Trivia: Did this platform device actually exist? (Was "Is this a false memory?")

[ian1944]

As a regular user of Blackburn station in the 70s when catching a train to Bolton from its bay (I forget the platform number), there is a distinct recollection of some kind of wind-on forthcoming departure timetable for the whole station akin to a bus blind, which a porter would turn periodically to show only the next so many trains. Online searching produces no reference to or photo of such a device, despite its obvious utility. Was there ever such a thing, there or elsewhere?

 

[RT4038]

As a regular user of Blackburn station in the 70s when catching a train to Bolton from its bay (I forget the platform number), there is a distinct recollection of some kind of wind-on forthcoming departure timetable for the whole station akin to a bus blind, which a porter would turn periodically to show only the next so many trains. Online searching produces no reference to or photo of such a device, despite its obvious utility. Was there ever such a thing, there or elsewhere?

Yes, these were found at many of the larger (London Midland?) stations.

 

[yorksrob]

As a regular user of Blackburn station in the 70s when catching a train to Bolton from its bay (I forget the platform number), there is a distinct recollection of some kind of wind-on forthcoming departure timetable for the whole station akin to a bus blind, which a porter would turn periodically to show only the next so many trains. Online searching produces no reference to or photo of such a device, despite its obvious utility. Was there ever such a thing, there or elsewhere?

I've seen pictures of a similar contraption at Leeds in the middle of the concourse.

 

[StephenHunter]

Yes, these were found at many of the larger (London Midland?) stations.

Marylebone had them; they appear in a 1970 Doctor Who story in close detail as someone collapses against one.

 

[hexagon789]

As a regular user of Blackburn station in the 70s when catching a train to Bolton from its bay (I forget the platform number), there is a distinct recollection of some kind of wind-on forthcoming departure timetable for the whole station akin to a bus blind, which a porter would turn periodically to show only the next so many trains. Online searching produces no reference to or photo of such a device, despite its obvious utility. Was there ever such a thing, there or elsewhere?

Yes, Edinburgh Waverley had one in the old booking hall, there were larger manual boards on the main concourse:

Edinburgh Waverley - RAILSCOT

RailScot, a history of Railways with an emphasis on Scottish Railways. Photographs, maps, news, queries and more.

www.railscot.co.uk

(Link to a photo on Railscot of the manual, scrolling departures list in the booking hall at Edinburgh Waverley on 2nd of May 1964. A staff member is seen deleting a recently withdrawn service from the scroll by the simple expedient of painting it over.)

 

[Jim the Jim]

Marylebone had them; they appear in a 1970 Doctor Who story in close detail as someone collapses against one.

Available on iPlayer here from 13:09!

 

[NER1621]

York station also had one in the 1970s

 

[Ralph Ayres]

One at Hull Paragon too I think. From what I remember they showed the planned platform number which had to be amended for any alterations, either directly on the blind or possibly hiding the incorrect number with some sort of paddle carrying a number, that could be jammed into the side of the frame, and had to be moved every time the blind was wound on.

 

[marsker]

I'm sure I remember one at Newcastle. There's a preserved one in the main hall at Locomotion. IIRC it is from Bishop Auckland.

 

[ian1944]

Thanks for the confirmation that I'm not wholly losing it. I've a feeling that the half of the old Alnwick station which is now Barter Books may have one too.

 

[MadMac]

Seen one in the flesh at Dundee, and pictures of one at Perth.

 

[midland1]

There used to be one on the old platform 4 now plat. 6 at Crewe, it had a wooden frame someone would wind it on every so often, later replaced by a electric winder one. That would be late 1960s early 70s

 

[A.Macallan]

There used to be one on the old platform 4 now plat. 6 at Crewe, it had a wooden frame someone would wind it on every so often, later replaced by an electric winder one. That would be late 1960s early 70s

This one ?!?

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I'm sure I remember one at Newcastle. There's a preserved one in the main hall at Locomotion. IIRC it is from Bishop Auckland.

There is (or was - it's a while since I went there) one from Newport High Street (South Wales) at the NRM in York.

 

[midland1]

This one ?!?View attachment 208747

Thats the one, looking at old photos of the 1950s-60s there was at least one more on the old plat.2 new plat. 12.

 

[Belperpete]

I think they were used at places where it would have been impractical to provide a complete list of the whole day's departures on one or two boards. If daily changes were being made by hand on the scrolling sheet, as suggested by previous posters, does that mean that a fresh scroll was provided every day? I thought that they just rewound it at the beginning of the day. Separate scrolls, or just separate parts of the same scroll, for weekends.

I don't recall seeing them used much on the Southern, in the inner suburban area at least. I do recall timetable boards that slid into metal runners, with different boards slid in at weekends.

 

[Prime586]

I think they were used at places where it would have been impractical to provide a complete list of the whole day's departures on one or two boards. If daily changes were being made by hand on the scrolling sheet, as suggested by previous posters, does that mean that a fresh scroll was provided every day? I thought that they just rewound it at the beginning of the day. Separate scrolls, or just separate parts of the same scroll, for weekends.

The changes shown being made on the RailScot photo were withdrawn services being painted out on the scroll (specifically services between Edinburgh and Dunbar, which was withdrawn due to the Beeching cuts). They didn't change the scrolls for a cancelled or rescheduled service - that could be managed by other means detailed in previous posts.

