The lost sound of the split flat departure board

"Today in 2021 most of the large TGV train stations in France have LED departure boards that update silently. But when I first arrived in Paris ten years ago all of the main terminals in Paris had the old "Split-Flap" style boards. Each time the board would update, a wonderful flipping noise would be heard. This recording captures exactly that sound, recorded at Gare du Nord in 2012."

Sony PCM D50 + Soundman OKM II binaural mics + A3 adapter
Recorded 06.10.12 by Colin Hunter.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.