Passenger Trains > Solari Board to return to 30th St Station, but not anytime soon

Flip board at 30th Street Station is expected to return, but not anytime soon, U.S. Rep. Boyle says

Philadelphia Inquirer
by Robert Moran

Dec 2, 2022

The much-loved clickety-clack flip board at 30th Street Station is expected to return — but not anytime soon, and only for decoration.

Amtrak removed the 1970s-era electromechanical information board in 2019, causing a small uproar from fans of the analog display that provided travelers with details about train arrivals, departures, and delays. It was replaced by a digital display that is integrated with current software and the station’s public-address system, as well as being compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle said Friday that he expected the flip board to make a comeback, but the return is likely years off. An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed the agency was working to bring back the board as a design element in the station’s ongoing redevelopment project.

In late 2018, Boyle, a Democrat who represents part of Northeast Philadelphia and rides Amtrak back and forth to Washington, spoke with the agency’s then-CEO, Richard H. Anderson, about retaining the sign in some form. Boyle said the CEO was “very receptive” to having the flip board returned or replaced by something similar, but that wasn’t going to happen immediately.

Then the pandemic hit, throwing off an already vague timetable.

On Friday, Brendan McPhillips, the former campaign manager for Sen.-elect John Fetterman, complained on Twitter about the old flip board being removed, then excitedly posted an update saying the sign was coming back.

“FOLKS! I’ve been informed that due to the tireless efforts of @RepBrendanBoyle our beloved clickety-clack sign will be returning to 30th St upon completion of the remodel. Digital billboards will also remain to better support our ADA community. That’s constituent services, folks!” McPhillips wrote.

In a phone interview, Boyle said that was largely correct, but the sign’s return could be several years away. Boyle said he expects the sign, which was originally made by an Italian company called Solari, to return when a major renovation project is completed for the historic station, which is officially (and pompously named) the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station.

In 2021, Amtrak said the project was expected to be completed in 2025.

Boyle said he has continued to press the issue about the flip board with current Amtrak CEO Stephen J. Gardner.

“They have absolutely committed to that,” Boyle said.

In an emailed statement, Amtrak spokesperson Beth K. Toll said: “As part of the ongoing master development at Gray 30th Street Station, Amtrak continues to work with our developer partner to reincorporate the Solari board into the station as a design element (not as a functioning train information board) for everyone to enjoy.”

As for the station’s renovation project, Toll said it was underway but in its early stages.

The flip board sign is being kept at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Lancaster County.

The plan for the sign’s return, Boyle said, is to have it used for general messages and greetings, not for time-sensitive announcements about trains. That would continue to be handled by the digital display.

“Every time I’m there, I miss the old sign,” said Boyle, who spoke by phone from his Washington office and was about to take an Amtrak train home Friday evening.

The station, which he calls “the most beautiful” in the country, is “missing something without the sign.”

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/30th-street-station-amtrak-flipboard-return-20221202.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/22 01:46 by GenePoon.

I wil never understand the fuss over this. 

Lots of people don't understand our fuss over trains in general, either!

B&OBill

I remember one of those flip boards at NY Penn Sta in the 1970's. Leaving the city for NJ late Saturday night you had to hustle down a narrow stairway to the platform if you wanted to get a seat. Problem was you could never be sure what track#.
With that old board (unlike today's digital displays) you didn't have to constantly watch the board; you could close your eyes or read a book and that clacking sound was the cue to look up.

First time I remember seeing one of these was in the old North Terminal at Newark Airport in the early '60s. It was high tech at the time.

The LED Board at Newark Penn has loud peakers for the clicking sound when changing. 
 

I miss the green station board  that had train info in the center of 30th st. before the solari board.    There were 2 stationmasters  there who could give u info, and the train info was written in beautiful bright white script on a green backed station board.   it was 100% class.

Never liked the solari board.  it was so 1960's/70's designless.  just a boring black and white square machine.   Ppl liked the flipping numbers and letters, but other than that, it had no class whatsoever.

From an era when our clock radios had flipping digits. We threw them out years ago. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> From an era when our clock radios had flipping
> digits. We threw them out years ago. 

I had one that ran for years...but somehow the stepper motor got gummed up and other aging processes also so that it would advance by several minutes at a time or not at all or just stall until it drew enough current to grunt itself into going. I probably could have cleaned it of goo and made it work properly again but I had no idea of those processes then... 

I really miss those old Chalk Boards! LOL!

engineerinvirginia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > From an era when our clock radios had flipping
> > digits. We threw them out years ago. 
>
> I had one that ran for years...but somehow the
> stepper motor got gummed up and other aging
> processes also so that it would advance by several
> minutes at a time or not at all or just stall
> until it drew enough current to grunt itself into
> going. I probably could have cleaned it of goo and
> made it work properly again but I had no idea of
> those processes then... 

Not a family aireloom, so I cannot understand the fuss over Solari boards. They are just as much an airport thing anyway. 

What got me about blackboard, besides the penmanship of the 100 year old usher in Philly, was the chalk would be nearly invisible at first, then brighten up a minute later. That's not how it was in school. Was it Maxwell Smart chalk ? 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What got me about blackboard, besides the
> penmanship of the 100 year old usher in Philly,
> was the chalk would be nearly invisible at first,
> then brighten up a minute later. That's not how it
> was in school. Was it Maxwell Smart chalk ? 

Yea..it was cool and classy.   The solari board was just  1960's cheapening of everything.

That's exactly what I was thinking ha! Groundhog Day!

rgzfan Wrote:
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> I Got You Babe

Posted from Android

Me three!

Andy

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's exactly what I was thinking ha! Groundhog
> Day!
>
> rgzfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I Got You Babe
>
> Posted from Android

Re the 1970s flip card clocks, I’m pretty sure there is no stepper.  It fascinated us as kids and we’d stare closely at it as we naturally thought the little finger raised once a minute to let a card go by.  In fact the cards fit into slots in a drum which turns.  When it’s turned enough the card slips by the finger which is fixed.  No guarantee that differences in friction from one card to the next might make it be 59 seconds vs 61 on the next but also no reason that there should be a variance either.  The minutes drum is rotating at a turn per hour so in that time 60 cards will go by.

In terms of railroad ops, of all the places that still had a Solari Board post 1985 or so, Newark, NJ seems to peak my mind with a pretty cool system still in play.... NYP had the largest board, I think, but it was Newark that also had a solari board in the station and mini solari boards up on the platform tracks that would further post the train name, train number, and departing/arriving time. I can remember watching the "train name" change and spin through and you'd see all the "named" NEC trains that once were spin by (at one time). The solari boards sort of kept you on your toes both down in the station and up on the train platform........

Ironically, many of the new electronic boards are also Solari Boards, just not the mechanical clickety-clackety ones. Some even have an audio system attached to simulate the old sound of the mechanical boards!