Square national rail tickets

[FinsburyPark]

Has anyone seen them?

I recall taking a one way trip from Gatwick Airport in what must have been 2014 (or thereabouts) and the TVM printed me a square ticket.

The ticket i got was more or less the same as the other NR tickets but instead of rounded edges, the ticket was perfectly square.

I've never come across these ever again which makes me think this style was discontinued.

Have you come across them?

 

[zuriblue]

Has anyone seen them?

I recall taking a one way trip from Gatwick Airport in what must have been 2014 (or thereabouts) and the TVM printed me a square ticket.

The ticket i got was more or less the same as the other NR tickets but instead of rounded edges, the ticket was perfectly square.

I've never come across these ever again which makes me think this style was discontinued.

Have you come across them?

Did the ticket have an index hole cut in it? The old Ascom Quickfare machines used to produce tickets like that, the ticket came off a roll rather than a hopper and the small hole cut in it was for an optical sensor so that it could be cut off at the right place.

 

[Belperpete]

The ticket i got was more or less the same as the other NR tickets but instead of rounded edges, the ticket was perfectly square.

Do you mean that the ticket was actually square (equal height and width), or just that it had square (as opposed to rounded) corners?

 

[FinsburyPark]

Do you mean that the ticket was actually square (equal height and width), or just that it had square (as opposed to rounded) corners?

Rectangular with square corners

 

[Train wasp]

I remember a long time ago being issued with a square ticket from a hand held machine on the concourse due to the ticket machine being out of order and the ticket office being closed.

 

[Dr Hoo]

I remember a long time ago being issued with a square ticket from a hand held machine on the concourse due to the ticket machine being out of order and the ticket office being closed.

Ah! The old Almex. Also used by some conductor guards and on buses.

 

[43066]

Ah! The old Almex. Also used by some conductor guards and on buses.

Just long as you weren’t then told “I’m afraid we don't accept Almex.”

 

[The exile]

Rectangular with square corners

Think it used to be the case that all CCST type tickets issued by machines had square corners. There was also a pre-APTIS variety (CCST size but with pre-printed destinations) that I remember from at least one of the Glasgow termini - but those now go back 40 or so years.

 

[stadler]

Has anyone seen them?

I recall taking a one way trip from Gatwick Airport in what must have been 2014 (or thereabouts) and the TVM printed me a square ticket.

The ticket i got was more or less the same as the other NR tickets but instead of rounded edges, the ticket was perfectly square.

I've never come across these ever again which makes me think this style was discontinued.

Have you come across them?

London Underground still use square edge tickets on their Cubic TVMs (only the old style Cubic machines as the new style Cubic machines use rounded edges) but i was not aware of these anywhere else in recent years. Back in 2014 the only TVMs at Gatwick Airport were all Shere machines which used rounded edge 9599 stock. The ticket office there also used 9599 stock. The gateline assistants sometimes had handheld Avantix machines but they used round edged 9299 stock. The last time i have seen square edge National Rail orange stock was back in the early 2000s at the latest. So i am rather baffled where you got a square stock from in 2014 as that was around a decade after that stock was discontinued. So it was standard orange coloured stock but with sharp square edges? Do you remember where exactly in the station the TVM you used was and what it looked like?

 

[Dr Hoo]

Think it used to be the case that all CCST type tickets issued by machines had square corners. There was also a pre-APTIS variety (CCST size but with pre-printed destinations) that I remember from at least one of the Glasgow termini - but those now go back 40 or so years.

There were also ‘NCR 51’ tickets with sharp corners (not to be confused with NCR 21s that were traditional Edmondson tickets) but these had different/longer proportions to the CCST. Often used in Travel Centres, such as in Glasgow.

 

[philthetube]

Ah! The old Almex. Also used by some conductor guards and on buses.

Faster to use than any electronic rubbish

 

[Dr Hoo]

Faster to use than any electronic rubbish

Absolutely but major limitation of virtually no data capture. Quite unsuited to the modern era.

 

[JB_B]

Absolutely but major limitation of virtually no data capture. Quite unsuited to the modern era.

I think that some passengers would substitute: "advantage" for "limitation" and "especially suitable" for "Quite unsuited"

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Did the ticket have an index hole cut in it? The old Ascom Quickfare machines used to produce tickets like that, the ticket came off a roll rather than a hopper and the small hole cut in it was for an optical sensor so that it could be cut off at the right place.

Thanks! I always wondered what the hole was for.....

 

[calopez]

Once upon a time I cut an appropriate length of Quickfare roll, and fed it through my APTIS. Worked perfectly

 

[FinsburyPark]

Maybe in hindsight ive miscaculated the year. it may have been up to 8 years earlier. Possibly as early as 2006?

Now i think of it, due to the timeframes involved, i cannot be certain at all what year it was

It was definately the same as regular paper tickets today, allbeit with square edges?

Ive only ever seen one once, and that was my only time.

 

[stadler]

Maybe in hindsight ive miscaculated the year. it may have been up to 8 years earlier. Possibly as early as 2006?

Now i think of it, due to the timeframes involved, i cannot be certain at all what year it was

It was definately the same as regular paper tickets today, allbeit with square edges?

