Earl's Court describers

Because there is nothing wrong with the traditional indicators !

I'd agree a dot matrix would be a supplement but to be of value it'd have to be able to do more than the current set up ....and as it stands it can't. Under the current set up most (District)stations where the train destination description is passed from one section to another is unable to show anything other than the next train and not how far away it is, I don't see, without some serious new kit, that Earl's Court would be any different. Plus a centred Dot matrix can only be seen from a limited number of locations rather than (scafolding permitting) the entire platform length ! Plus you need to cope with an Upminster ... or Wimbledon in both e/b or w/b platforms where either train can leave first which may not have been decided as they arrive and in any event in both cases the first train to leave may not be the first train to be routed accross the subsequent converging junction ! Fact is too many people would gather round the centred dot matrix until the arrow shows which side the next arrival (or departure) is blocking the stairways in the process.
(and in my experience, those who can't understand the simple light boxes, also can't understand complexities of centred dot matrix with arrows ... or for that matter dot matrix on the train fronts ...and sides ...and insides ...... !) ;D ;D

In the event of serious new kit coming to the whole of the line (and there are a lot of places with no info at all thus a much greater priority imho before upgrading Earls Court which has pretty good information) then I agree the light box arrows should be retained to supplement all singing and all dancing dot matrix.

What a waste of money. If Metronet couldn't put back the previous metal plates (which must have been pretty much indestructable) they might as well have put new DMIs in. This compromise achieves nothing and placates neither traditionalist nor moderniser. How about starting a new "heritage item disappeared by Metronet" thread? First submission: Bethnal Green's bronze roundel-faced platform clocks which were still there before refurb. Tim OT is right, LU's heritage is not safe in their hands.

I thought Metronet were back in tube hands? I'm sure there was a thread somewhere saying that...

What a pity though; I guess being sympathetic to originality costs too much for a world class metro...

I've also got a couple of photos of that type but WITHOUT arrows, there's a three-column one at St James Park, being installed in 1905 - before the non-stopping came in in 1907.

Much nicer than the 'originals' that these effete replacements are 'replicating'. ;D ;D

Something that sorts by destination (especially westbound) and has the time to the next train (or two) to that destination, and then a platform indicator. Having the time things move left as they get closer helps you to see which one should be first.

Here's an example, showing trains in a fictional 10 minute period:

<rantette> Very true - especially given that the current system was designed to cater for people who had the attitude 'if I'm going to travel by train I'm going to follow what the train does', rather than the attitude that has developed of late 'if the trains don't do what I expect them to do, I'm going to complain'.

Unfortunately, society as a whole has changed - there is now a far greater emphasis on the wishes on the <ahem> 'individual' - people now feel they can fight for their own way and are not prepared to accept that the system designed for passenger information is actually pretty damn good, considering.

High time that people took responsibility for their own actions - if they can't assimilate the information before them, then they should retire, cowed and put up the money themselves to improve a system. ;D </rantette>

I did some work on the PPP re-furb at Bow Road which incorporated the provision of train indicators. I learnt that, until the signalling is significantly upgraded, the only info available (electrically) is for the next train and only then when it is within a few minutes anyway. A colleuage of mine, Fiona Irving, was working hard to come up with a train-detection system to work independently of the signalling in order to provide some more meaningful passenger info. She suffered from the same problem as does anyone - that provision of wrong info is the worst crime, provision of no info when you've led people to expect some is the 2nd major crime. In view of that, guessing is no option. The truth is, particularly at Earl's Court, what we've got is all we're going to get until a new system is devised and implemented. Rather that than unintentionally lie to the passengers.

There is a completely secure train-desriber system integrated within the signalling system on the Central line. Even then, during disruption (when passengers really need the describers) the corrective actions taken by the control staff, especially last-minute changes, always upsets people. It was our biggest single source of complaints - for which my boss regularly removed layers of my hide. Train-desriber heaven is beyond reach I fear.

"Terminates here" or just "Terminates" work in most other places. If that is too long, what about "ends here"?

This picture is interesting as ACTON TOWN appears to be in Johnston font? Exactly what we are complaining about with the "refurbished" ones!!

So, these describers have had at least 3 different fonts already, each different to the previous used.

Should we really be getting that worked up (myself included!) by something that has been done before?

Which era should they "refurbish" them to: 1908, late 1950s or all Johnston??

A certain enthusiast group for the Underground has in it's collection a few of these and they are coloured black & yellow + reversed, rather than the usual blue & white.

If they really wanted to tidy the sign up, instead of just stamping the TfL 'image' all over it with New Johnston, they could have replaced the blue on white signs with white on blue, or even illuminated versions of this. And made the capital letters. Not original either, granted, but tidier.

I was there yesterday at it appears they've been covered up. Either that or I was looking in the wrong place.

How bizarre! If they've done that because of the wrong font and they're going to be re-restored, then why not just leave them 'as is' until that happens? Seems a bit Pythonesque to paper over the offending panels!

On the other hand, if they were covered up due to faults that would be entirely understandable. Not sure how much there is to go wrong with them though, they're not much more complicated than a domestic light socket and switch.

In and of themselves, no. However, the 'indication storage' for trains yet to appear is another story.