Level crossing stupidity...

[Gwiwer]

In parts of the North of England "while" means "until" as in "I have to go to work while 5pm".

 

In the eastern end of Colchester in 1972 traffic could be badly disrupted by the level crossing gates so continental barriers were tried. A cyclist born in the North was killed though. The new signs said "Wait while the red lights flash" and he waited UNTIL the red lights flashed and promptly pulled in front of a train.

 

I know of that particular dialect.  It's fairly common north of Watford Gap

 

Most level crossings here have a sign "When red lights show STOP HERE"  which only assumes the road user isn't red-green deficient in their vision.  It's unambiguous and even a colour-blind driver would be aware that the lights were flashing.

[John_Hughes]

Riding GO Transit cab cars in the winter you can feel a serious lift at level crossings. The road traffic across the crossing melts and sprays the show/slush to the sides which then re-freezes as an ice bank across the rails. In the 7 hours between the last inbound train and the first outbound one this can become quite substantial. You can get some pretty serious lift out of the cab car, which isn't a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Adrian

 

Yup - felt that more than once on crossings in the good old CP dayliners! Quite a bounce!

[newbryford]

Can't blame the car driver for this one.....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOgzPvTGz2E

 

Cheers,

Mick

[PhilJ W]

Lucky to survive his own stupidity

EDIT corrected URL

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/13790965.UPDATED__Man_hit_by_train_at_Pitsea_station_taken_to_hospital/

He was running for a train and ducked under the barriers!

Edited September 30, 2015 by PhilJ W

[rab]

Can't blame the car driver for this one.....

 

The person posting the video did 'Car hits train'!

Surely this one was train hits car!

 

[Gary H]

Lucky to survive his own stupidity

EDIT corrected URL

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/13790965.UPDATED__Man_hit_by_train_at_Pitsea_station_taken_to_hospital/

He was running for a train and ducked under the barriers!

Unbelievable the lengths some will go to so as not to miss a train.

Here's an idea, leave earlier!!

He sure learnt the hard way didn't he.

[Talltim]

On a lighter note

https://www.facebook.com/thelincolnite/videos/vb.114410558598412/962612340444892/?type=2&theater

Edit: Tested that it works without being logged onto Facebook

Edited October 5, 2015 by Talltim

[Re6/6]

More ****wits.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYvWdQSO0lY

[RJS1977]

You really don't need to star out the word "half" you know...

[PhilJ W]

More ****wits.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYvWdQSO0lY

I would have laughed my head off if the bike that the idiot had lifted over the barrier (approx 1.25) had gone up with the barrier as it started doing. Not level crossing stupidity but on Facebook a couple of days ago there was a short film of a crossing in Eastern Europe with the traffic waiting for the train to pass. An engineering train hove into view moving very slowly, two wagons and one of those track machines called a TRAM, being pushed by a couple of guys in orange high vis.  

[Neil]

Sometimes the rail industry cocks up too.

 

Here's a report into a local incident that could have turned out far worse but for luck. Though the report correctly notes that no pedestrians or vehicles were on the crossing, the local press at the time commented that eye witnesses said there had been a near miss with a tanker lorry and other vehicles. The report claims no near misses which leads me to wonder if there's a standard definition of near miss and whether that would differ from what you and I would count as a near miss?

[Gwiwer]

Not my photo - it turned up on a Facebook page called "Metro Memes" - but it's taken only 2 miles or so from my home.  The truck is alleged to be waiting for traffic lights.  Stopped in that position there are lights right in front but they co-act with a set before the crossing so he's come through a "late" yellow or a red already to be faced with a red at that spot.

 

[martin_wynne]

Sometimes the rail industry cocks up too.

 

Here's a report into a local incident that could have turned out far worse but for luck.

 

And another one: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/train-passed-over-lydney-level-crossing-with-crossing-barriers-raised

 

Martin.

[phil-b259]

And another one: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/train-passed-over-lydney-level-crossing-with-crossing-barriers-raised

 

Martin.

While not the crossing may not have functioned entirely correctly the first thing I note from a brief reading of the linked page is that the red road lights were flashing at the time the train passed over the crossing. Pedestrians and motorists SHOULD have therefore stopped clear of the crossing and not been in harms way. This is why it is ESSENTIAL they are obeyed barrier or no barrier.

 

Remember while a barrier may be a useful aid - the legislation is written around the red lights for a very good reason.

