the first three drums 120 130 140 of the drum elevator system 100 preferably each drum of the drum elevator system 100 is provided about its periphery a plurality of axially directed circumferentially spaced apart flutes which receive and releasably retain individual cigarettes under the action of a vacuum retention system as previously explained for drums such as found on the tipping machine 6 and 506 other similarly functioning mechanisms might be employed to effect a releasable retention of cigarettes 11 on the drums of the drum elevator system 100 referring to fig3 the transfer and retention of cigarettes from drum to drum along the drum elevator system 100 is represented by arcuate arrows at each drum such as arrows a and b at the first and second drums 120 and 130 respectively which indicate generally the preferred angular location along each drum where cigarettes are received by a drum and the preferred angular location where cigarettes are released from the respective drum and transferred to the next for example in the link up gear box 108 the first drum of 120 receives cigarettes from the rejection drum 42 u2032 of the tipping machine 506 at approximately at a 4 o 39 clock position and transports it approximately 1800 in a counter clockwise direction to a 10 o 39 clock position where the cigarettes are transferred to the second drum 130 of the link up gear box 108 in turn the second drum 130 delivers cigarettes to the third drum 140 of the link up gear box 108 the first drum 120 of the link up gear box 108 is preferably a replica of the original or standard exit drum 60 of the tipping machine 506 and tipping machine 6 u2032 from which the former.