Sheffield CIS (Departure Screens & PA)

[johntea]

When did the Sheffield Departure Screens get swapped out? (Now the portrait ones with a list of destinations rather than the previous 'scrolly' ones!)

Maybe they've been there months, I only noticed tonight

 

[Tracked]

they've been in a while, not sure of the exact date but I remember using them coming back from a gig in Sheffield at the end of June, possibly they've been there earlier - I'm sure they were there when I've been out walking in the area, which would mean May/March

 

[SuperOwl86]

I'm sure they have only been installed in the last couple of weeks. When I used the station they was a member of staff around helping people and because I cannot see the new boards now I spoke to him and he mentioned it was the first day in use and was surprised that I could not see the new ones but I could the old boards.

I don't see what was wrong with the old ones either.

 

[CallySleeper]

They've changed?!

I don't see what was wrong with the old ones either.

Age?

In fairness I noticed around a month ago that the similar ones in Derby had gone.

 

[talltim]

The new ones give more info, but I think they are harder to read too. Not sure why, they seems to get more reflections on them

 

[LowLevel]

I'm sure they have only been installed in the last couple of weeks. When I used the station they was a member of staff around helping people and because I cannot see the new boards now I spoke to him and he mentioned it was the first day in use and was surprised that I could not see the new ones but I could the old boards.

I don't see what was wrong with the old ones either.

They were, for electronic screens, a very old design (nearly 15 years) and it was getting impossible to get spare parts. They were first installed on MML stations in about 2000 I think. There were also comparatively small numbers of them as they were only installed at Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield whereas the new units are a fairly standard design. Just life expired basically - they were nearly as old as the TV screens they replaced when they went in.

 

[CallySleeper]

Hopefully not too off topic... but does anyone remember the big grey board at Nottingham of completely different design up to about 10-15 years ago? As well as the classic TV screens.

 

[edwin_m]

Presumably that means the platform ones are going/gone too, which is a real shame as they were/are the only ones where the text is readable from anywhere on the platform.

 

[Qwerty133]

Also sadly been removed at Leicester, they were much better than the ones they've been replaced by, and were also in a much better location. Where the new ones are located is harder to see and also on a narrower area of the concourse.

 

[dosxuk]

The new screens are terrible.

 

[swt_passenger]

Paul Bigland took a photo of the old set up on 4th July, during the build up to the Tour de France:

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p285132037/h182e2975#h450c996

so that does suggest the change was within the last four weeks or so.

 

[bb21]

The parts were incredibly hard to come by. When old platform boards broke down at Leicester (early last year I think with those on Platform 4), they were replaced with these new style boards, causing a mismatch with the rest at the station. Similarly the Loughborough ones were changed when they did the extension work to the platforms.

Loughborough is an odd one considering that it was never a MML station, yet it had one of those installed.

I concur that the screens at Leicester are now poorly located. You can no longer see them as you enter the station from city centre direction.

 

[Andyh82]

The old screens had only been in place since about 2004 or 2005, so not quite 10 years. The previous black and white monitors which they had before then had probably been in use for about 20 years, it certainly looked like it.

 

[CallySleeper]

I visited Kettering earlier this year and saw a mini-version of the same (old) style in the entrance, with the same boards on the platform. Wonder if they've gone too.

 

[Wolf]

A lot better, same boards are used in leeds and many other stations, seem a lot easier to read

 

[43074]

I concur with the comments about Leicester's new departure boards in the concourse, the new boards are above the self service ticket machines so that area seems to get very crowded now, not only with people queuing for tickets but also looking at the boards. Also they don't show as many trains at a time - the old boards showed the next 18 (?) departures, whereas the new ones only show 7 I think. The new boards on the platforms are better though, in a similar format to the old ones but showing the 2nd and 3rd departures as well.

They still had a mini version of the old boards at Market Harborough when I was there a few weeks back, don't know if they're still there however.

 

[bb21]

18 - when it works.

Another problem with the new arrangement is that if you are queuing at the ticket office, you can no longer see the boards to decide whenyou need to run for your train any more.

 

[CallySleeper]

Good to see the er 23.55 to Sheffield is on time there

 

[dosxuk]

A lot better, same boards are used in leeds and many other stations, seem a lot easier to read

They really aren't. They've got a narrower viewing angle, and aren't as bright, so, while they work quite well in Leeds, where near enough everyone approaches them head on, in a dark dingy space, they don't work at all in Sheffield where you come in side on, and with the sun shining directly on them.

You used to be able to read the old boards without stopping, the new ones you need to concentrate to read them.

 

[Andyh82]

A lot better, same boards are used in leeds and many other stations, seem a lot easier to read

Practically everywhere seems to have these style boards now, at least when newly installed.

Of course when Leeds was originally done, they had those blue screens that nobody could read.

I think Kings Cross had the old Sheffield style in the old concourse, but the new concourse has the new style.

One station that still stands out is Manchester Piccadilly, who still persist with the A to Z listing as their main screen, traditional departure lists are only used on smaller displays.

 

[hassaanhc]

18 - when it works.