 

Incidentally the incident described in the report occurred before the fatal incident at Moreton-on-Lugg which highlighted that lack of interlocking between barrier controls and the signals at some mechanical / lever frame signal boxes. As far as I am aware where level crossings have come under the control of large power boxes during resignalling projects, interlocking between the signals and the crossing controls has allways been provided.

Edited October 9, 2015 by phil-b259

[The Stationmaster]

While not the crossing may not have functioned entirely correctly the first thing I note from a brief reading of the linked page is that the red road lights were flashing at the time the train passed over the crossing. Pedestrians and motorists SHOULD have therefore stopped clear of the crossing and not been in harms way. This is why it is ESSENTIAL they are obeyed barrier or no barrier.

 

Remember while a barrier may be a useful aid - the legislation is written around the red lights for a very good reason.

 

Incidentally the incident described in the report occurred before the fatal incident at Moreton-on-Lugg which highlighted that lack of interlocking between barrier controls and the signals at some mechanical / lever frame signal boxes. As far as I am aware where level crossings have come under the control of large power boxes during resignalling projects, interlocking between the signals and the crossing controls has allways been provided.

I think you will find with controlled crossings that interlocking is normally provided (it was at Moreton-On-Lugg - I believe the issue there was track circuit or whatever activated approach locking which would have prevented the barriers from being raised after an approaching train had passed the protecting signal and it had been returned to danger.

And another one: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/train-passed-over-lydney-level-crossing-with-crossing-barriers-raised

 

Martin.

 

This one is interesting in that the situation used to be covered in the Signalman's General Instructions and, I think, the General Appendix and something seems to have been lost somewhere in a revision process.  I suspect the reason might well be the way in which Rules etc have become divorced from the real railway and are now in the hands of RSSB - thus the old process of back-checking that changes to Rules etc don't miss the way older installations might function or the need to do jobs in a certain way no longer happens effectively.  It is very noticeable that after RSSB took over it started to become extremely difficult to get in feedback to deal with errors or ambiguities in the Rules & Regulations.

 

Incidentally as an aside the author of the report does not appear to entirely understand the principle of automatic operation of a controlled signal on the WR - the signal is always a controlled signal and just like any other controlled signal can be returned to danger at any time.  The automatic element simply saves the need to manually reset the route every time the signal is passed by a train - n the event of barriers being worked manually the signal should be set to manual operation and maintained at danger until it is confirmed that the road lights are working and the barriers are down etc.

[phil-b259]

I think you will find with controlled crossings that interlocking is normally provided (it was at Moreton-On-Lugg - I believe the issue there was track circuit or whatever activated approach locking which would have prevented the barriers from being raised after an approaching train had passed the protecting signal and it had been returned to danger.

 

I had to rush out so the post was brief, but yes as you say the fundamental cause was a lack of approach locking being applied to the signal protecting the crossing. For those not signal minded, this can be achieved on a mechanical signal box by the provision of electric 'backlocks' on the signal lever that prevent it being fully returned to the frame unless (1) The train it was pulled off for has been proved to have passed via the occupation of a track circuit (or other detection device) OR (2) A 2 minute timer has timed out. As the barrier controls will require the signal lever to be fully back in the frame before the barriers can be raised the potential for a train arriving on a un-activated crossing is prevented.

Edited October 9, 2015 by phil-b259

[Colin_McLeod]

Slatt level crossing accident in 1990 was caused by a technical fault followed by the driver not reacting to the absence of the flashing white light. This was before the introduction of the flashing red light.

[John_Hughes]

Sometimes the rail industry cocks up too.

 

Here's a report into a local incident that could have turned out far worse but for luck. Though the report correctly notes that no pedestrians or vehicles were on the crossing, the local press at the time commented that eye witnesses said there had been a near miss with a tanker lorry and other vehicles. The report claims no near misses which leads me to wonder if there's a standard definition of near miss and whether that would differ from what you and I would count as a near miss?

 

The only reason that there was no traffic on the crossing at the time was that a mate of mine saw the train coming and stopped the approaching vehicles, which as you say included a tanker and a couple of bikes!

 

All the fault of the crew working on the wiring, apparently.

[melmerby]

Not quite a level crossing but at my local station someone who thought they could cross the railway without a road!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-34464468

 

She missed a bend and went straight on down the embankment.

Fortunately the train was able to stop. It was slowing for the station.

 

She's been charged with being on the pop!

Wasn't local, she was from Wolverhapton.

 

Keith

Edited October 10, 2015 by melmerby

[kenw]

. The report claims no near misses which leads me to wonder if there's a standard definition of near miss and whether that would differ from what you and I would count as a near miss?

