Want to check to see if your train is running on time? Just click on one of these new buttons on TrainsInTheValley.org.
Each link will take you to a simulated Solari board display (a.k.a. split-flap display) for your station .
Italian-made Solari boards were once commonly used at major railway stations and airports around the world — including South Station and Union Station in New Haven.
The simulated Solari board website is provided by Dixieland Software, the provider of the website Amtrak Status Maps.
A couple of notes, for those interested in the details:
The display will update automatically every few minutes.
About every hour the board will be reinitialized, automatically.
The board can be customized to some extent by clicking on the link “Select New Station or Change Options” at the bottom of the display web page.
In particular, you can select whether on not you want the Solaria or static version of the board; times to be shown in 12-hour or 24-hour format; and whether you want a short or long form of the column format. There is even an option to control the speed of the flipping action — Normal or Faster (for those who are in a hurry).
Use your browser’s “Control +” and “Control -” keys to scale the size of the display up or down.
If you change any of the options listed above the website will remember your selection.
Also to keep in mind — a train only appears on the board once it is within 8 hours of its scheduled arrival time at the station, and once a train has departed the station it is removed from the board after about 10 minutes. This all means that at certain times of the day a station board may display no train information.
Further reading
“Amtrak to replace 30th Street Station’s iconic flipping departures sign”
By Mark Dent | Bill Penn | August 25, 2016
Post last updated: August 25, 2016