Platform access

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Others with worse mobility of course can only use the railway with assistance to board and may need to be met on arrival if they are not accompanied.  They might only be able to use the railway if they can remain in their wheelchair and so they need modern rolling stock design.

Older stock can be modified, and some heritage railways have done a pretty good job of it, but you're only ever likely to get one vehicle in a train modified like that.

[The Stationmaster]

17 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I guess Paddington to Henley trains are a thing of the past as a 345 or 387 wouldn't be able to coast all the way to the terminus - let alone get back ! ......... the car park board crossing is still there anyway - though just out of shot !

 

165.119 : 28/8/23

The car park crossing at Twford is once again quite heavily used by pedestrians as car park usage seems to have recovered to pre-Covid levels on many days of the week.  Only two trains a day cross it - both at times when pedestrian use is likely to be limited but interestingly (or not) both are passenger - trains with one at 00.30 Weekdays from Henley to Reading, and the other at 05.40 from Twyford to Henley both use the Up Relief Line platform at Twyford

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, Reorte said:

Older stock can be modified, and some heritage railways have done a pretty good job of it, but you're only ever likely to get one vehicle in a train modified like that.

You only really need one vehicle in the train modified - you're only going to get a couple of people who are that severely disabled on a train. 

Unless of course it's an outing specially organised for a large group of them from some institution or perhaps through a charity - but the organisers would be aware of the issues when planning the trip.

 

Even modern stock often has one disabled toilet but a normal toilet in another carriage so as not to have to give up too much seating space.

[phil_sutters]

23 hours ago, Wheatley said:

 

 

 

 

This 1965 picture also solves a long standing mystery for me, namely "what are the metal hoops on top of the Up side wall for ?" (they're still there). Gas pipe supports it seems ! I think there are some at Guiseley too. 

Highbridge's concrete bridge from the S&D to the B&E/GWR platforms had lights on similar hoops. At the S&D's closure they were probably electric, earlier they would have been gas. You can see two of them in this photo. There would have been a third as the tracks crossed the GWR lines. The lights at the foot of the S&D stairs were single post, rather than arched.

 

[Michael Hodgson]

On 11/12/2023 at 00:42, Michael Hodgson said:

 

 

Here ar Hitchin we had a barrow crossing (protected by block repeaters for all four lines to tell staff when it was safe to cross) as well as freight lifts to the underpass between the platforms (now replaced by passenger lifts)

 

For members of the Signalling Record Society, I see Peter Adds has written a two page article on barrow crossings in the latest edition of Signalling Record, including an excellent photo of the above Block repeaters.

[Michael Hodgson]

Here's an example of two similar repeaters from elsewhere in the area, preserved in a private collection.

 

 

 

 

The safety issue at a barrow crossing is (at least for the crossing users) the same as at a road level crossing.  This is what would often be provided at a wayside crossing keeper's cottage on a double track line, and/or a repeater of the block bell.  "Train in Section" corresponds to Train on the LIne on the block instrument, and "Train Approaching Section" to Line Clear on the block.  Instructions would be that the gates could not be opened for a car if either line showed a train in the section unless he had seen it pass, and depending on the line speed and distance from the boxes, probably not if there was one approaching the section either.  If the block was at Line Normal, the needles would be vertical as seen here, and so it would be safe to allow road users to cross.