IS IT EPHEMERA? LOVELY AND RARE PUBLICATION, Instructions re working of the St. Kilda and Brighton electric street railway 1915. Published by Victorian Railways 94 numbered pages with about the same number interleafed (interleaf means a blank leaf inserted between the other leaves of a book).
This sample page shows the ‘Special instructions to motormen’ with some annotations on the interleafed page. The manual has only a small number of annotations. A close up shows the relatively terse (neat and brief) instructions:
The manual begins with an index covering topics as diverse as:
- Badges not to be exchanged or covered up, #202;
- Brakes, emergency, first #297, second #298, third #299;
- Children, procedure when doubtful as to age, #99;
- Dogs, unless on laps, not to be carried, #65.
The detail in the index can be seen in this enlarged section from T (selected the section on tickets for ticket collectors’ interest):
Why might it be ephemera?
- It wasn’t meant to be kept;
- It was very unlikely to be kept by a library or museum or archive;
- It would have been replaced when updated;
- It is annotated (usually qualifying material as a manuscript but the personal contribution here is too slight and too impersonal…
Any competing theories? Where should its next home be? I don’t want to keep it, Amanda Bede
Darian Zam says
Unlikely to encounter any children age 99 #IJS
mbede says
Thanks Darian, punctuation corrected for clarity!
Beverley says
Thanks for this interesting item. Any reference to food and drink – refreshments – smoko – working conditions and entitlements? Thanks