Another problem with the new arrangement is that if you are queuing at the ticket office, you can no longer see the boards to decide whenyou need to run for your train any more.

Barking has one of those on the concourse!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I've never had a problem with the type of screens now used there :? Certainly far better than the ancient flickering pieces of crap that Southern still use https://flic.kr/p/oh46By

 

[LowLevel]

The parts were incredibly hard to come by. When old platform boards broke down at Leicester (early last year I think with those on Platform 4), they were replaced with these new style boards, causing a mismatch with the rest at the station. Similarly the Loughborough ones were changed when they did the extension work to the platforms.

Loughborough is an odd one considering that it was never a MML station, yet it had one of those installed.

I concur that the screens at Leicester are now poorly located. You can no longer see them as you enter the station from city centre direction.

The ones on Leicester platform 4 were replaced having been damaged by a contractor during platform resurfacing work. The rest are planned renewals as with everywhere else. Loughborough as a busy station for mainline services had a fairly complicated funding arrangement between MML and Central. The gate line was also an MML project.

Dunno about Sheffield specifically but 2000-2001 was the date given to me for installation elsewhere by the S&T staff that maintained them.

 

[Hyphen]

I'll add my tuppence and say I'm also sad to see the previous boards go. There was always something surprisingly satisfying about those boards and the way the departure list 'cascaded' up the screens after a train had left - whoever spent time synchronising those is a genius!

I've not been to Sheffield for a few months now, so I've not seen the new screens in person, but they just look ugly to me, from dosxuk's picture. And if the picture is anything to go by, I don't see how they're more readable - whilst the camera isn't straight on, that location would be somewhere I would expect to be able to stand and read the boards. Yet whilst I can see the LHS departures quite clearly, it's hard to read anything after board 8/9. The viewing angle, for a concourse that big, is very poor.

 

[talltim]

The other problem is that the clock is now right at the right hand end (furthest from the doors when you come in), making it harder to work out if you have enough time to get the train.

 

[bb21]

Dunno about Sheffield specifically but 2000-2001 was the date given to me for installation elsewhere by the S&T staff that maintained them.

I would say it was probably nearer 2002. I moved to Loughborough in late 2000 and they still had conventional monitors there. It lasted quite a while before the new boards went up.

Another sign they were struggling for repairs was when the one at the far end of Platform 3 at Leicester was broke for a good few months.

 

[jon0844]

Certainly far better than the ancient flickering pieces of crap that Southern still use https://flic.kr/p/oh46By

Not quite so bad when viewed with the human eye though.

 

[hassaanhc]

Not quite so bad when viewed with the human eye though.

I can clearly see them flickering when looking at them on stations :? Likewise the front screens on FGW class 165/166. But I also manage to notice flickering with most florescent tubes running on a magnetic ballast :P

 

[jon0844]

If I don't look directly on, I can see them flicker too. Just as fluorescent lights really flicker in my peripheral vision.

 

[BurtonM]

I was in Sheffield on the day of the TdF and the old boards were there then - they're better in my opinion. I can't stand the orange LEDs.
A better idea would be to do something akin to Nederlandse Spoorwegen, that just use flatpanel monitors:

 

[ryan125hst]

I went to Sheffield yesterday and spent the best part of an hour at the station while waiting for my train home. I had a good look at the new boards and they seem fine from a bit of a distance, but you can't see all of the boards if you stand close to them- only the boards in front of you can be seen clearly. It was a bit of a pain because my Mum went into Whistlestop to get a drink and I stood outside with my sister. I could barely see what was on the boards there even though I could see the boards themselves. They're great from a distance, but if you get too close you end up having to move to the left or right to find your train.

Another thing I noticed was the fact that about half an hours worth of trains were shown in detail, with more (probably another 30-45 minutes, can't remember now) being shown on the subsequent departures boards. Looking at the photo of the old boards, just over an hours worth was shown on them, including the calling points. The subsequent departures board doesn't show the calling points. Saying that, I think the new boards are clearer, showing each train and calling points, operator and additional details. For example, Manchester services were shown as "via Hope Valley" or "Express service via Stockport" which I thought was useful- this was even shown below the relevant service on the subsequent departures board. Did the old system do this?

I also have a couple of questions about the displays on the platforms:

The departure boards, located on platforms 3,5, 6 and 8, seemed to have a fault. On the bottom line of the board it says "Time now", but the actual time to the right of this was covered over in black tape. I noticed this on the board on platform 5 when looking south (didn't check the other side) and both sides of the board on platform 3. I didn't go over to 6 and 8, but I'm guessing they're the same. It's no big deal as all the platform specific displays have clocks, but it looks bad when they aren't working properly. Does anyone know what's up with them?

Are there any arrivals boards in Sheffield? I wanted them in Nottingham when I went to meet my flatmates (another one was arriving by train) but couldn't find any so resorted to my phone. I did find an arrivals board later, right over on platform 7. I've never seen one at Sheffield, so does one exist? Given the interchange that Sheffield is, it would be useful for people who are meeting someone off a train, especially those that terminate, although normally all services are shown.