Not quite, the report actually says (para.43) "There were also no reported near misses with road or pedestrian traffic"

Note the use of "reported", the enquiry would only consider the event as officially reported

[lmsforever]

Today I was watching a vid which included scenes filmed in a large signal centre where they controlled many crossings,my other half was also watching and commented why does the monitor switch off when the barriers are down.Her reasoning being the signalman has no idea if any idiot tries to crash the barrier or jump over to cross ,what are the fail safes covering this situation?

[LMS2968]

In view of the time available before the train arrives, what could he do anyway except call for an ambulance?

[phil-b259]

Today I was watching a vid which included scenes filmed in a large signal centre where they controlled many crossings,my other half was also watching and commented why does the monitor switch off when the barriers are down.Her reasoning being the signalman has no idea if any idiot tries to crash the barrier or jump over to cross ,what are the fail safes covering this situation?

 

In General there aren't any 'fail safes' as you put it - the railway assumes, with some justification that once the crossing has been scanned for obstacles via the operators eyeball (or the Radar / LiDar on Obstacle detector crossings) it will stay that way for as long as the barriers remain lowered.

 

(Note the railway in the UK is PROHIBITED from having automatic barriers that close off the whole road like you get in France. If the road is totally closed off with no escape route then the crossing MUST be monitored and proved to be clear of Vehicles and people before the protecting signals can sow anything other than red - either by an on site signaller or remotely via CCTV or by fail safe Obstacle detection Radar & LiDar equipment.)

 

However were the barriers to be ripped off say after being lowered and the CCTV picture being turned off the boom proving (confirms the barrier boom is still actually attached to the pedestal) circuit would be broken, generating a 'barriers failed' alarm and replacing the signals to red. Also if someone lifts the barriers beyond 5 degrees from Horizontal the 'Down proving' circuit would be broken - again causing the signals to revert to red.

 

As for the monitors turning off, this is for a VERY good reason - distraction. The signallers duty is to signal trains and as such they should be concentrating on their signalling panel / frame / box diagram etc. We therefore arrange it such that the picture only appears on the monitor when approaching trains occupy a particular track circuit - the exact choice being sufficiently far away that the signaller has the chance to react and lower the barriers then clear the signals so that the driver receives a green as aspect (which can be some distance in 4 aspect territory)

 

Once the barriers have been lowered the act of pressing the 'crossing clear' button allows the protecting signals to clear to a proceed aspect and turns the monitor off, thus allowing the signaller to return to signalling trains without distraction. If the signaller wishes to monitor the crossing they have to activate the picture manually*.

 

As for what happens after the train has passed - well the railway works on the assumption people are not stupid enough to tie their dogs or have their children hanging off the barriers etc so raising them can be done without visual observation. Most remote barriers also have what is called an 'auto raise' function which means that once the train has passed and no routes are set across the crossing the barriers rise with no intervention or observation by the signaller.

 

 

* For testing purposes the picture may be called up on the panel at any time should the signaller request it. They can also turn it off again at any time outside the lowering sequence.

Edited October 10, 2015 by phil-b259

[luckymucklebackit]

Stupidity on another level yesterday on the Airdrie to Bathgate line, 334016 hit a 4x4 that the Police believe to have been stolen and deliberately driven onto the tracks at Uphall.  The moron who did this should be charged with attempted murder.  Thankfully the unit only suffered superficial damage and one passenger was slightly injured.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-34530924

 

Jim

[big jim]

Today I was watching a vid which included scenes filmed in a large signal centre where they controlled many crossings,my other half was also watching and commented why does the monitor switch off when the barriers are down.Her reasoning being the signalman has no idea if any idiot tries to crash the barrier or jump over to cross ,what are the fail safes covering this situation?

one of the reasons is to stop 'screen burn'

 

i remember the signaller at gresty lane telling me that they had their monitors for willaston crossing (cctv) replaced with 2nd hand equipment, only for it to show clear as day the outline of the previous crossing which had the monitors on all the time

 

i think they stay on for a short while, gresty did while i was in there and certainly derby box can see spondon for a time after the barriers are dropped as i had a signal put back on me after someone smashed through the barriers as i aproached at 75mph and the signaller saw it happen after the protecting signal was pulled off by him so he put it back to danger

 

certainly a heart in your mouth moment to pass a red at 75mph and see the barriers all over the track in front of you, luckily i stopped before the crossing

Edited October 15, 2015 by big jim