Crossing Boxes - Double Staffed

[Andy9gc]

My first thread on here so hopefully in the right place. Im doing a little bit of research and finding it hard to find the information that Im looking for.

Are there any Crossing boxes (rather than workstations) that are double staffed due to traffic, number of crossings controlled or lack of downtime for personal breaks etc.

If so where are they located and any relevent information would be fantastic.

 

[Gloster]

My first thread on here so hopefully in the right place. Im doing a little bit of research and finding it hard to find the information that Im looking for.

Are there any Crossing boxes (rather than workstations) that are double staffed due to traffic, number of crossings controlled or lack of downtime for personal breaks etc.

If so where are they located and any relevent information would be fantastic.

Do you mean block posts, almost all off the old manual type, that control level crossings, or locations that are not block posts and just see to the safe closing of the barriers (or gates if there are still any) for the passage of trains?

 

[MadMac]

Offhand, I can’t recall ever hearing of a double-manned “gate box” (as we used to call them).

 

[Gloster]

Offhand, I can’t recall ever hearing of a double-manned “gate box” (as we used to call them).

Very much my opinion, although it is many years since I was on the railway. The nearest I can think of is Red Coa Crossing, where the barriers are controlled from Exeter Panel, but there is a member of staff on the crossing to see people across. The member of staff is now, I believe, just 06.00-22.00, but they used to be continuous; before the Panel opened the barriers were operated by the adjacent Exeter Middle Signal Box. However, this is not really the same thing.

There are, I think, some panel signalboxes that are staffed by more than one member of staff, with one or more operating the signalling panel and one, or possibly more, sitting at a separate desk that oversees the CCTV crossings. But again this is not really double-manned.

 

[endofthetunnel]

There are none that I know of. It’s financially not at all worthwhile to employ 2 low paid members of non signalling staff when either automation or staff promotion could solve the problem - so anywhere that may have needed 2 staff on site (if they existed at all) will have been prioritised for closure, or they will be signallers rather than crossing keepers so have more responsibility and therefore more worthwhile.

As has been said, there are many multi staffed/double staffed signal boxes around the network

 

[Sheridan]

Reading between the lines somewhat but one possible scenario the OP may have had in mind is one member of staff to pull the gates across and one to control the signals - if this ever was needed anywhere, as others have suggested, it would have been high up the list for mechanising.

 

[Harpo]

Reading between the lines somewhat but one possible scenario the OP may have had in mind is one member of staff to pull the gates across and one to control the signals

Or one person to signal trains and another to manage the calls from crossings?

 

[cool110]

There are, I think, some panel signalboxes that are staffed by more than one member of staff, with one or more operating the signalling panel and one, or possibly more, sitting at a separate desk that oversees the CCTV crossings. But again this is not really double-manned.

Sandhills IECC is a bit like that. The Wirral signaller controls the 2 crossings on the West Kirby branch, Northern signaller controls Maghull, while the 10 on the Southport branch are split between 2 crossing keepers

 

[Gloster]

Reading between the lines somewhat but one possible scenario the OP may have had in mind is one member of staff to pull the gates across and one to control the signals - if this ever was needed anywhere, as others have suggested, it would have been high up the list for mechanising.

Pantyffynnon was, and I think still is, similar to this but isn’t actually double-manned. The signalman in the box off the south end of the station controls the trains, while a separate member of staff, who I believe is based in the old station building, opens and closes the gates. But this is not double-manned: they are based at two different locations, albeit very close together. There may other locations that have this arrangement, but probably not many,

 

[Sheridan]

Or one person to signal trains and another to manage the calls from crossings?

Potentially, but I understood ‘crossing box’ to mean a box controlling just one crossing (but aware the OP didn’t specify).

Although I see one of the criteria was ‘number of crossings’ so potentially.

 

[RailwayRookie]

In terms of

Or one person to signal trains and another to manage the calls from crossings?

This is very much that case for the Saxmundham Signal box, from memory its double manned for the daylight hours because of the sheer volume of calls that come from the various user worked crossings at boat yards along the broads

 

[Rail Ranger]

Deansgate Junction signal box is double-staffed. This box controls three level crossings: Deansgate Lane (adjacent to the box), Navigation Road and Hale. It is a panel box. The previous lever frame was replaced by a panel in 1991.