Ive only ever seen one once, and that was my only time.

In that case it was probably an Ascom TVM you used. They printed square edge stock. Most of them were removed in the early 2000s but i think some survived until around the mid 2000s. So it is perfectly possible that Gatwick Airport still had them in 2006. I seem to remember that the last ones got removed around late 2006.

Ascom had a few different models. B100, B8011, B8020, B8050, were the four used on the National Rail network. They all printed square edge tickets.

I have found a few photos online of the tickets that Ascom TVMs printed.







The only other National Rail TVMs with square edge tickets were the Almex Autoslot machines that issued real tickets rather than PERTIS tickets. They had two slightly different models that used the same ticket stock.



They were a similar model to PERTIS machines but printed proper tickets.

A couple of these survived at the smaller stations on the Greater Anglia network along the Colchester to Clacton to Walton branch as late as 2010 when they were finally removed. Greater Anglia never even bothered updating them in the later years so you could get a ticket for much cheaper than the actual cost.

 

[FinsburyPark]

In that case it was probably an Ascom TVM you used. They printed square edge stock. Most of them were removed in the early 2000s but i think some survived until around the mid 2000s. So it is perfectly possible that Gatwick Airport still had them in 2006. I seem to remember that the last ones got removed around late 2006.

Ascom had a few different models. B100, B8011, B8020, B8050, were the four used on the National Rail network. They all printed square edge tickets.

I have found a few photos online of the tickets that Ascom TVMs printed.

View attachment 174379

View attachment 174378

View attachment 174380

The only other National Rail TVMs with square edge tickets were the Almex Autoslot machines that issued real tickets rather than PERTIS tickets. They had two slightly different models that used the same ticket stock.

View attachment 174381

They were a similar model to PERTIS machines but printed proper tickets.

A couple of these survived at the smaller stations on the Greater Anglia network along the Colchester to Clacton to Walton branch as late as 2010 when they were finally removed. Greater Anglia never even bothered updating them in the later years so you could get a ticket for much cheaper than the actual cost.

The 1st two images have a direct likeness to what i got.

Must have been an ascot TVM

 

[Discuss223]

I remember before Avantix, the guards in Northern Spirit operations (and some of the TVMs I think), used to print glossy-papered square tickets with a rectangular hole through them at the top. One kind guard gave me a bundle of them as a child. It made my day out.

 

[stadler]

I remember before Avantix, the guards in Northern Spirit operations (and some of the TVMs I think), used to print glossy-papered square tickets with a rectangular hole through them at the top. One kind guard gave me a bundle of them as a child. It made my day out.

Those sound like PORTIS/SPORTIS tickets. They were widely used across the country up until the early and mid 2000s when Avantix replaced them.









I believe PORTIS and SPORTIS were the same machines but i think PORTIS could only deal with cash payments where as SPORTIS could connect to a card machine and take card payments too.

Iraq Railways also used these same machines so they were even sold internationally. I reckon a few other countries probably did too.

 

[Discuss223]

Those sound like PORTIS/SPORTIS tickets. They were widely used across the country up until the early and mid 2000s when Avantix replaced them.

View attachment 174453

View attachment 174454

View attachment 174455

View attachment 174456

I believe PORTIS and SPORTIS were the same machines but i think PORTIS could only deal with cash payments where as SPORTIS could connect to a card machine and take card payments too.

Iraq Railways also used these same machines so they were even sold internationally. I reckon a few other countries probably did too.

Oh my goodness, yes, those are the ones. Seeing these pictures has brought back such great memories, thank you! And the quality of the imagery shows that it was indeed the watermark writing that made them appear cream/beige. I never noticed before that they had a white background.

I wonder if the rectangular hole was an anti-fraud measure, making them more difficult to replicate.

 

[Train wasp]

Since the topic is about railway tickets. Can anyone remember the last time they were given a Edmondson railway ticket. Mind was from Winchester to Eastleigh return must be around 1988/89 if I remember correctly.

Thanks

 

[stadler]

Since the topic is about railway tickets. Can anyone remember the last time they were given a Edmondson railway ticket. Mind was from Winchester to Eastleigh return must be around 1988/89 if I remember correctly.

Thanks

I seem to remember the late 1980s was the last time i saw a Edmondson ticket. I think around 1988 was the last time i saw one if i remember correctly. So about the same year you remember. I worked as a Guard from the 70s to the 90s and i remember during my career the amount i saw gradually declined.

 

[nickswift99]

Since the topic is about railway tickets. Can anyone remember the last time they were given a Edmondson railway ticket. Mind was from Winchester to Eastleigh return must be around 1988/89 if I remember correctly.

Thanks

1990. Was sent one by the RTC in Derby to attend an interview. Yes, I did get the job. Still have the ticket somewhere.

 

[davetheguard]

I believe PORTIS and SPORTIS were the same machines but i think PORTIS could only deal with cash payments where as SPORTIS could connect to a card machine and take card payments too.

PORTIS came first. It was replaced later by SPORTIS (Super PORTIS). As you say, SPORTIS could deal with credit cards using an integral swipe slot on the front of the machine, although there were no authorisation codes as it wasn't connected to the internet in any way.