southernelectric Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Not sure if posting in the right area of the forum but here goes... At the weekend I bought a Peco level crossing ST-268, and the add-on ST-264 to turn it into a double track level crossing. I have a Hornby double track level crossing R636 as part of an expansion pack I bought for my Hornby VSOE train set. I got the Peco because I preferred the look of it without all the 'modern' yellow box junction lines on it like the Hornby one has. But...I was looking at the Peco packs earlier on tonight and I could see that, without even removing the bits from their packaging, the level crossing gates will surely not meet in the middle when the ST-268 and ST-264 are combined. If I'm not mistaken the gates will only meet in the middle when using ST-268. Add ST-264 and the gates aren't big enough to meet in the middle open for road vehicles. I haven't assembled it yet and won't do until I can set up my VSOE set. I am space constrained at the moment so it may be a few weeks before I can do it, but saw the crossing in a shop, liked it and got it to use instead of the Hornby one. It seems rather odd to me that Peco would design a level crossing product that will surely look very odd if the gates don't meet in the middle. I tried to see if Peco make spare gates that will fit the thing but to no avail. Surely there has to be a way to do this with an off the shelf product without building gates from scratch (which would be complete overkill for what I will use it for at the moment)? Or were gates that didn't meet in the middle when open for road users prototypical at all? I don't ever remember seeing any that didn't meet in the middle... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernelectric Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Just to add to this. I notice Peco do a level crossing kit, LK-50, which contains both level crossing gates and wickets gates. Does anyone know if the level crossing gates in this kit will work with the ST-268/264 combination? It still seems very odd to me that Peco would design a double track level crossing without an option for gates that meet in the middle! I think an email to Peco might be in order...but thought I'd throw it out there on here first... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwirail Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I remember as a kid back in the 70s noticing that this was the case with the Peco level crossing and often wondered the same thing as you. Now with the wonders of the WWW we are presumably about to find out..... Cheers Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach bogie Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 As it is set track they will not meet in the middle as the tracks are too far apart. The gates have been available fo1r may years as a separate item with wickets as their LK50 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/380932282474?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108 These were intended for use with flexitrack where the modeller can have the tracks a nearer scale distance apart. It is a compromise for set track that, with the extension pack, have the tracks a much greater distance apart than would be usual on the prototype. The set track double track gap is dictated by the set track points. The lternative is to make your own base and not use the Peco base using ex Airfix/Dapol which have much wider gates. As for prototype, Exeter Station Road lever crossing spanned many tracks (eight from memory) and the gates did not go anywhere near closing off the railway. Mike Wiltshire Also see Captain Kernow's page on St Mary's crossing where the gates open AWAY from the railway and no attempt is made to close off the railway. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/68041-a-visit-to-st-marys-crossing/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernelectric Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 Also posted the same question here.... As it is set track they will not meet in the middle as the tracks are too far apart. The gates have been available fo1r may years as a separate item with wickets as their LK50 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/380932282474?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108 These were intended for use with flexitrack where the modeller can have the tracks a nearer scale distance apart. It is a compromise for set track that, with the extension pack, have the tracks a much greater distance apart than would be usual on the prototype. The set track double track gap is dictated by the set track points. The lternative is to make your own base and not use the Peco base using ex Airfix/Dapol which have much wider gates. As for prototype, Exeter Station Road lever crossing spanned many tracks (eight from memory) and the gates did not go anywhere near closing off the railway. Mike Wiltshire Also see Captain Kernow's page on St Mary's crossing where the gates open AWAY from the railway and no attempt is made to close off the railway. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/68041-a-visit-to-st-marys-crossing/ Thanks Mike. For what I will use it for at the moment (to replace a Hornby one on a Trakmat trainset layout) the Peco will be fine. But being of an inquisitive nature, I had to find out if the Peco design itself was actually realistic! It could actually span more than two railway tracks with the add-on packs, so I guess that's why Peco designed it the way they did. I also posted the question in the link below, in the UK Prototype questions area of the forum, and received quite a few replies to it. I also pasted in the reply I got from Peco after I had emailed them. Andrew - you now have your answer after all these years http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/89498-level-crossing-gates-that-do-not-meet-in-the-middle-is-or-was-this-prototypical-at-all/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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