PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Miss the old split-flap schedule board from 30th Street Station? Now’s your chance to relive those memories — this time, in Old City.
Oat Foundry — the Bridesburg engineering firm that designs split-flap displays — is offering a taste of nostalgia by recreating the 30th Street board.
Three of Oat Foundry’s flip boards will be on display
this weekend at
Room 244, a gallery located at 244 Race St. The event marks one year since the beloved yet antiquated Solari board at 30th Street was
taken down.
THIS WEEKEND at 244 Race St. Free + Open to Public. Jan 25-26! https://t.co/VAAMDGCA8z pic.twitter.com/j5ok25xDNe
— Oat Foundry (@OatFoundry)
January 20, 2020 A year ago, the split-flap schedule board was removed from 30th Street Station. A Philly company pays tribute to the board this weekend. The story today on @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/MGKOyMX4N3
— Mike DeNardo (@_MikeDeNardo)
January 22, 2020 Oat Foundry CEO Mark Kuhn concedes that Amtrak hasn't shown much interest in replacing its big, new video screen with a modern flip board. But there are long-term plans to renovate and modernize the station, and Kuhn would like to contribute.
“What we are hopeful of in the future is to have split-flaps back at 30th Street Station. Maybe not as the main conveyance of information, but in some other capacity that's attractive to travelers,” he said.
In the meantime, nostalgic travelers can visit the free pop-up from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, where you can even program your own messages on the boards.
