Timeline
Key editions of the timetables are listed below. Numbers in italics indicate the estimated edition number (not shown on timetables).
0001 March 1873 - First issue, distributed free
0002 June 1873 - First regular issue (quarterly)
0040 December 1882 - Last quarterly issue
0041 January 1883 - First monthly issue
0484 December 1919 - 24 hour clock introduced
0720 August 1939 - Last issue before World War II
0720 August 1939 - Last issue with air services
0721 July 1946 - First postwar issue - staff only
0722 August 1946 - Staff only editions (Aug, Sept, Oct)
0725 November 1946 - First regular postwar issue
1003 January 1970 - Timetables for Great Britain added
1041 March 1973 - Centenary edition with silver cover
1087 January 1977 - Enlarged to show principal services outside Europe
1127 May 1980 - Cut down edition (144 pages) due to printing strike
1135 January 1981 - Non-European content moved to new OTT
1183 January 1985 - First issue with a Japanese edition
1268 February 1992 - First edition to use desktop publishing (dtp)
1288 October 1993 - First edition produced completely by dtp
1295 May 1994 - Channel Tunnel souvenir edition
1341 March 1998 - 125th Anniversary edition (special feature)
1380 June 2001 - First issue with an edition for German Railways
1423 January 2005 - 20th Anniversary of Japanese edition
1461 March 2008 - 135th Anniversary (special page)
1480 October 2009 - New-look blue cover in line with TC guidebooks
Overseas Timetable (OTT)
001 November 1980 - Pilot edition, distributed free
002 January 1981 - First regular bi-monthly edition
152 January 2006 - 25th Anniversary edition
175 November 2009 - New-look cover in line with TC guidebooks
Title Changes
There have been eight changes of title during the history of the timetable, some of them barely noticeable:
1873-1918 COOK'S CONTINENTAL TIME TABLES
1919-1953 COOK'S CONTINENTAL TIME-TABLE
1954-1955 COOKS CONTINENTAL TIME-TABLE
1956-1973 COOKS CONTINENTAL TIMETABLE
1974-1976 THOMAS COOK CONTINENTAL TIMETABLE
1977-1980 THOMAS COOK INTERNATIONAL TIMETABLE
1981-1987 THOMAS COOK CONTINENTAL TIMETABLE
1988-2004 THOMAS COOK EUROPEAN TIMETABLE
from 2005 THOMAS COOK EUROPEAN RAIL TIMETABLE
The timetable has been known as the CTT for much of its life, due to "Time Table" originally being two words. The introduction of the word "European" meant this changed to ETT (rather than the more accurate ET) and this has stuck, even though it should logically now be ERT. As might be expected, the Overseas Timetable is known as the OTT.
Editors
1873-1914 John Bredall
1914-1939 C. H. Davies
1946-1952 H. V. Francis
1952-1985 John H. Price
from 1985 Brendan H. Fox
H. V. Francis was the first full-time Editor, the two pre-war Editors also having other jobs in the Company. John Price continued as Managing Editor until retirement in 1988, then Consulting Editor for a time; he passed away in 1998. Brendan Fox joined as Assistant Editor in 1982.
Editors - Overseas Timetable
1980-2000 Peter Tremlett
from 2000 Peter Bass
Peter Tremlett was Assistant Editor of the Continental Timetable before starting the Overseas Timetable; he passed away in 2005.