Difference between revisions of "Thomas Edmondson"
| Line 19: | Line 19: | ||
c.1850 Edmondson's ticket machines were described and illustrated in the [[The Imperial Journal|1853 The Imperial Journal]]. One machine printed and numbered the tickets. Another, much more compact machine printed the dates when issued. A third machine counted tickets. The dating machine, a compact cylindrical cast iron device, can still be seen in use at some heritage railways. Edmundon's first dating machine was a simple wooden toggle-press. | c.1850 Edmondson's ticket machines were described and illustrated in the [[The Imperial Journal|1853 The Imperial Journal]]. One machine printed and numbered the tickets. Another, much more compact machine printed the dates when issued. A third machine counted tickets. The dating machine, a compact cylindrical cast iron device, can still be seen in use at some heritage railways. Edmundon's first dating machine was a simple wooden toggle-press. | ||
1878 'THE RAILWAY TICKET SYSTEM. Mr. [[John Beeby Edmondson|John B. Edmondson]], of Cheetham, Manchester, contributes to the English Mechanic a notice of the system, now adopted by almost every country throughout the world, and of its originator or inventor, Mr. Thomas Edmondson. The son says:- 'The whole affair, not only tickets but the machinery for printing them, and arrangements for using them, originated in the mind of one individual, Thomas Edmondson, a member of the Society of Friends, who was born at Lancaster, on June 30, 1792. The [[Newcastle and Carlisle Railway]], now a portion of the North-Eastern system, opened for passenger traffic, and a station-master being required for the small roadside station at Milton, since called Brampton, Thomas applied, amongst a number of competitors, for the post, and fortunately obtained it. Thus then, about 1836, when in his forty-fourth year, he made his first acquaintance with the railway world at the solitary little station of Milton, situated about fourteen miles from Carlisle — a point at which the traffic was then so small that the duties of the stationmaster and booking-clerk were performed by the same person. In the first days of railway travelling it was natural that the kind of tickets which had served for coach passengers should still be used as vouchers that a traveller had paid his fare. But as travellers increased in number these scraps of paper proved inconvenient in many ways, and Mr. Edmondson at once felt that a change was needed in them. Another want, and one of still more importance, soon became apparent to him. He found that little or no systematic check was imposed upon the station clerks, it being left to their integrity to account correctly for moneys paid to them. His ingenuity was therefore soon at work, endeavouring to organise a system which should be a complete check in the first instance upon himself, a task congenial to his constructive head and honest heart." Mr. J. B. Edmondson proceeds to describe in detail the successive stages of the invention after which he says :— "To extend to other stations, what was found so applicable to his own was his next consideration, but for unexplained reasons his propositions were not at first entertained, and it was only after repeated efforts that he was able to induce the directors of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway to arrange for the adoption of his plans at some of their stations. There was a preposition to remove him to Newcastle, but it was not carried into into effect and the repeated delays were very disheartening to him. Whilst in this state of discouragement he received a visit from Captain Laws, at that the the enterprising and energetic manager of the [[Manchester and Leeds Railway]], who, having heard of the plan adepted by the clerk at Milton Station for 'checking bimself', came over to inspect it, and, having had the details thoroughly explained to him, was clear-sighted enough to perceive its immense value to the railway interest, then becoming an important feature in the country. He, therefore, at once to propose to Mr. Edmondson that he should remove to Manchester with the object of introducing his system on the above railway making the promise 'That his salary should be multiplied by two,' an offer which, after due consideration, was gratefully accepted. This unexpected recognision and timely acknowledgemet of his invention paved the way for its general adoption, and for the next ten or twelve years the introduction of his plans on to new lines of railway as they rapidly developed themselves, in addition to his duties on the Manchester and Leeds line, involved a great amount of labour on the part of the inventor. At length that company, with a complimentary minute of the board, liberated him from their service, in order that he might devote his whole time to the further development and introduction of his system. Mr. Edmondson consulted a practical friend of his, Mr. [[John Blaylock]], of Carlisle, by whose assistance he was enabled to put together a printing machine which carried out his ideas and was sufficient for the requirements of that period. This machine, however, has been greatly improved upon from time to time, and while the original feature of printing one ticket at once has always been maintained, its general completeness and efficiency have been materially increased by the ingenuity and careful study of Mr. [[James Carson]], who, from the early rise of ticket printing as a business, has occupied the responsible position of foreman in the principal manufactory in Manchester, where Mr. Edmondson's son still continues the business which his father established. There only are tickets printed, but the printing machines, ticket cases, and dating presses, together with other ticket apparatus, are manufactured, and supplied to railway companies as required." Mr. Edmondson died at his residence in Manchester on the 22nd June, 1851.'