Level Crossing infill....how long is a piece of string

[ikcdab]

So, 1960s, main-line gated level crossing over a semi-minor rural road. Somewhere in southern England.

I reckon that outside of the rails the road surface material will be the usual tarmac probably worn, and will be laid up to the outside of the rails.

Maybe a wooden plank right up against the outside rail edge.

But between the rails....wooden planks? Or would there be "check rails" then infilled with road material? 

I know that every crossing will be different, hence the "bit of string"...but what is most likely??

Ian

 

 

 

[Wickham Green too]

Good question - and the length of your string probably depends how important the road is : a minor crossing might just have timbers ( solid, sleeper type ) but I suspect somewhere more important would have a tarmac surface .... I guess, tough that the latter ( within the four-foot and outside ) would have a wood, or maybe, steel sheet base ( trough ? ) so the road surface didn't jiggle itself down into the ballast. .............. hopefully someone can come up with Chapter and Verse !

[Compound2632]

Not main line but branch but I would think the principles are the same: Oakworth on the K&WVR:

 

 

[Thomas's Pics, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

 

Note the boarding on the outside of the rails. Necessary for access to the chairs and sleepers. 

 

Unfortunately this beautiful historical document has been destroyed in the last few years, the timbers being replaced by modern chequerplate steel plates.

Edited December 22, 2020 by Compound2632

[The Stationmaster]

Basically timbered still in the 1960s - and very definitely not planks but substantial timbers in order to carry the weight of road vehicles.  The reason timbers were used was that they could readily be removed for maintenance work on the track through the level crossing whereas tarmac or concrete could not.  Although obviously the latter weren't so much of a problem in places like private sidings and on very low speed lines such as sidings crossing roads.

 

As far as I can remember the first move away from timber was the early Bomac units which shared the advantage of being removable (probably using a crane?) with timber but I'm not sure how early they were installed and possibly not in even the very late 1960s.  There is a picture of early Bomac units at the bottom of this page   and it shows in the full link below

 

 

[ikcdab]

Brilliant that's really helpful. So timbers it is then. I had forgotten about the need to have access to the track!

 

Just out of interest, how were the timbers anchored down? Did they just sit they under their own weight, or were they bolted to the underlying sleepers?

Thanks

Edited December 22, 2020 by ikcdab

[Compound2632]

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Note the boarding on the outside of the rails. Necessary for access to the chairs and sleepers. 

 

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Basically timbered still in the 1960s - and very definitely not planks but substantial timbers in order to carry the weight of road vehicles.

 

I really shouldn't have said "boarding". Those timbers at Oakworth were probably of the same dimensions as sleepers - there's five of them in the four-foot so about 10" wide by 5" thick. 

[Michael Hodgson]

It wasn't just maintenance of the road/track.  Mechanical signalling usually accompanied such crossings and it was important to be able to get access to  any point rodding that had to run beyond the road and signal wires (usually run through pipes).  The ground frame in the Oakworth photo above would have worked a signal in each direction.  

 

In the case of wheel operated gates (usually 4 gates not two) there was a complex linkage of cranks and rods to drive the gates and stops.  The Airfix level crossing kit is a fairly good representation of what was there, including gates stops/catches that rose as the gates got close but otherwise disappeared into the road surface so as not to damages tyres - or trip up the motive power unit in the days of horse-drawn traffic. 

[Wickham Green too]

23 hours ago, ikcdab said:

... main-line gated level crossing over a semi-minor rural road. ........

One more thing to bear in mind if you've got a double track - or wider - railway and a narrow road / lane, the gates may not be long enough to keep animals off the track so cattleguards will be needed ............. always the case with lifting barriers, no barriers or sliding gates, of course.

[The Stationmaster]

19 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Brilliant that's really helpful. So timbers it is then. I had forgotten about the need to have access to the track!

 

Just out of interest, how were the timbers anchored down? Did they just sit they under their own weight, or were they bolted to the underlying sleepers?

Thanks

Generally bolted down but I suspect fixing methods varied around the country and sometimes the timbers seemed rather loose on some crossings.  Many, many years ago I watched one having some major work done and the timbers on that were fixed with long coach screws with a brickwork lined channel at one side of the running lines for the rodding (which was only for the gates and gate stops in that instance) plus the signal wires then timbered on top.

[ikcdab]

Thanks for the replies. I have two of the MSE kits to make a double track crossing. Although looking a bit venerable, I am pleased with the kits and looking forward to getting them set up. I intend using servos and a MERG servo4 board to power them.

 

[The Evil Bus Driver]

Looking at the picture of Oakworth crossing from the road there appears to be an extra rail in the road. Perhaps this carries signal wires in the groove or something as it lines up with the track cess and the platform. but appears to be made using a length of rail and check rail.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.8412291,-1.9426374,3a,27.5y,141.16h,61.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sG72BKmXWtW49M6qP45j4ow!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[Compound2632]

57 minutes ago, The Evil Bus Driver said:

Looking at the picture of Oakworth crossing from the road there appears to be an extra rail in the road. Perhaps this carries signal wires in the groove or something as it lines up with the track cess and the platform. but appears to be made using a length of rail and check rail.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.8412291,-1.9426374,3a,27.5y,141.16h,61.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sG72BKmXWtW49M6qP45j4ow!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

Just visible in the photo I posted showing the previous timber infill - and on the same side as the ground frame, so presumably for a signal wire run. But the question has to be whether it's a preservation era addition.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Compound2632

[ikcdab]

The "slot" appears to be filled with crud, inevitable in its position. Wouldn't a conduit be better?

[charliepetty]

On 03/01/2021 at 19:11, The Evil Bus Driver said:

Looking at the picture of Oakworth crossing from the road there appears to be an extra rail in the road. Perhaps this carries signal wires in the groove or something as it lines up with the track cess and the platform. but appears to be made using a length of rail and check rail.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.8412291,-1.9426374,3a,27.5y,141.16h,61.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sG72BKmXWtW49M6qP45j4ow!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

That probably to stop the tarmac breaking way from the running rail, its been there years I believe.

[Compound2632]

6 hours ago, charliepetty said:

That probably to stop the tarmac breaking way from the running rail, its been there years I believe.

 

But the tarmac has never gone up to the running rail - previously timbered, now with the ugly ahistorical metal chequer-plates. How long is years? Post-preservation covers the last half-century and more!