Irish / Northern Irish Handheld Mobile Ticket Machines

[tonybonneyba]

Good evening/morning,

 

I've been Googling about for photographs of not so modern handheld ticket machines which could of been used on IÉ or NIR, tho, haven't been so lucky.

 

The reason behind this is because I like handheld ticket machines, they have always had a wee interest spark in me (because I'm wired like that).

 

If any of you kind ladies or gentlemen have any photographs to share of the pre 2005 machines, could you post here please?

[Riversuir226]

one of these?

[DiveController]

Is that the hard-mounted in-the-cab version? There was also one on a shoulder strap that spewed out purplish inky tickets when I was a lad and buses still had conductors!

[jhb171achill]

I remember those tickets well, Divecontroller, and in the north at that time the UTA bus men carried a little machine with a handle at the side, and a supply of the tickets of different types strapped to the front of it. I used to wonder why he always gave me one the same colour, and didn't vary it....reason, of course, we did the same journey each day!

[tonybonneyba]

Fantastic!

Very interesting story Jhb171achill, would you remember the colour of the ticket?

 

Little question, was the late 1990's handheld machines electronic?

[jhb171achill]

The return tickets, Tony, were longer than the others and white. Singles were pink and child tickets were a dull yellow colour. I think I have a few somewhere, if you want them.

[minister_for_hardship]

Try this site for lots of pics (links on RHS of page), but the vast majority of these handheld machines were for buses although the Almex type machine pictured in the second post superceded the Edmondson ticket press and were used in CIE/IR booking offices from about the 1960s to 1990s iirc albeit fixed to the counter rather than hand held.

 

T.I.M. machines with the phone-like dial was used by the bus services of the DUTC and CIE and nicknamed 'Flintstones' because they were so primitive! I believe trams used the 'Bell Punch' type tickets and equipment.

 

http://www.ticketmachinewebsite.com/

Edited December 29, 2015 by minister_for_hardship

[minister_for_hardship]

I vaguely recall IR checkers using portable ticket machines on a shoulder strap that looked rather heavy and boxy and didn't seem to work properly all of the time, when the credit card-sized tickets came out. Didn't seem to last long in service not surprisingly.