Footage of split-flap/solari boards in operation at British stations

[eldomtom2]

Does anyone know of where this can be found? A quick trawl of Youtube etc. turned up nothing.

 

[Andy R. A.]

A very brief 'set up' can be seen of one at Victoria at 0.27 in this video of London to Brighton in three and a half minutes.

Another brief scene at Euston at 3.33 in this one.

Used to operate that one between 1974-9, what memories !

 

[James H]

Not an 'action' shot but there's some footage of the Solari board at Waterloo here:

More Thames News 1980s reports on Waterloo here:

https://www.youtube.com/@thamesnews/search?query=waterloo%20station

 

[randyrippley]

That old BRB film of a day at Waterloo had shots of the old wooden Solari working
Famous film, I can't remember the name. Anyone remember? It was linked to from here around 2 years ago

 

[MadMac]

That old BRB film of a day at Waterloo had shots of the old wooden Solari working
Famous film, I can't remember the name. Anyone remember? It was linked to from here around 2 years ago

Terminus. From about 8:16.

 

[citycat]

Unfortunately, they seem to have removed the full film of this musical featuring music from Ray Davies of The Kinks, but this short trailer features the Solari board.

 

[randyrippley]

That old BRB film of a day at Waterloo had shots of the old wooden Solari working
Famous film, I can't remember the name. Anyone remember? It was linked to from here around 2 years ago

That's the one
Never noticed before how apprehensive everyone gathered around the Solari looks

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Way back - there was a series called "Second City Firsts" - a collection of stories based on Birmingham (very good as I recall) - which had an introduction featuring the New Street Solari boards.

1975 - at least one episode on Youtube !

 

[Magdalia]

Never noticed before how apprehensive everyone gathered around the Solari looks

For me, the Solari is a gaping hole in railway preservation.

I have spent a lot of time looking apprehensively at Solaris, especially at Kings Cross.

 

[Taunton]

That old BRB film of a day at Waterloo had shots of the old wooden Solari working

I had more than one obscure contact with this.

Must have been mid-1970s that the old wooden board (Southern railway vintage?) was replaced by the new Solari. The engineering contractor who did the replacement, Wickens of Chertsey. who had doubtless been responsible for disposal of residuals, actually advertised the old board for sale in the Railway Magazine.

Some years later I had business contacts with them, and mentioned I remembered this. Actually not a complete memory, but I had been thumbing old magazines a short while before and noticed it was them. The engineer from those times said that it had been sold to a "dealer" almost the day the magazine had come out, much to everyone's surprise. It had been a considerable nuisance in their builders' yard and they were glad to be shot of it.

On I went, and life moved on to Los Angeles, California. After a while there we went to a restaurant in Hollywood that had opened up called "Victoria Station", first of what later became a chain. Dining was in old BR carriages, in blue/grey, which I later discovered were the remains of the rather chaotic Flying Scotsman USA trip of some years earlier, along with lots of other railway memorabilia. Anyway, into the restaurant entrance ... and there, pride of place, was the old wooden Waterloo indicator board, huge, dominating everything. Inevitably set to nonsense combinations, which I pointed out on the way out, to be told "Yeah, whenever we get British train buffs here they always say that". So that's what happened to it. The restaurant has long gone, I'm afraid I presume the board was scrapped when the site was cleared.

I don't think Mr Solari had any connection with the board.

 

[nw1]

Unfortunately, they seem to have removed the full film of this musical featuring music from Ray Davies of The Kinks, but this short trailer features the Solari board.

Interesting that from the units on display there and their livery, you can date this to within a three-year period (around 1983-86).

You can also infer that it was probably either morning peak or Sunday from the '53' headcode.