainman by his cut. Every trainman, conductor and collector had his/her own individaul "cut".

Dave Keller

I dug into my tickets and timetables and found the following:

H. A. Weiss was listed on a 9/42 timetable, a weekly commutation ticket dated 11/54, various timetables from the 1950s, a timetable from 1961 and a weekly commutation ticket from 6/62 as Passenger Traffic Manager.

The 6/62 commutation ticket must have been old stock, as I have a timetable effective 3/62 listing H. M. Throop as Passenger Traffic Manager.

Your ticket is definitely not 1940s, so I will stick with my original date of 1950s.

Dave Keller

O.K . . . Last time:

See the address under H. A. Weiss' name? It reads something like Jamaica Station, Jamaica, 35, NY.

That was a postal zone, used before zip codes went into effect.

Now, look at the stations listed on the ticket. Mastic-Shirley is listed as a stop. Mastic-Shirley became a stop in July, 1960.

Zip codes went into effect 7/1/63 according to the U.S.P.S. site.

H. A. Weiss left his position by March, 1962.

Therefore . . . .the ticket would have been issued between July, 1960 and March, 1962.

Best I can do by process of elimination.

Dave Keller

Also noted that this stock was used prior to the implementation of the postal Zip Codes - postal zones were still in use (Jamaica 35, N.Y.) Also, if anyone has a fare schedule/tariff, I note the fare punched on the ticket stock indicates the fare from Flatbush Terminal to Greenvale is $1.34. The Conductor/Tainman punch appears in the box "Westbound."

I still have my punch from my days with Continental Trailways in the fifties and early sixties. The punch marks were registered in the company auditors office for identification purposes - it was our "fingerprint." as it were.

Kind of a puzzle, what year did Mill Neck close?, it is not shown on the
ticket. It may help to determine just when the east end stations between
Riverhead and Greenport were closed too.
I think they may have reprinted the front of the ticket but did not bother
to reprint the back of the ticket.
My guess is more recent.
I have a few of them, will need to check what is on mine.
Noel Weaver

Bear in mind the name H. A. Weiss appearing on the ticket.

The ticket can't be any later than 3/62 when H. M. Throop took over.

Dave Keller

Noel Weaver wrote:Kind of a puzzle, what year did Mill Neck close?, it is not shown on the
ticket. It may help to determine just when the east end stations between
Riverhead and Greenport were closed too.
I think they may have reprinted the front of the ticket but did not bother
to reprint the back of the ticket.
My guess is more recent.
I have a few of them, will need to check what is on mine.
Noel Weaver

Mill Neck Closed I believe 3/16/98, along with the Lower Montauk Stations.

The design of the group tour promotion on the back suggests early 1960s. The look is similar to promotions the LIRR did for the 64-65 World's Fair.

Mill Neck is not the only stop served at the time that did not get space for its own punch on this form. There was a space to write in stations that were not listed on the form.

Absolutely correct!

As I surmised: between July, 1960 and March 1963.

Dave Keller

Sometimes ticket stock and other business forms have revision dates hidden on them.

At the top of this ticket it says some very fine print I can't make out:

"LIRR XXXXXXX MODEL MCGHEE NEW YORK NY"

Nas, in those numbers is there something like 02-61? or 0261? That would pin the date of this ticket stock down to a revision from Feb. of '61 (for example).


Anyone on this list know anything about Model McGhee? That might be a clue also.

I would guess from looking at the stations on the ticket that back then the railroad had separate tickets for north shore/south shore stations as I don't see any Babylon, Long Beach or Far Rockaway stations listed. I wonder what a ride cost back then.

Hermpstead branch is also missing. This ticket was for Greenvale to Flatbush, and cost $1.34. Just read the punches.

Apparently this form was used on branches with diesel service at the time, i.e. Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma/Greenport and Patchougue/Montauk. The railroad must have had a different form for the electric branches, i.e. Long Beach, Far Rockaway, West Hempstead, Babylon, Hempstead and Port Washington.

<i>LIRR XXXXXXX MODEL MCGHEE NEW YORK NY"

</i>

Yes, it reads:

<b>L13614-15E ROYAL MCBEEE, NEW YORK, NY</b>

Royal McBee was the famous typewriter company - they also did some punched card stuff.