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   RAILFAN      Trains, model railroading hobby      3,261 messages   

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   Message 2,957 of 3,261   
   hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com to All   
   Teleregister -- Magnetronic Reservisor S   
   20 Aug 14 08:36:40   
   
   This was a 1950s electronic system to facilitate reservations on airlines.    
   Literature suggests it was used for Pullman reservations as well (see below).   
      
   Would anyone know what railroads might have used this system?  I thought all   
   Pullman reservations in 1950s were still done by hand with clerical aids.   
      
      
      
   "The Magnetronic Reservisor System keeps a current inventory   
   of airline and railroad space reservations on a magnetic   
   drum. Access of seat availability information is provided by   
   means of keysets. There are two types of keysets, agent and   
   master agent. The latter can read out the exact seat count on a   
   flight leg, or cause to be printed out all Pullman accommodations   
   in a given car, or in a specified status (sold, reserved, or   
   available) or of a specified type (lower, upper, roomette, drawing   
   room, etc.). The new day's inventory is automatically   
   entered by instruction of the Master Agent Set from a standard   
   inventory stored on the drum.   
     As many as 200 Agent Sets may be included in a typical   
   Reservisor System. By the use of teletype transceivers, an   
   Agent Set may read information or change the inventory on a   
   drum located thousands of miles away, using conventional telegraph   
   facilities. Selection of the specific flight or train accommodation   
   is made by use of a Destination Plate. Each plate   
   lists 64 different flight segments or train accomnlodations,   
   information on eight of which may be obtained simultaneously,   
   thus making it easy to sell alternate space if the specific flight   
   or accommodation desired is sold out.   
     Control equipment and the data processor select one lceyset   
   at a time, find the storage location on the drum, make the appropriate   
   calculations, and enter the new data in the proper storage   
   location. The entire process takes less than one second."   
     July 1956.   
      
   --- SoupGate/W32 v1.03   
    * Origin: LiveWire BBS -=*=- UseNet FTN Gateway (1:2320/1)   

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