Turning off engines at level crossings

[Lucan]

I generally leave that decision to the stop-start facility of my car, and I suspect these days that's the norm. This decides for me based on things like load on the electrics (e.g. if the fan is on) and on the battery's charge level.

I am on a couple of car forums and the norm there is to curse the stupid thing and turn it off. But perhaps car forum users are more savvy about things like the load on their electrics and more capable of deciding these things for themselves.

Anyway, I don't suppose your start-stop facility can see that the traffic lights ahead are about to turn green anyway, and you will need to move again in a couple of seconds, nor that where you have stopped is in the middle of an intersection and a very dangerous place to be if that 1-in-1000 chance of not starting should turn up (see my post above about batteries dying suddenly).

 

[OscarH]

I generally leave that decision to the stop-start facility of my car, and I suspect these days that's the norm. This decides for me based on things like load on the electrics (e.g. if the fan is on) and on the battery's charge level.

With stop-start that seems reasonable. I guess the average car in my head is between the views on this thread, I would have thought pretty much every car will start reliably, but don't think of start-stop as the norm.

If your car has the stop-start it's probably also new enough it's not so horrendous for the air quality for the locals if it does kick the engine back in

 

[Bletchleyite]

I am on a couple of car forums and the norm there is to curse the stupid thing and turn it off. But perhaps car forum users are more savvy about things like the load on their electrics and more capable of deciding these things for themselves.

Or perhaps car forums are full of "petrolheads" who prefer fully manual control of their vehicle? Which is fine, but most of us aren't particularly interested in it and consider it just a mode of transport. Like most people see trains

Anyway, I don't suppose your start-stop facility can see that the traffic lights ahead are about to turn green anyway, and you will need to move again in a couple of seconds nor that where you have stopped is in the middle of an intersection and a very dangerous place to be if that 1-in-1000 chance of not starting should turn up (see my post above about batteries dying suddenly).

Doesn't overly matter if you stop then immediately restart, that's not going to harm anything. And the system decides whether to stop or not based on battery level and load.

But if you really don't want it to stop on a given occasion, just keep the clutch down and it won't. This is a whole lot less faff than disabling it entirely then either wasting fuel or having to repeatedly manually stop and start in a queue.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Not about switching off the engine, but to be at the front of the queue at AHBs and leave an automatic in D or a manual in gear with the clutch depressed has the very serious risk that, if you are struck from behind, your foot may lift from the brake or clutch pedal respectively and you will take off in front of or into the side of the train. Allegedly, it has happened.

 

[Lucan]

to be at the front of the queue at AHBs and leave an automatic in D or a manual in gear with the clutch depressed has the very serious risk that, if you are struck from behind, your foot may lift from the brake or clutch pedal respectively and you will take off in front of or into the side of the train. Allegedly, it has happened.

I don't know about sides of trains at AHBs, but it has happened many times over in situations generally. I remember a case where a car ploughed through children crossing with a lollypop lady for this reason, and also my father's car shooting forward suddenly into the back of a lorry when his foot slipped off the clutch - his shoes were wet.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not about switching off the engine, but to be at the front of the queue at AHBs and leave an automatic in D or a manual in gear with the clutch depressed has the very serious risk that, if you are struck from behind, your foot may lift from the brake or clutch pedal respectively and you will take off in front of or into the side of the train. Allegedly, it has happened.

In general that's why when stationary you should have the handbrake on. If you're only on the footbrake, if shunted you'll naturally let go, and then a two-car accident becomes three, even without the added risk of the railway.

If you want to show brake lights, you can always press the footbrake as well.

 

[Dr_Paul]

The only level crossings I regularly encounter are on the Windsor line between Richmond and Barnes. As they usually allow three or four trains through at one go, I always turn off my motor's engine. As for air conditioning, I just open the window.

 

[thaitransit]

If your using a hybrid car it stops the engine automatically in anycase. As for normal petrol car unless its a long wait eg slow container or coal train etc where it could take more than 5 minutes to pass. The engine stays on especially in the summer when you need air-conditioning.

 

[Ken H]

15 mins seems an excessive amount of time...could you offer any examples of such a lengthy delay....and why ?

You can have a decent wait at Kildwick between Keighley and Skipton. The blocks are long and there are some slowish freights. Are the barriers not down while trains stop at Steeton and Silsden, and Connonley or is that urban myth?
Hest Bank can be a decent wait. I have sat in the car park and watched them let 5 trains over the crossing.

 

[JohnMcL7]

With stop-start that seems reasonable. I guess the average car in my head is between the views on this thread, I would have thought pretty much every car will start reliably, but don't think of start-stop as the norm.

If your car has the stop-start it's probably also new enough it's not so horrendous for the air quality for the locals if it does kick the engine back in

It doesn't matter the age of the car if the battery isn't good enough to start the car, it's not going to start. There can be large gaps between using my car so I don't 100% trust it will start again soon after and while that risk is fine in a car park or similar, it's not when at a level crossing in a long queue of cars. Given the barriers here are not down for long there's not much benefit in stopping the engine.

I was driving a car with stop start the other day and like most of its kind I'm sure it monitors the state of the car and won't stop the engine unless certain conditions are met, on a similar duration to where I'd need to stop for a level crossing the stop-start system did not kick in as it didn't think the car was ready for it and that was a new car.