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm sure I remember one at Newcastle. There's a preserved one in the main hall at Locomotion. IIRC it is from Bishop Auckland.

Newcastle’s was directly under the clock, facing along the concourse so I guess it might have been double sided? 1996 photo found by Google here:

Google Image Result for https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/lookaside/crawler/media/?media_id=25598423416451508

 

[ian1944]

OP - I still don't know what the device was called, every Google search I've tried fails or shows something else. Anyone have the official name?

 

[Prime586]

There's a past auction listing for one of the rolls (presumably from Euston?) for trains on the Watford DC line and North London Line here.

Thee's an example of the older-style board from Euston in Alamy's photo archive here.

 

[Springs Branch]

Here's another specimen at Liverpool Lime St, taken at Easter (April) 1977.

Also of historic interest is the chalkboard detailing the Bank Holiday peak hour cancellations for Easter Monday, and the "Soccerail" board advertising a Footex for the Stoke City v Liverpool match that weekend at £2.20 return (a nil-all draw, according to one of the captions)


Source: Harvey Scowcroft Collection by Nigel Valentine, on Flickr.

 

[ian1944]

l've changed the thread title, on receipt of this email about the forum rules:

We do ask that thread titles are accurate and descriptive, please.
It should be reasonably clear from the thread title what the thread is about.
Furthermore, where applicable, we do ask that threads which invite members to post examples of trivia which meet your specified criteria, should have a title prefixed with "Trivia".
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[MarlowDonkey]

Although such information is now an electronic screen, presumably the displays pictured were initially replaced by clicking and clacking Solaris boards.

 

[Prime586]

Although such information is now an electronic screen, presumably the displays pictured were initially replaced by clicking and clacking Solaris boards.

In some cases yes, but Solari boards were not that widespread outside the major London and South-Eastern stations. I don't recall Liverpool Lime Street having one, for instance (though Manchester Piccadilly did).

 

[gg1]

Yes, Edinburgh Waverley had one in the old booking hall, there were larger manual boards on the main concourse:

Edinburgh Waverley - RAILSCOT

RailScot, a history of Railways with an emphasis on Scottish Railways. Photographs, maps, news, queries and more.

www.railscot.co.uk

(Link to a photo on Railscot of the manual, scrolling departures list in the booking hall at Edinburgh Waverley on 2nd of May 1964. A staff member is seen deleting a recently withdrawn service from the scroll by the simple expedient of painting it over.)

Interesting that some of those services specifically state "Diesel train", presumably for marketing/promotional purposes. Was that practice unique to the Scottish Region or more widespread?

 

[hexagon789]

Interesting that some of those services specifically state "Diesel train", presumably for marketing/promotional purposes. Was that practice unique to the Scottish Region or more widespread?

In my experience of reading timetables of the latter 1950s and the 1960s, they usually carried either 'D' in the header denoting any diesel services among broadly steam-worked lines or read 'DIESEL SERVICE' below the table number and route description, with header notes against any steam-worked services stating them as such.

An element of this approach was almost certainly publicity - highlighting all the newly diesel operated trains to the public.

 

[AndrewE]

In my experience of reading timetables of the latter 1950s and the 1960s, they usually carried either 'D' in the header denoting any diesel services among broadly steam-worked lines or read 'DIESEL SERVICE' below the table number and route description, with header notes against any steam-worked services stating them as such.

An element of this approach was almost certainly publicity - highlighting all the newly diesel operated trains to the public.

I wonder whether that really was for advertising the "modern" diesel service - or whether experienced travellers would have known to avoid them, given the unreliability of lots of early diesels! But given what we read about the state of run-down neglected steam engines at that time, maybe the diesels were no worse...

 

[hexagon789]

I wonder whether that really was for advertising the "modern" diesel service - or whether experienced travellers would have known to avoid them, given the unreliability of lots of early diesels! But given what we read about the state of run-down neglected steam engines at that time, maybe the diesels were no worse...

The DMUs were generally okay I think, if my interpretation of history is right issues with diesels were generally more prevalent with certain classes such as the NBL D6100s which ended up being 'temporarily' replaced by a mixture of ex-LNER Pacifics on many of their intended top link duties and existing Scottish Region steam locomotives on most of the others.

Certainly the dieselisation of certain routes brought increased passenger numbers at generally reduced operating costs.

 

[AndrewE]

The DMUs were generally okay I think, if my interpretation of history is right issues with diesels were generally more prevalent with certain classes such as the NBL D6100s which ended up being 'temporarily' replaced by a mixture of ex-LNER Pacifics on many of their intended top link duties and existing Scottish Region steam locomotives on most of the others.

Certainly the dieselisation of certain routes brought increased passenger numbers at generally reduced operating costs.

agreed. I was also forgetting the step-up in passenger experience provided by DMUs compared to tired old steam-heated corridor coaches. Sitting behind the driver with a forward view was definitely an attraction. (I was enjoying short day-return train rides in the front compartment of the new AM10 EMUs back then - when my pocket money could cover it!)

 

[hexagon789]

agreed. I was also forgetting the step-up in passenger experience provided by DMUs compared to tired old steam-heated corridor coaches. Sitting behind the driver with a forward view was definitely an attraction. (I was enjoying short day-return train rides in the front compartment of the new AM10 EMUs back then - when my pocket money could cover it!)

The AM3 'Blue Trains' were equally popular it seemed with the public compared to the previous steam service.