RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23, 2021 Electricity supply shouldn't be a problem, just use a solar panel. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SHMD Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23, 2021 ...then make it all vandal/idiot proof, abide by the latest standards, add it to the maintenance/inspection program and manage the lot. 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Just a simple microswitch could determine whether a gate is open or closed. But even a whopping cost of £10 or £20 million might be deemed worthwhile to same a life or two ( let alone a LOT of hassle ) ........ depends who, of course ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23, 2021 13 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said: When I took my test that wasn't too difficult as it had a picture of a gate or a steam loco with the words "Level Crossing" underneath. Was the engine driver wearing a top hat? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobby Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Nope, but the bloke on the platform was... Going on that Hungarian link it shows that it's in the interests of the user to make sure they or their employees know how to use them. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23, 2021 6 minutes ago, Hobby said: Nope, but the bloke on the platform was... Going on that Hungarian link it shows that it's in the interests of the user to make sure they or their employees know how to use them. Absolutely, every driver on the farm gets a very serious lesson in appropriate action at each crossing, and to THINK exactly what they are driving and or towing before they proceed........but as with all things familiarity breeds over confidence, so far so good thankfully. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said: Just a simple microswitch could determine whether a gate is open or closed. But even a whopping cost of £10 or £20 million might be deemed worthwhile to same a life or two ( let alone a LOT of hassle ) ........ depends who, of course ! This is unfortunately why we need to put a "value" on a life. If this would likely save 4 lives, but another scheme costing £20 million might save 10 lives, then you would spend the money on the other scheme as that saves more lives. In order not to have to compare a scheme with all the other life saving schemes to see which one offers the most lives saved for your money, a benchmark figure is arrived at - if it costs less than x per life saved go ahead, if it costs more than x then the money would be better spent on something else. I would hope x would be under regular review, because as the most cost effective schemes are implemented, the value of x should go up. Edited April 23, 2021 by Titan 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnofwessex Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 2 hours ago, boxbrownie said: Absolutely, every driver on the farm gets a very serious lesson in appropriate action at each crossing, and to THINK exactly what they are driving and or towing before they proceed........but as with all things familiarity breeds over confidence, so far so good thankfully. A friend of my older brothers was involved in an 'incident' with a farmer. My initial reaction was to say 'How could he have been so stupid', but my younger brother pointed out the 'mindset' of many of the self employed/small business's which is that the rules dont apply to them. Drivers ditto. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 No-one seems to have mentioned the extra workload for signallers, should a large number of previously unmonitored user-worked crossings suddenly need monitoring. Will extra staff be taken on because of the increased responsibilities, and will proper human-factors analysis be done before any such systems are put into use. It might be more productive to have a joint campaign involving both the railway and the NFU before trying out technology-based solutions. 4 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 7 hours ago, PhilJ W said: Electricity supply shouldn't be a problem, just use a solar panel. And a battery.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23, 2021 A more cost-effective solution might be to fit the front ends of trains with bazookas to allow the driver to reduce the density of the obstruction before the collision. John 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium iands Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23, 2021 10 hours ago, Wickham Green too said: Just a simple microswitch could determine whether a gate is open or closed. And a simple microswitch is very easily tampered with which would undermine it's use. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Sorry - I meant to say "simple microswitch in a tamper-proof housing" .............. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobby Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 I think you are far too trusting, if there's a way round it they'll find it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 28 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said: Sorry - I meant to say "simple microswitch in a tamper-proof housing" .............. There is also no such thing as foolproof , they are rather ingenious. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Dunsignalling said: A more cost-effective solution might be to fit the front ends of trains with bazookas to allow the driver to reduce the density of the obstruction before the collision. John Twin 30mm ADEN cannon would suffice... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23, 2021 3 hours ago, Dunsignalling said: A more cost-effective solution might be to fit the front ends of trains with bazookas to allow the driver to reduce the density of the obstruction before the collision. John 12 minutes ago, Fat Controller said: Twin 30mm ADEN cannon would suffice... Reduce density or vaporise? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold phil_sutters Posted April 23, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23, 2021 On 12/02/2021 at 00:24, phil_sutters said: I got her to move her arm! Does that help? As now appearing in the letters section of Rail magazine, 21.4.2021 issue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 10 hours ago, Hobby said: I think you are far too trusting, if there's a way round it they'll find it. There is also the question of liability, should the gates be released by a signaller at the wrong time. 18 hours ago, johnofwessex said: A friend of my older brothers was involved in an 'incident' with a farmer. My initial reaction was to say 'How could he have been so stupid', but my younger brother pointed out the 'mindset' of many of the self employed/small business's which is that the rules dont apply to them. Drivers ditto. Same issue with the driver of the oversized tractor that derailed Green Goddess on the RH&DR. He had previously been seen regularly driving through New Romney with a phone to his ear. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 There is also a mentality with some Farmers that the land on each side is theirs and do not need to close gates! Found this talking to a agricultural contractor. There was one farmer who removed the gate from its hinges to prevent people closing the gates. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejstubbs Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 (edited) 19 hours ago, johnofwessex said: the 'mindset' of many of the self employed/small business's ... is that the rules dont apply to them Getting something wrong on the railway is a pretty harsh way to learn that that isn't the case (significantly more so than getting a ticket for leaving your van on a double yellow line all day). But I guess some people just won't be told*... * As in the "I don't like people telling me what to do" attitude - from which I presume such people haven't noticed that, like it or not, they are a member of a supposedly civilised society in which we all have responsibilities both to ourselves and to others. Edited April 24, 2021 by ejstubbs 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 12 hours ago, Hobby said: I think you are far too trusting, if there's a way round it they'll find it. ............ well, if they tamper with the gear, they get the crossing permanently SHUT ..... simples .......... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 1 hour ago, ejstubbs said: Getting something wrong on the railway is a pretty harsh way to learn that that isn't the case (significantly more so than getting a ticket for leaving your van on a double yellow line all day). But I guess some people just won't be told*... * As in the "I don't like people telling me what to do" attitude - from which I presume such people haven't noticed that, like it or not, they are a member of a supposedly civilised society in which we all have responsibilities both to ourselves and to others. I believe the driver in at least one collision had previously had another one at the same crossing; I think it might have been at Llanboidy. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium iands Posted April 24, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Wickham Green too said: ............ well, if they tamper with the gear, they get the crossing permanently SHUT ..... simples .......... I think that if it was as simple as that many such crossings would have been closed long ago. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobby Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I suspect they have a legal right of way so I doubt its an option. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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