I was waiting at the level crossing near Malvern Link and it surprised me how soon the barriers were let up after the train had passed. Usually I am waiting there for around 2 - 3 minutes but today a FGW train passed and it was only around 15 seconds before the barriers rose and the train was well in sight.
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Timings at level crossings
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If the train has passed, why keep the barriers down?
Llanigraham
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Because the signalman was busy doing something else?
Sorry, I think I didn't phrase that right. I was asking why azz7008 was surprised that the barriers opened so quickly. Why did he expect them to be down longer than neccessary.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
Add.
If this was Newlands East Box, then I think the signaller has to clear a signal before s/he can raise the barriers.
Or they may have been busy.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
And I've just realised I read it the wrong way..............doh!!
If I remember rightly the set-up here was the same at my old Box, so the time taken could vary as different people did things in a slightly different order. Even when sending "2" to the next Box could vary from person to person, so could affect when the "Raise" button got pressed.
If this was Newlands East Box, then I think the signaller has to clear a signal before s/he can raise the barriers.
Or they may have been busy.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
And I've just realised I read it the wrong way..............doh!!
If I remember rightly the set-up here was the same at my old Box, so the time taken could vary as different people did things in a slightly different order. Even when sending "2" to the next Box could vary from person to person, so could affect when the "Raise" button got pressed.
carriageline
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Some crossings have "auto-raise", which once the track circuit for the crossing has gone clear, then the barriers will raise.
As usual, every crossing is different so no doubt there is variations!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As usual, every crossing is different so no doubt there is variations!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Deepgreen
Established Member
Quite. I pass one at Buckland on the North Downs line near Reigate every day and the barriers can be seen from the rear carriage of the train (westbound) lifting as it passes at 70mph! The track circuit joint must be immediately next to the crossing.
We could use this turn of efficiency on the ECML - Lolham & Tallington are often left down causing long delays to traffic when there appears to be ample time to open & close them again between trains.
That said, I suspect that signalling & linespeed combine to create a situation where whatever they do they're delaying something!
That said, I suspect that signalling & linespeed combine to create a situation where whatever they do they're delaying something!
tsr
Established Member
The one at Buckland (for example) is an automatic half-barrier crossing on an extremely quiet country lane. Although the signaller will be well aware of it, and in the event of failure it can be troublesome, in day-to-day circumstances there shouldn't be any real reason that it's slow. And it isn't!
As AHBCs go, I reckon it's probably always been a fairly good candidate for that type of crossing. The road is pretty much a dead end leading to a couple of farms, except for a few footpaths up into the hills. Signage for vehicles on approach to the crossing is good and the road layout is easy enough. Neither service frequency nor linespeed are especially high, and it is on a very "conventional" double track layout. It's a far cry from anything with manual control, or a location where the crossing has to be checked with object detection, CCTV or MkI eyeball (including waiting a suitable time for traffic to clear), etc. But I can confirm that the crossing barriers should raise fractionally after the train has cleared, and the red warning lights will continue to show to road traffic until they're raised anyway.
As AHBCs go, I reckon it's probably always been a fairly good candidate for that type of crossing. The road is pretty much a dead end leading to a couple of farms, except for a few footpaths up into the hills. Signage for vehicles on approach to the crossing is good and the road layout is easy enough. Neither service frequency nor linespeed are especially high, and it is on a very "conventional" double track layout. It's a far cry from anything with manual control, or a location where the crossing has to be checked with object detection, CCTV or MkI eyeball (including waiting a suitable time for traffic to clear), etc. But I can confirm that the crossing barriers should raise fractionally after the train has cleared, and the red warning lights will continue to show to road traffic until they're raised anyway.
Just one thought, hopefully misdirected! You're not one of those people who's often deeply engrossed in a (handheld) mobile phone call as they approach the crossing, and continue talking as they're held at the barriers and clearly intending to carry on talking after they raise, are you? If there was no-one else waiting, I always used to help such people by leaving the barriers down for an extra minute or two after the train passed so that they could carry on with their call, uninterrupted 
.
