Network Rail Advert Location

[Nicholas B]

Does anyone know where this level crossing is that was featured in a Network Rail level crossing safety advert from c.2008?

 

[RobertsN]

Feels southeasteish (by the folliage), on the non-electrified section between Ore and Appledore (may be completely wrong though).

 

[zwk500]

Feels southeasteish (by the folliage), on the non-electrified section between Ore and Appledore (may be completely wrong though).

The sharp dip would indicate that it's not on the Romney Marsh section, although between Ore and Rye the terrain is slightly more varied.

There's very limited clues from the photo.
- It's an AHB on a Single Line that crosses the road on a slight skew
- The camera appears to be facing north, judging from the evening quality to the sun, and the long shadows which would place the setting sun in the west on the left-hand side of the frame
- The camera is facing a deep dip rising to a wooded ridge
- There's a culvert quite close nearby, presumably taking a stream from the deep dip. If my hunch about direction is right, this would place the culvert west of the crossing.
- There appears to be a small access compound next to the crossing, and a farmers field on the north-east side, but no field on the north-west quadrant.

 

[styles]

Not sure if it helps or not, but here's another (slightly) different angle of the crossing from the same video:

 

[izvor]

Would say I'm 95% sure it's not on Marshlink, Uckfield or Dungeness lines, which rules out pretty much all of SE England apart from preserved lines.

East Anglia, maybe?

 

[Falcon1200]

Interesting that the sign in @styles photo in Post #4 says 'Another train coming if lights continue to flash' - Surely an unlikely scenario on a single line railway, unless right next to a passing loop?

 

[zwk500]

Interesting that the sign in @styles photo in Post #4 says 'Another train coming if lights continue to flash' - Surely an unlikely scenario on a single line railway, unless right next to a passing loop?

It's presumably part of the standard Level Crossing signage and there's no harm in putting it up however unlikely it is that the lights may stay on.

 

[styles]

Interesting that the sign in @styles photo in Post #4 says 'Another train coming if lights continue to flash' - Surely an unlikely scenario on a single line railway, unless right next to a passing loop?

Well this made me wonder if it was one of Network Rail's Test Tracks but I'm not sure if they were in existence back then, or if either of them have level crossings.

 

[6PAN]

It looks like Broom Lane crossing, between Chard Junction and Axminster.

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[zwk500]

It looks like Broom Lane crossing, between Chard Junction and Axminster.

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It's close but:
- The angle is wrong (Broom Lane is near as makes no difference 90 degrees between road and railway)
- The house on the corner of Broom Lane looks to be too old to have been added on to the field visible in the advert on the right hand side.
- The ridge is fully wooded in the Advert but not at Broom Lane
- The lane in the advert looks straighter and wider than Broom Lane.
- The lane in the advert is marked with a single white line and dashes, Broom lane has double white lines, although this would have been a reasonably quick thing to change (despite the Broom Lane markings looking to predate the advert based on how faded they are!).

 

[High Dyke]

A Google search of the location suggests Llanboidy level crossing, near Whitland. The crossing infrastructure and surroundings match up, but the track is double track at this location.

Further information suggests part of the advert was also filmed on the Forest of Dean line.

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Llanboidy Level Crossing - The ABC Railway Guide

Llanboidy Level Crossing at the ABC Railway Guide.

abcrailwayguide.uk

 

[zwk500]

A Google search of the location suggests Llanboidy level crossing, near Whitland. The crossing infrastructure and surroundings match up, but the track is double track at this location.

Street View · Google Maps

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Llanboidy Level Crossing - The ABC Railway Guide

Llanboidy Level Crossing at the ABC Railway Guide.

abcrailwayguide.uk

It's a very close match, but in the 2009 view there's a signal very close to the signal that should be in view of the advert. However, given how many other details match up, including on the reverse angle, I wonder if it is that location but the shot has been edited or merged with another level crossing for whatever reason.

If this is the crossing, the angle of the shadows would suggest that the advert was filmed at sunrise, so my initial guess was off!.

 

[Nicholas B]

A Google search of the location suggests Llanboidy level crossing, near Whitland. The crossing infrastructure and surroundings match up, but the track is double track at this location.

Further information suggests part of the advert was also filmed on the Forest of Dean line.

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Llanboidy Level Crossing - The ABC Railway Guide

Llanboidy Level Crossing at the ABC Railway Guide.

abcrailwayguide.uk

This is the 'crossing' - I punctuate the word 'crossing' because it is not all that it seems apparently. They seem to have gotten rid of the other track for some reason. I can furthermore confirm this is the crossing because, me being eagle-eyed, I can see in the 2009 street view of this location, the shapes of the trees in the background, the fence behind the right-hand building, are all consistent with the location in the advert. Great find! Thanks!

 

[swt_passenger]

This is the 'crossing' - I punctuate the word 'crossing' because it is not all that it seems apparently. They seem to have gotten rid of the other track for some reason. I can furthermore confirm this is the crossing because, me being eagle-eyed, I can see in the 2009 street view of this location, the shapes of the trees in the background, the fence behind the right-hand building, are all consistent with the location in the advert. Great find! Thanks!

The 2009 and 2010 street views also helpfully show the right hand pedestrian walkway markings cut off before reaching the barrier - I’d wondered if that was a feature of the video edit, but it seems it was the state at the time.

 

[6PAN]

I thought there was something odd about the anti-trespass panels to the left of the crossing, the video edit would explain that!

 

[DelW]

Were it not for the mention of the advert being from 2008, I'd have assumed an AI image generator had got at it. Comparing the image in post 1 with Streetview, it looks as though possibly the edit has removed the outer rail from each track and left the two inners, so that the 'single track' is actually the six-foot. If you compare the spacing of the rails with the height of the person, the gauge looks rather wider than 4' 8.5".

 

[swt_passenger]

Were it not for the mention of the advert being from 2008, I'd have assumed an AI image generator had got at it. Comparing the image in post 1 with Streetview, it looks as though possibly the edit has removed the outer rail from each track and left the two inners, so that the 'single track' is actually the six-foot. If you compare the spacing of the rails with the height of the person, the gauge looks rather wider than 4' 8.5".

The 2009 and 2010 Streetview suggest not to me, I reckon the far rail is in its correct position with respect to the inspection chamber on the right, by the fencing?