<ref>Cumberland & Westmorland Herald - Saturday 24 August 1878</ref> | 1878 'THE RAILWAY TICKET SYSTEM. Mr. [[John Beeby Edmondson|John B. Edmondson]], of Cheetham, Manchester, contributes to the English Mechanic a notice of the system, now adopted by almost every country throughout the world, and of its originator or inventor, Mr. Thomas Edmondson. The son says:- 'The whole affair, not only tickets but the machinery for printing them, and arrangements for using them, originated in the mind of one individual, Thomas Edmondson, a member of the Society of Friends, who was born at Lancaster, on June 30, 1792. The [[Newcastle and Carlisle Railway]], now a portion of the North-Eastern system, opened for passenger traffic, and a station-master being required for the small roadside station at Milton, since called Brampton, Thomas applied, amongst a number of competitors, for the post, and fortunately obtained it. Thus then, about 1836, when in his forty-fourth year, he made his first acquaintance with the railway world at the solitary little station of Milton, situated about fourteen miles from Carlisle — a point at which the traffic was then so small that the duties of the stationmaster and booking-clerk were performed by the same person. In the first days of railway travelling it was natural that the kind of tickets which had served for coach passengers should still be used as vouchers that a traveller had paid his fare. But as travellers increased in number these scraps of paper proved inconvenient in many ways, and Mr. Edmondson at once felt that a change was needed in them. Another want, and one of still more importance, soon became apparent to him. He found that little or no systematic check was imposed upon the station clerks, it being left to their integrity to account correctly for moneys paid to them. His ingenuity was therefore soon at work, endeavouring to organise a system which should be a complete check in the first instance upon himself, a task congenial to his constructive head and honest heart." Mr. J. B. Edmondson proceeds to describe in detail the successive stages of the invention after which he says :— "To extend to other stations, what was found so applicable to his own was his next consideration, but for unexplained reasons his propositions were not at first entertained, and it was only after repeated efforts that he was able to induce the directors of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway to arrange for the adoption of his plans at some of their stations. There was a preposition to remove him to Newcastle, but it was not carried into into effect and the repeated delays were very disheartening to him. Whilst in this state of discouragement he received a visit from Captain Laws, at that the the enterprising and energetic manager of the [[Manchester and Leeds Railway]], who, having heard of the plan adepted by the clerk at Milton Station for 'checking bimself', came over to inspect it, and, having had the details thoroughly explained to him, was clear-sighted enough to perceive its immense value to the railway interest, then becoming an important feature in the country. He, therefore, at once to propose to Mr. Edmondson that he should remove to Manchester with the object of introducing his system on the above railway making the promise 'That his salary should be multiplied by two,' an offer which, after due consideration, was gratefully accepted. This unexpected recognision and timely acknowledgemet of his invention paved the way for its general adoption, and for the next ten or twelve years the introduction of his plans on to new lines of railway as they rapidly developed themselves, in addition to his duties on the Manchester and Leeds line, involved a great amount of labour on the part of the inventor. At length that company, with a complimentary minute of the board, liberated him from their service, in order that he might devote his whole time to the further development and introduction of his system. Mr. Edmondson consulted a practical friend of his, Mr. [[John Blaylock]], of Carlisle, by whose assistance he was enabled to put together a printing machine which carried out his ideas and was sufficient for the requirements of that period. This machine, however, has been greatly improved upon from time to time, and while the original feature of printing one ticket at once has always been maintained, its general completeness and efficiency have been materially increased by the ingenuity and careful study of Mr. [[James Carson (2)]], who, from the early rise of ticket printing as a business, has occupied the responsible position of foreman in the principal manufactory in Manchester, where Mr. Edmondson's son still continues the business which his father established. There only are tickets printed, but the printing machines, ticket cases, and dating presses, together with other ticket apparatus, are manufactured, and supplied to railway companies as required." Mr. Edmondson died at his residence in Manchester on the 22nd June, 1851.'<ref>Cumberland & Westmorland Herald - Saturday 24 August 1878</ref> | ||
== See Also == | == See Also == | ||
Revision as of 12:06, 8 January 2022
Thomas Edmondson (1792-1851) was the inventor of the card-based printed railway ticket system
1792 Born in Lancaster
Started work for Gillows
1836 joined the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway as station master at Milton.
He later moved to Manchester, where in 1839 he became the chief ticket clerk at the terminal station of the Manchester and Leeds Railway.
He invented a system of printing railway tickets, and, seeking a manufacturer, he approached Joseph Whitworth. Whitworth was not interested, but passed him on to William Muir, who at that time worked for Whitworth.