In all seriousness, and further to Llanigraham's comments, I always (other than as above) tried to get the barriers up as promptly as possible behind a passing train, but one location required the 'raise' button to be held down until the barriers had fully raised, so I'd usually clear out to the box in rear first if I knew that there was a second train closely following (so that'd take a good few seconds), and sometimes the box in advance would time it perfectly and clear out as the next train was passing the box (so I'd sort that out first to get pulled off before he saw the starter's distant), and sometimes a crossing phone would ring at the wrong moment and the phone wouldn't easily reach to the crossing controls - all sorts of reasons really. I think I only forgot about the crossing completely on one occasion*!
* - reminds me of the reliefman who forgot to put the barriers up after the last train at one box. Waited for it to clear the section, possibly had a possession to sort out, finished tidying up, closed the box and locked up, went down to his car and only realised his omission when he turned onto the road and went to drive over the crossing!
.In all seriousness, and further to Llanigraham's comments, I always (other than as above) tried to get the barriers up as promptly as possible behind a passing train, but one location required the 'raise' button to be held down until the barriers had fully raised, so I'd usually clear out to the box in rear first if I knew that there was a second train closely following (so that'd take a good few seconds), and sometimes the box in advance would time it perfectly and clear out as the next train was passing the box (so I'd sort that out first to get pulled off before he saw the starter's distant), and sometimes a crossing phone would ring at the wrong moment and the phone wouldn't easily reach to the crossing controls - all sorts of reasons really. I think I only forgot about the crossing completely on one occasion*!
* - reminds me of the reliefman who forgot to put the barriers up after the last train at one box. Waited for it to clear the section, possibly had a possession to sort out, finished tidying up, closed the box and locked up, went down to his car and only realised his omission when he turned onto the road and went to drive over the crossing!
The fun thing with auto-raise can be that, when it is turned to "manual", the need to lift the barriers after a train (or, more likely trains) has/have passed can be ever-so-slightly - forgotten...
An interesting related issue is how many trains get to be passed on one drop of the barriers - my own record is 7... And, given the strict operating instructions in force for Betchworth CCTV at the time - it was entirely justifiable.
An interesting related issue is how many trains get to be passed on one drop of the barriers - my own record is 7... And, given the strict operating instructions in force for Betchworth CCTV at the time - it was entirely justifiable.
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7 at Betchworth is some going.
Reasonably sure Ingatestone will hold the record under normal operation; would be surprised if it wasn't well into double figures on one drop.
How long it is between them going down and the train coming is also notable.
The one at Cross Hills near Steeton seems to take an age before a train comes, you often get two passing as well, as there's at least 8 trains an hour on that route.
Whereas I was recently stopped by one just west of Blaydon near Gateshead and the pacer came bouncing along within what seemed no longer than 30 seconds.
The one at Cross Hills near Steeton seems to take an age before a train comes, you often get two passing as well, as there's at least 8 trains an hour on that route.
Whereas I was recently stopped by one just west of Blaydon near Gateshead and the pacer came bouncing along within what seemed no longer than 30 seconds.
Railsigns
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That's because the first of those crossings (Kildwick) has manually controlled barriers (supervised by CCTV), whereas the second one (Addison) has automatic half barriers. They're two entirely different types of level crossing.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
Just one thought, hopefully misdirected! You're not one of those people who's often deeply engrossed in a (handheld) mobile phone call as they approach the crossing, and continue talking as they're held at the barriers and clearly intending to carry on talking after they raise, are you? If there was no-one else waiting, I always used to help such people by leaving the barriers down for an extra minute or two after the train passed so that they could carry on with their call, uninterrupted
And didn't it always take longer to send the bells when someone impatient was blowing their horn at the crossing?
I believe that after the Hixon disaster, a minimum of 37 seconds between barriers fully lowered and train passing was written into law.
Railsigns
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No. The minimum warning time for automatic half barriers is 27 seconds, and that includes the time it takes for the barriers to descend.
Yes!!And didn't it always take longer to send the bells when someone impatient was blowing their horn at the crossing?
Someone once did it just as I was about to raise the barriers for a very quick swing between two trains. Hmm, on reflection, maybe there's not enough time after all...
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