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|    RAILFAN    |    Trains, model railroading hobby    |    3,261 messages    |
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|    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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