1842 When Muir left to start his own business, he continued to work with Edmondson. As Muir's business expanded, he and Edmondson moved into larger premises, Bateman and Sherratt's former Salford Iron Works at Miller's Lane, Greengate, Salford. Edmonson printed tickets on the upper floor, while Muir made the machines in other parts of the premises.[1]
1851 Thomas Edmondson 58, letter-press printer, was lodging in Broughton, with Rachel Edmondson 56, John Edmondson 19[2]
c.1850 Edmondson's ticket machines were described and illustrated in the 1853 The Imperial Journal. One machine printed and numbered the tickets. Another, much more compact machine printed the dates when issued. A third machine counted tickets. The dating machine, a compact cylindrical cast iron device, can still be seen in use at some heritage railways. Edmundon's first dating machine was a simple wooden toggle-press.
1878 'THE RAILWAY TICKET SYSTEM. Mr. John B. Edmondson, of Cheetham, Manchester, contributes to the English Mechanic a notice of the system, now adopted by almost every country throughout the world, and of its originator or inventor, Mr. Thomas Edmondson. The son says:- 'The whole affair, not only tickets but the machinery for printing them, and arrangements for using them, originated in the mind of one individual, Thomas Edmondson, a member of the Society of Friends, who was born at Lancaster, on June 30, 1792. The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, now a portion of the North-Eastern system, opened for passenger traffic, and a station-master being required for the small roadside station at Milton, since called Brampton, Thomas applied, amongst a number of competitors, for the post, and fortunately obtained it. Thus then, about 1836, when in his forty-fourth year, he made his first acquaintance with the railway world at the solitary little station of Milton, situated about fourteen miles from Carlisle — a point at which the traffic was then so small that the duties of the stationmaster and booking-clerk were performed by the same person. In the first days of railway travelling it was natural that the kind of tickets which had served for coach passengers should still be used as vouchers that a traveller had paid his fare. But as travellers increased in number these scraps of paper proved inconvenient in many ways, and Mr. Edmondson at once felt that a change was needed in them. Another want, and one of still more importance, soon became apparent to him. He found that little or no systematic check was imposed upon the station clerks, it being left to their integrity to account correctly for moneys paid to them. His ingenuity was therefore soon at work, endeavouring to organise a system which should be a complete check in the first instance upon himself, a task congenial to his constructive head and honest heart." Mr. J. B. Edmondson proceeds to describe in detail the successive stages of the invention after which he says :— "To extend to other stations, what was found so applicable to his own was his next consideration, but for unexplained reasons his propositions were not at first entertained, and it was only after repeated efforts that he was able to induce the directors of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway to arrange for the adoption of his plans at some of their stations. There was a preposition to remove him to Newcastle, but it was not carried into into effect and the repeated delays were very disheartening to him. Whilst in this state of discouragement he received a visit from Captain Laws, at that the the enterprising and energetic manager of the Manchester and Leeds Railway, who, having heard of the plan adepted by the clerk at Milton Station for 'checking bimself', came over to inspect it, and, having had the details thoroughly explained to him, was clear-sighted enough to perceive its immense value to the railway interest, then becoming an important feature in the country. He, therefore, at once to propose to Mr. Edmondson that he should remove to Manchester with the object of introducing his system on the above railway making the promise 'That his salary should be multiplied by two,' an offer which, after due consideration, was gratefully accepted. This unexpected recognision and timely acknowledgemet of his invention paved the way for its general adoption, and for the next ten or twelve years the introduction of his plans on to new lines of railway as they rapidly developed themselves, in addition to his duties on the Manchester and Leeds line, involved a great amount of labour on the part of the inventor. At length that company, with a complimentary minute of the board, liberated him from their service, in order that he might devote his whole time to the further development and introduction of his system. Mr. Edmondson consulted a practical friend of his, Mr. John Blaylock, of Carlisle, by whose assistance he was enabled to put together a printing machine which carried out his ideas and was sufficient for the requirements of that period. This machine, however, has been greatly improved upon from time to time, and while the original feature of printing one ticket at once has always been maintained, its general completeness and efficiency have been materially increased by the ingenuity and careful study of Mr. James Carson (2), who, from the early rise of ticket printing as a business, has occupied the responsible position of foreman in the principal manufactory in Manchester, where Mr. Edmondson's son still continues the business which his father established. There only are tickets printed, but the printing machines, ticket cases, and dating presses, together with other ticket apparatus, are manufactured, and supplied to railway companies as required." Mr. Edmondson died at his residence in Manchester on the 22nd June, 1851.'[3]
See Also
Sources of Information
Chris de Winter Hebron, 50 Famous Railwaymen, 2005