Level crossing stupidity...

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, Nick C said:

I believe most, if not all, Fire Stations have wig-wags outside. Certainly ours here does.

Not this one:

 

Or this one:

In fact I can't recall any(?) in Birmingham with them.

Maybe Brummie drivers give way to fire engines and others dont?😄

 

Edit

Can't find any in Hereford & Worcestershire (our local service) either

Edited April 14, 2022 by melmerby

[martin_wynne]

Not far from Birmingham -- Droitwich:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/XPbUez1DxnatPCEa6

 

One direction only -- restricted view on exit from fire station (behind trees on right).

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by martin_wynne
image added

[stewartingram]

Whilst I was working (as a civvy) for the local constabulary in the 80s we had an incident at Shippea Hill station LC. The signalman closed the gates, proper ones, thus holding up a CID (?) car which was on a shout - possibly even a chase. The officer demanded that the gates be opened for him, which of course the signalman refused. Plod was not amused....

[jcredfer]

1 hour ago, stewartingram said:

Whilst I was working (as a civvy) for the local constabulary in the 80s we had an incident at Shippea Hill station LC. The signalman closed the gates, proper ones, thus holding up a CID (?) car which was on a shout - possibly even a chase. The officer demanded that the gates be opened for him, which of course the signalman refused. Plod was not amused....

 

.....   Survived to moan about life other than within his own restricted vision.....

 

[melmerby]

16 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

Not far from Birmingham -- Droitwich:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/XPbUez1DxnatPCEa6

 

One direction only -- restricted view on exit from fire station (behind trees on right).

 

Maybe only used  at places where the exit of appliances from the station cannot be seen clearly?

I'd looked up several Hereford & Worcestershire stations including our "local" in Redditch and didn't spot any wig wags.

 

 

 

[kevinlms]

13 hours ago, stewartingram said:

Whilst I was working (as a civvy) for the local constabulary in the 80s we had an incident at Shippea Hill station LC. The signalman closed the gates, proper ones, thus holding up a CID (?) car which was on a shout - possibly even a chase. The officer demanded that the gates be opened for him, which of course the signalman refused. Plod was not amused....

So was he amused enough to report the incident to his supervisor?

[Wickham Green too]

19 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

If I was stopped at those lights I'd be very disappointed not to see a train !

[kevinlms]

Not sure exactly what occurred here, since it isn't at a level crossing, but I suspect that the driver might lose his licence, at least until he gets re accessed.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/train-smashes-into-car-stuck-on-craigieburn-line-20220415-p5adrk.html

[melmerby]

29 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

Not sure exactly what occurred here, since it isn't at a level crossing, but I suspect that the driver might lose his licence, at least until he gets re accessed.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/train-smashes-into-car-stuck-on-craigieburn-line-20220415-p5adrk.html

Quote:

"Footage taken by a nearby car’s dash cam shows bystanders waving their arms and pieces of clothing in an unsuccessful attempt to warn the driver of the oncoming train."

What total bollox.

I would guess the train driver had seen the obstruction well in advance and had applied emergency braking.

People seem to think that waving a piece of clothing will bring the train to an instant stop.

(Like Bobbie's underskirt in the Railway children?)

 

[kevinlms]

27 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Quote:

"Footage taken by a nearby car’s dash cam shows bystanders waving their arms and pieces of clothing in an unsuccessful attempt to warn the driver of the oncoming train."

What total bollox.

I would guess the train driver had seen the obstruction well in advance and had applied emergency braking.

People seem to think that waving a piece of clothing will bring the train to an instant stop.

(Like Bobbie's underskirt in the Railway children?)

 

Come on, you don't expect news reporters to know the workings of railways do you? Even though The Age, is one of the best newspapers in Australia, railway operations, will never be something reported properly, unless the reporter has an existing personal interest in rail.

 

It's Good Friday, so the better reporters will be on leave and the juniors will be on standby.

[SamThomas]

2 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Come on, you don't expect news reporters to know the workings of railways do you? Even though The Age, is one of the best newspapers in Australia, railway operations, will never be something reported properly, unless the reporter has an existing personal interest in rail.

