Metal thingy question...

[Anonymous]

I was wondering....
In old passenger coaches(1920's) there are these metal clips on the top of the seat. I believe they hold tickets, but how are they used? Does the passenger put them there when he gets on? And if so, do you:

1)Pull the ticket out, punch it, give it to the passenger.
2)Punch it while it is still in the clip.
3)Pull it out, punch it, then put it back in the seat clip. To mark that a passenger sits here maybie....

And how do you hold the ticket puncher anyway? I was taught to have the recepticle pointed up, with the thumb covering it. But on Amtrak they have the recepticle pointed down, and the let the pieces of paper fall into your lap(shame! shame!)

Just striving for historical accuracy.... It's awkward when you have an elderly gentleman put his ticket it in the clip, remembering old days, then I come around, stare at the ticket like an idiot, not knowing what to do...

[Randy Stahl]

Those are hat check clips, when a conductor came through an collected tickets he would place a small color paper in the clip to easily identify the passengers that are getting off at intermediate stops or riding his whole run.
Randy

[jeaton]

For some reason this struck a chord. Perhaps my interest in railroads began as a very small child when I watched a conductor, looking resplendent in his uniform, pass through the car lifting tickets and efficiently canceling them with his punch. When I got a job something like that at the age of 18, I recall feeling rather grown up and in charge.

It wasn't until four years ago that I knew that those little pieces of paper are shad. Mine went on the floor of the car, but we had folks come in and clean up after us.

Jay

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

It wasn't until four years ago that I knew that those little pieces of paper are shad. Mine went on the floor of the car, but we had folks come in and clean up after us.

Actually, the term is chad, and, as you said, was made rather famous in Florida.

When I was working in AF weather, we did a lot of work with teletypes. There were two types of tape punches (the messages were punched onto a tape, which was then read into the sender). The punch of choice was chadless, as it didn't make buckets full of confetti (a long message punches a lot of holes). I once threatened to use some of that as confetti at a wedding, but the intended target was familiar with them and threatened bodily harm if I did...

IBM card punches create a lot of chads, too.....

When I had a paper route, my father provided what I much later found out to be a conductors punch for punching the customers' payment cards. I hated it at the time, as it took a pretty strong hand to close. Now I'm glad I've still got it.

[locomutt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

It wasn't until four years ago that I knew that those little pieces of paper are shad. Mine went on the floor of the car, but we had folks come in and clean up after us.

Actually, the term is chad, and, as you said, was made rather famous in Florida.

When I was working in AF weather, we did a lot of work with teletypes. There were two types of tape punches (the messages were punched onto a tape, which was then read into the sender). The punch of choice was chadless, as it didn't make buckets full of confetti (a long message punches a lot of holes). I once threatened to use some of that as confetti at a wedding, but the intended target was familiar with them and threatened bodily harm if I did...

IBM card punches create a lot of chads, too.....

When I had a paper route, my father provided what I much later found out to be a conductors punch for punching the customers' payment cards. I hated it at the time, as it took a pretty strong hand to close. Now I'm glad I've still got it.

If you order 'shad',I think you are supposed to get fish.[:)]
If you order 'chad.............you get,well.............................[:D]

[jeaton]

I hope it was just that I hadn't finished my third cup of coffee when I did that post. As I have said before, read what I think, not what I write. LOL

Jay

[Mookie]

I don't want to give any young people ideas, but.....

When I was in high school - you would TP houses (they still do it today on the UNL campus!) If you really didn't like someone (usually a girl, a snob and a cheerleader) you would put 3 hole punch chads and any form of punch chad all over her lawn. It was impossible to clean up and had to disintegrate. Trust me, I never did this - I like to sit too well......but had to smirk the time or two I was told about it.

Mookie

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The clips on the seat backs are still there on Metra's bi-levels and they provide a place for your monthly ticket so the conductor can see it without having to ask.

A smaller version of the conductor's punch, complete with two punch slots, was issued to drivers of South Suburban Safeway Lines (south suburbs and southern edge of Chicago) in the years prior to the RTA takeover. Safeway had a zone fare system and sold multi-ride tickets good for trips between any two points with a fare the same as that designated on the ticket.