Kings Cross Old Departure Board

[Bletchleyite]

God flashbacks to waiting for trains in Kings Cross on that old cramped concourse. The new concourse area made such a gargantuan improvement to the passenger experience at Kings Cross. I vividly remember waiting for an East Coast service back north on a hot sticky summer afternoon and it was almost like the concourse was breathing with the way it visibly emptied out as the proceeding trains were announced. You'd go from uncomfortably wedged in to being able to breath and then a few minutes later back to wedged in.

I'd put it up there with New St as a total transformation from an utter dump of a station to a really quite decent one.

 

[Hadders]

I think the temporary concourse was opened in 1973, I don't know what was supposed to replace it on when.

I think the waiting room only moved to the shack outside when the redevelopment work started, didn't they effectively close some of the western half, certainly the pub on P8 and the greasy spoon closed and I think the travel centre as well got relocated temporarily. The steps to the underground directly from the concourse also closed and I think it during all of this when the waiting room moved into the shack outside the front.

But it was a total, total transformation. Kings Cross used to be an awful station and you'd fear for your life if you wandered along York Road or Pancras Road late at night. The renovation, and that of St Pancras, really kick started what has been a total transformation of the whole area over the last 20 years.

 

[yorksrob]

I didn't mind the old concourse. It had a Burger King as well.

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes it was pretty horrid, with the waiting room in a shack outside. If course it was only ever meant to be temporary, and in fact if you looked up you could see it was largely constructed from scaffold.
Out of interest (and getting a bit of topic but I suppose that's ok as the OPs photos have been located) what was BRs plan for Kings Cross - what was the temporary structure going to give way to and why didn't it happen?

The temporary structure was only granted temporary planning permission, which from memory was due to expire in 1999; one assumes it was renewed.

BRs plans were to knock it down and build a concourse roughly where the new concourse is now, in conjunction with a new international station below the surface. This article explains all:

The Second King's Cross Station That Was Never Built

Underground project that never saw the light.

londonist.com

 

[CW2]

Mildly off-topic, one of my early jobs on BR was as station announcer / information assistant in Euston PSB. Euston had Solari departure boards, like Kings Cross. We had to work those Solari indicators. The flaps would stick occasionally, so the engineer would ask us to set up a "Test Card" (as the Solari was driven by a punch card system). Typically we would put up a 29:99 departure to Pwllheli "The Royal Highlander" calling at all manner of intermediate stations chosen at random. I never did get a photo of it in that condition, unfortunately.

 

[Steve Harris]

No photo in my collection, but if you can find a good quality copy it does appear at the end of the video to Rent by Pet Shop Boys.

I wrote a (personal) blog about split-flap boards a few years ago. My conclusion was that they ought to bring back the sound for when screens change; otherwise you just end up with lots of people standing near those screen at the entrance, eyeballs drying out as they wait for the screens to change. The extra sound clue would give you a chance to look away / look at your phone / look after your kids / blink.

Indeed. I used to love the Solari boards, no cricked necks, unlike now!

It used to be wonderful to walk into a station, check the departure board for your train and find no platform listed. You just admired the views around the station until you heard the clanking of the board, look up and check to see if it was your train and either hurry off to the platform or carry on checking your phone for texts or admiring the view

Unfortunately nowerdays it's strain your neck and eyesight staring at a LED display

 

[trebor79]

I think the temporary concourse was opened in 1973, I don't know what was supposed to replace it on when.

I think the waiting room only moved to the shack outside when the redevelopment work started, didn't they effectively close some of the western half, certainly the pub on P8 and the greasy spoon closed and I think the travel centre as well got relocated temporarily. The steps to the underground directly from the concourse also closed and I think it during all of this when the waiting room moved into the shack outside the front.

Yes, you're right. I remember there was also a bell at the end of each platform that used to ring continuously when a train departed. Never worked out what that was all about.
I agree the new concourse is wonderful and it's nice to see the original frontage relatively unsullied.

 

[trebor79]

The temporary structure was only granted temporary planning permission, which from memory was due to expire in 1999; one assumes it was renewed.

BRs plans were to knock it down and build a concourse roughly where the new concourse is now, in conjunction with a new international station below the surface. This article explains all:

The Second King's Cross Station That Was Never Built

Underground project that never saw the light.

londonist.com

Thank you!

 

[Hadders]

Yes, you're right. I remember there was also a bell at the end of each platform that used to ring continuously when a train departed. Never worked out what that was all about.
I agree the new concourse is wonderful and it's nice to see the original frontage relatively unsullied.

Ah yes the bell then they would shut the gate leaving a minute or so before departure. Seemed a much safer way than what is there now where there's nothing to stop latecomers sprinting along the platform trying to board as the train departs.

 

[superjohn]

Ah yes the bell then they would shut the gate leaving a minute or so before departure. Seemed a much safer way than what is there now where there's nothing to stop latecomers sprinting along the platform trying to board as the train departs.

That was in the days of slam doors on many trains. I think most people are now aware of automatic doors and those that aren’t can do little more than run along the platform jabbing fruitlessly at the buttons.

 

[Hadders]

That was in the days of slam doors on many trains. I think most people are now aware of automatic doors and those that aren’t can do little more than run along the platform jabbing fruitlessly at the buttons.

It still happened up to around 2010 so only the HSTs were slammers. Seems a far safer way of operating, keeping passengers away from the train during dispatch. This still happens at Euston.

 

[edwin_m]

Yup. As you walked in, A, B & C were on your right; D, E & F on your left. The queue tiles connected A and F, B and E, C and D. Can't remember if they were white or yellow, but they were a contrasting colour to the rest. Not that many people followed the queue!

The Solari was also able to display a message under each departure saying which queue to join. I used to hate those queues!

 

[Tio Terry]

There was also an interim stage where one very much like that one (but not actually that one) was on a set of wheeled trolleys in front of the Solari, which was still visible. I think it was one of the later Solaris that remained in service, and platform displays were pieces of card well into privatisation.

Kings Cross wasn't a Solari. Most of the flap boards were either a Solari or Krone - Liverpool St was originally an Omega but replaced with a Krone before the current electronic display.

I can't remember what KX was but the Southern also had a few of those boards on the Houndslow Loop and the Hartford loop also had the same manufacturer.