 

It's Good Friday, so the better reporters will be on leave and the juniors will be on standby.

One often sees examples of the media "not quite getting it right" as in this case.

 

We can discuss the subject until Hornby "get it right for everyone", but lets not dismiss the actions of the well meaning people who attempted to warn the train driver - they would have been critisised if they had recorded the incident to put it on social media.

[Nick C]

They do at least have a quote at the bottom pointing out how long it takes a train to stop, so they've not forgotten it completely...

[melmerby]

Ashland again:

 

[corneliuslundie]

Well, at least he didn't then drive off down the railway line through the station.

Jonathan

[Andy Hayter]

I think the road markings may at least be partly to blame.  The hatched areas do not include the rail track and could give the impression to an inattentive driver, at night, perhaps with rain and reduced visibility, that there is a route down the rail track.  If the driver is paying attention to a route finding system #; "turn left then immediately right", those markings are going to lead drivers into trouble - as we frequently see.  The gaps between the hatched areas seem to be designed to lure a driver in.  And they do.

[Ramblin Rich]

On 14/04/2022 at 16:16, melmerby said:

Not this one:

 

Or this one:

In fact I can't recall any(?) in Birmingham with them.

Maybe Brummie drivers give way to fire engines and others dont?😄

 

Edit

Can't find any in Hereford & Worcestershire (our local service) either

"The mysterious case of the missing wig-wags...."

I'm certain there used to be some outside West Bromwich Fire Station but not visible on streetview now.

Even stranger, Woodgate Valley near Harborne still has warning signs, but no lights visible.

200 Stonehouse Ln
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uGQXM434m8BnbJRR6

Have they been removed?

🤨

Exeter's Middlemoor Fire Station does have lights though. Obviously drivers here need more persuasion to let Fire Appliances out!

Sidmouth Rd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/45tZZ6z7otPsAaqJ6

 

and apologies for continuing thread drift

[melmerby]

4 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

I think the road markings may at least be partly to blame.  The hatched areas do not include the rail track and could give the impression to an inattentive driver, at night, perhaps with rain and reduced visibility, that there is a route down the rail track.  If the driver is paying attention to a route finding system #; "turn left then immediately right", those markings are going to lead drivers into trouble - as we frequently see.  The gaps between the hatched areas seem to be designed to lure a driver in.  And they do.

The instant drop doesn't help.

Once the decision to inadvertantly drive onto the railway has been talen it's usually a one way trip, due to the drop many vehicles just aren't able to reverse back up onto the road.

Usually keeps the local recovery firm in business.

 

It must cost a fortune in lost time for the railway services.

[kevinlms]

6 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

 The gaps between the hatched areas seem to be designed to lure a driver in.  And they do.

The gaps are essential, because otherwise inattentive train drivers, might think that the railway line does a hard left or right and the train could end up going down the main street of town!

[corneliuslundie]

In wigwags, none in Newtown, Powys.

Back on level crossings (surely not) I wonder how automatically driven vehicles will manage. I have heard that in Milton Keynes locals have to rescue those autonomous delivery vehicles from hedges etc.

Jonathan

[Wickham Green too]

6 hours ago, kevinlms said:

....... the train could end up going down the main street of town!

Then you'd need a Level Crossing Stupidity thread on the ROAD Modellers website !

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, corneliuslundie said:

In wigwags, none in Newtown, Powys.

Back on level crossings (surely not) I wonder how automatically driven vehicles will manage. I have heard that in Milton Keynes locals have to rescue those autonomous delivery vehicles from hedges etc.

Jonathan

There is a video on the net with an autonomous Tesla attempting to drive onto a railway. The driver averted a disaster by steering away at the last second.

Another trying to drive down a tram only section.

 

[JDW]

Have we had this one on here yet? It's from quite a few years back but I don't remember seeing it: 

 

[melmerby]

Quel imbécile

Edited May 13, 2022 by melmerby

[Michael Hodgson]

Plenty like him chasing trains over here too.

[kevinlms]

How many of us were expecting the tractor driver to be the villain?

 

Either he was going to do something with the barrier, or else his trailer was going to block the road behind!

 

But no, not him at all.