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Kings Cross Old Departure Board

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Metroman62

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Strange request perhaps, but has anyone got any pictures of the old departure board at Kings Cross that was in the 1970s concourse building that has been replaced by the new concourse?

Thanks
 
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nlogax

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Strange request perhaps, but has anyone got any pictures of the old departure board at Kings Cross that was in the 1970s concourse building that has been replaced by the new concourse?

Thanks

This may be better suited to the History and Nostalgia section, but yes - I've found one on RailScot from 1994. You'll have to visit the page separately due to site restrictions.

https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/28/651/
 

Metroman62

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Thanks for that. I was hoping for a picture of the electronic board, I spent many an hour waiting for my wife by it!
 

Bald Rick

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That picture explains something for me.

At Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, there is a ‘fake’ Kings Cross where you can depart (or arrive) on the Hogwarts Express. That has a Solari style indicator, albeit like an airport with individual flaps for each letter. That, too had trains departing for Foxton. I’d forgotten the Cambridge slows were advertised Foxton.
 

hexagon789

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That picture explains something for me.

At Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, there is a ‘fake’ Kings Cross where you can depart (or arrive) on the Hogwarts Express. That has a Solari style indicator, albeit like an airport with individual flaps for each letter. That, too had trains departing for Foxton. I’d forgotten the Cambridge slows were advertised Foxton.

Presumably they've taken details from the time of the first book in the mid-1990s, did it refer to INTERCITY or did they make at least an effort at privitisation? ;)
 

Bald Rick

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Presumably they've taken details from the time of the first book in the mid-1990s, did it refer to INTERCITY or did they make at least an effort at privitisation? ;)
:)

I suspect that someone did a fact finding trip and simply took a picture back to Orlando. Evidently they did it on a day of Engineering works, or had spent a little too much time in the Euston Flyer, as there are trains with the destination of Cuffley!
 

hexagon789

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:)

I suspect that someone did a fact finding trip and simply took a picture back to Orlando. Evidently they did it on a day of Engineering works, or had spent a little too much time in the Euston Flyer, as there are trains with the destination of Cuffley!

Oh well, it could be worse. At least it's not an horrifically bad approximation, they didn't make it out to be "London Terminus" with trains to everywhere imaginable including random tourist sites and such!

Noon express to Stonehenge anyone? ;)
 

DelW

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Presumably they've taken details from the time of the first book in the mid-1990s, did it refer to INTERCITY or did they make at least an effort at privitisation? ;)
I haven't seen it myself, but a few years ago I was told by someone who'd visited Universal Studios that the local departures were still shown as being operated by First Capital Connect, some time after that company had lost the franchise. They made the comment that possibly the least realistic aspect was that all the FCC departures were shown as leaving on time!

I wonder if they've done any better at keeping up with the changes in main line operators?
 

hexagon789

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I haven't seen it myself, but a few years ago I was told by someone who'd visited Universal Studios that the local departures were still shown as being operated by First Capital Connect, some time after that company had lost the franchise. They made the comment that possibly the least realistic aspect was that all the FCC departures were shown as leaving on time!

I wonder if they've done any better at keeping up with the changes in main line operators?

I'm actually impressed the got the correct TOC for the services (or indeed any actual TOC for that matter), if even a bit out of date.

Not that I'm implying they wouldn't exactly but less face it, realism with railways doesn't exactly come naturally to the film industry
 

Bald Rick

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I haven't seen it myself, but a few years ago I was told by someone who'd visited Universal Studios that the local departures were still shown as being operated by First Capital Connect, some time after that company had lost the franchise. They made the comment that possibly the least realistic aspect was that all the FCC departures were shown as leaving on time!

I wonder if they've done any better at keeping up with the changes in main line operators?

Yes it was FCC when I went too.
 

hexagon789

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Having looked into it a bit more, the replica station is apparently set in 2010, did King's X still have flapper boards then?
 

YorksLad12

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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.
 

hexagon789

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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.

Funnily enough I did encounter something like that on the continent somewhere. They had modern white LED screens but they made a clacking noise when they went to scroll across to the next screen.

Perhaps someone knows where it is that has them as I've been in too many foreign railway stations to remember!
 

Hadders

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In its final days the old board became quite unreliable, resulting in some strange calling patterns being advertised. Not a problem to regulars but I imagine some occasional travellers got caught out.

The board was eventually replaced with a temporary a large portable LED board placed in front of the old board. I think the old board was covered over with advertising so I suspect it remained physically in place until the concourse was demolished.
 

lincolnshire

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Having looked into it a bit more, the replica station is apparently set in 2010, did King's X still have flapper boards then?
Its also has Hull Trains on it as well and at present time it might be the only place they are still appearing on a departure board at the present time.
 

hexagon789

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Its also has Hull Trains on it as well and at present time it might be the only place they are still appearing on a departure board at the present time.

Interesting, I have been there but somehow managed to overlook the departure board, I think the crowd for the train dispelled any notion of having a proper look round
 

TT-ONR-NRN

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I think the OP may be referring to not the flip board but the long LED one with the destination and time in big words and scrolling calling points below. That was the main information display before the new concourse at it was like this

6 1035 Leeds On Time
Calling at Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds

2 1042 Cambridge Exp 1021
Calling at: Cambridge only
 

Jimini

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Thanks for that. I was hoping for a picture of the electronic board, I spent many an hour waiting for my wife by it!


This one? Takes me back a bit, these days!
 

Bletchleyite

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This one? Takes me back a bit, these days!

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.
 

Hadders

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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.

Yes, there definitely was an interim board one on a set of wheels placed in front of the sloari board when it finally gave up the ghost. And you're right about the platform displays, there were GNER branded ones that were put up and taken down manually.

Eventually the 'permanent' LED board shown in the photo was installed but I still think the old solari board ws in situ behind it as I seem to remember there was a gap between the boards which was possible to see through. The picture must be late 2000s as the war memorial used to be on the side of the travel centre but was relocated to under the departure board when redevelopment work at the station started (would have been around the same time as the old greasy spoon (can't remember its name) and pub on platform 8 closed)
 

FOH

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IIRC Intercity also had fold out manual boards on the pillars to form queues, using letters so as not to be confused with platform numbers. I think the yellow and white tiled floor was laid out to demarcate the different queues.
 

YorksLad12

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IIRC Intercity also had fold out manual boards on the pillars to form queues, using letters so as not to be confused with platform numbers. I think the yellow and white tiled floor was laid out to demarcate the different queues.
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!
 

ainsworth74

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This one? Takes me back a bit, these days!

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.
 

trebor79

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In its final days the old board became quite unreliable, resulting in some strange calling patterns being advertised. Not a problem to regulars but I imagine some occasional travellers got caught out.
I can recall prominent signage saying words to the effect of "This departure board will probably display complete gibberish. Ignore it and listen to the above-mentioned which are correct."
 

trebor79

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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.
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?
 
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