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Lineside Ink

About

It started with the trains outside our window.

I live near the railway, and my children love watching the trains go by. Finding out what was coming meant opening a live tracking website. I wanted something we could simply glance at, so we could get on with watching. That became Lineside Ink.

The idea

I wanted to spend more of that time watching the trains with my children. Knowing what was coming meant opening a live tracking website, and I wanted the answer to be there when we looked over.

So I built a display for it. Something we could give a place in our home, glance at through the day and use to follow the railway we already enjoyed.

The green Lineside Ink display on a wooden shelf beside a hi-fi speaker and a trailing plant, its e-paper screen showing the next train approaching on the East Coast Main Line.

A finished display at home.

How it is made

Each display is assembled and tested by hand in Hertfordshire. The enclosure is 3D-printed and finished with a satin coating.

The parts of a Lineside Ink laid out on a cutting mat during assembly — the green 3D-printed enclosure, its rechargeable battery, the controller board and a bare e-paper panel showing a Hertford Loop Line service.

Assembled and tested by hand: the enclosure, battery, board and e-paper panel.

A Lineside Ink part-way through assembly on a cutting mat — the controller board and battery wired to a bare e-paper panel showing a GB Railfreight Class 66 approaching Whitemoor Yard, with the empty green enclosure behind.

A low-power board, a rechargeable battery and the e-paper panel that holds the last image without drawing power.

Who to contact

If you’re wondering whether Lineside would work for you, ask me. I can help you check a location or get your display set up. Email [email protected] to get straight through. Seller details, response times, and the formal contact route are on the support page. Lineside Ink is an independent product and is not affiliated with Network Rail, National Rail, or any train operating company.

See the display

Get to know the display.