Programme Machines

[q8]

Re this picture;
aetearlscourt.fotopic.net/p15106337.html

What are the unused fingers for?

[Deleted]

the fingers on the right are the train numbers
the fingers on the left is the time
the fingers in the middle are the route holes/special services ie rewind hole,double step

on that machine S1 it only does the route from olympia so the train numbers are always 151 & 152 the route holes in the middle give the route to platform 1 or platform 2

[q8]

Thanks Mr AET, but what I meant and did not explian is that there appear to be no holes in the roll for some of the fingers so are those fingers unused?
Also can a machine read a number 8 or 9 if there were holes in the roll for that?

[Deleted]

the unused fingers are not used and to make up the contact for that finger
off the top of my head i cannot remember the train number holes i think its

200-100-40-20-10-4-2-1

so no you can not have a 8 or a 9

thats why when the roll has come off the carrier the signalman see's 377

375 - start of service
376 - end of service
377 - roll as rolled off with the fingers in
000 - roll as rolled off with the fingers out