camperdown9
Member
Hello
About a hundred years ago (well 26) I was a trainee in a travel agents. This was way before the internet and long before travel agents just became the high street face of tour operators, selling only package holidays.
Difficult as it might seam to believe 26 years ago if you wanted a long distance train, coach, ferry ticket. Or if you wanted to book a flight or a round the world cruise you went to a travel agent to do this.
From what I remember we had these arch lever files for British Rail. From time to time an A4 envelope would arrive in the post. It would have various sheets of paper that all had something like Page 269 issue 4 18/10/90 replaces P269 issue 3 07/01/90 etc. printed at the bottom. I cant be sure of the code but basically BR didnt re print all the fares and rules they just re printed each page as needed. Part of my job as the trainee was to keep the BR folders up to date. As you can imagine it was a dull as dish water.
I never actually sold any British Rail tickets, but as we were based in Belfast it was never something that was asked for often. I think we had paper tickets that we could hand wight for BR and they needed to be attached to what I can only describe as cardboard ticket folders. I think we might of had two versions of these one for standard class and one for first class passengers. However I seam to remember that the first class version said executive rather than first. I think standard were grey with the bird logo and executive or first were blue.
I have tried to find photos of the ticket wallets or folders on the internet but cant. I would also like to know what it was like to travel on BR intercity in first in the 80s and early 90s. Does anyone know of a good website that might show BR advertisements, posters, menus, seats, photos of ticket offices etc? Maybe talks about services and describes lounges etc (if they had them)
Thanks
Alex
About a hundred years ago (well 26) I was a trainee in a travel agents. This was way before the internet and long before travel agents just became the high street face of tour operators, selling only package holidays.
Difficult as it might seam to believe 26 years ago if you wanted a long distance train, coach, ferry ticket. Or if you wanted to book a flight or a round the world cruise you went to a travel agent to do this.
From what I remember we had these arch lever files for British Rail. From time to time an A4 envelope would arrive in the post. It would have various sheets of paper that all had something like Page 269 issue 4 18/10/90 replaces P269 issue 3 07/01/90 etc. printed at the bottom. I cant be sure of the code but basically BR didnt re print all the fares and rules they just re printed each page as needed. Part of my job as the trainee was to keep the BR folders up to date. As you can imagine it was a dull as dish water.
I never actually sold any British Rail tickets, but as we were based in Belfast it was never something that was asked for often. I think we had paper tickets that we could hand wight for BR and they needed to be attached to what I can only describe as cardboard ticket folders. I think we might of had two versions of these one for standard class and one for first class passengers. However I seam to remember that the first class version said executive rather than first. I think standard were grey with the bird logo and executive or first were blue.
I have tried to find photos of the ticket wallets or folders on the internet but cant. I would also like to know what it was like to travel on BR intercity in first in the 80s and early 90s. Does anyone know of a good website that might show BR advertisements, posters, menus, seats, photos of ticket offices etc? Maybe talks about services and describes lounges etc (if they had them)
Thanks
Alex
) Incidentally, the meals served on the Pullman services were really rather excellent. I seem to remember that there was even the option of a Champagne Breakfast on the early morning services, although I never partook. These were trains which arrived into London around 9am, which meant an early start from the Provinces; 7am was way too early for alcohol, even for me! 
