Level crossing stupidity...

[The Stationmaster]

It dates from the days of the Bristol Brabazon, when a longer runway was installed; in later years, it would see Concorde crossing it. 

 

 

The official name of the level crossing is 'Brabazon Crossing' and it was provided to enable the Brabazon to get from its specially built hangar to the runway.  In the early 1990s the level crossing was considerably widened to make it fit for use by Boeing 747s as British Aerospace were after a major 747 overhaul contract with BA - which I don't think they got).  Certainly after widening it was definitely the widest (in terms of 'road' width) level crossing on the BR network and it was provided with special barriers - which completely close the taxiway when in position across it and which run on wheels with the very substantial boom parallel to the ground all the time.

 

I reckon any pedestrian daft enough to try using it when the barriers are in place would stand a good chance of barking their shins if not doing even greater damage to themselves.

 

Pictures of it can be found here -

 

http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/The_BAC_Crossing

[duncan]

The road doesn't just cross the runway at Sumburgh ( or at least used to do ), but has to weave round all the runways.  Is this the closest airport / ferry terminal combination ?

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/''/Sumburgh+Airport+(LSI),+Shetland+ZE3+9JP/@59.878826,-1.2969654,882m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x489e82d443128709:0x97485ef98c6d8d41!2m2!1d-1.2939238!2d59.8782916

 

never crossed the runway when a plane was due, so unfortunately don't know the procedure

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@59.8796253,-1.306058,3a,90y,20.99h,87.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKpK9HNvWCMHFIU34ePssgw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

go on a couple of clicks to see the runway, the ahead only sign & the solid white lines to stop vehicles wandering off down the runway !

 

 

ed to make the links clickable

Edited September 25, 2017 by duncan

[martin_wynne]

clickable link: https://goo.gl/maps/Hvbcx1DjAxp

[avonside1563]

Gisborne airport in New Zealand also has a railway crossing the main runway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisborne_Airport

[melmerby]

Gisborne airport in New Zealand also has a railway crossing the main runway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisborne_Airport

Like so:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/77YVgzprbct

 

Keith

[101]

The official name of the level crossing is 'Brabazon Crossing'

 

Unfortunately no more planes will cross it as it now closed and fenced on both sides. The airfield is also closed and is destined to be a housing estate

[The Evil Bus Driver]

The racecourse seems to have another "level crossing" - no flashing lights this time, but gates that look as if they open across the road, complete with a continuation of the white barriers marking the edge of the course.

 

Doesn't seem to be on streetview, but my favourite "level crossing" is where a road crosses the airport runway in Gibraltar.

 

Airliners and military aircraft...quite a sight...

Yes they're a bit of a pain when we do the 21 route which runs through the "other" set, as they can be shut for up to half an hour. That's where they have the "run off" section, once the horses have crossed the finish line, so a Deceleration bit, if you like.

[The Evil Bus Driver]

Interesting. I presume the one that looks like a normal traffic light is also an amber/flashing red set of lights.

 

I've seen that on the Isle of Man at level crossings but not I think in the UK.

Yes they are. Basically due to the narrow central reservation.

[eastglosmog]

RAF Brize Norton had two taxiways crossing the East Gloucestershire Railway.  Railway is long gone, but the airfield is still there and very much operational.  The road at the eastern end lies within the potential runoff from the runway and has traffic light control to stop traffic at danger times.

[Richard E]

Prior to the runway being lengthened Bristol Airport had wig wag signals on the A38. The road now weaves around the runway extension and is considerably slower than it used to be .....

 

But we digress somewhat, in some cases, from railways I suspect (I certainly have).

[Richard E]

And I see we have a new menace on the railways - laser pens being shone into train cabs. I'm very sad to say this was in Peterborough on Saturday evening. Reported by a VTEC driver near the bridge over Oundle Road which is just south of the station.

 

And also a vehicle has hit crossing barriers at Fen Road in Cambridge this afternoon destroying the barrier - BTP believe it was a caravan.

[martin_wynne]

[melmerby]

I have seen photos of a two-car 'Caravelle' DMU passing in front of the Control Tower (the white building on the lower edge of the upper grassed area)- you used to be able to buy through rail and air tickets from London to Paris. I think the UK rail link ran to Lydd, which now brands itself 'London (Ashford) Airport, I believe.

Nice photo here:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9f/e8/5f/9fe85f4219ca0560ccf68a878b0397ef--train-to--seconds.jpg

 

And another:

http://www.wikipasdecalais.fr/images/b/b9/Touquet-Paris-Plage_a%C3%A9rodrome_piste_et_avion.jpg

 

Keith

[PhilJ W]

A former colleague had worked at the Control Tower at RAF Valley. One month, the IRSE Journal's 'Unusual Signals' featured the large button which replaced the signals to Danger on the adjacent main-line in the event of an over-run on the runway. Col took one look and said 'Never knew that's what it was for'.

To return to more conventional level crossings, this happened today in Deal:-

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/trains-disrupted-by-car-on-132651/

According to the report 'The car was straddling the live wire.' God give me strength.

[Colin_McLeod]

According to the report 'The car was straddling the live wire.' God give me strength.

Probably needed some jump leads.

[JDW]

It's wrong to think it, I know, but my first thought was that it is a Microcar, usually driven by the older generation of drivers...

[PhilJ W]

It's wrong to think it, I know, but my first thought was that it is a Microcar, usually driven by the older generation of drivers...

It may be one of those electric cars, maybe he was hoping to get a free recharge from the third rail.

[4630]

No need to use a short-circuiting bar on this occasion.

[Coryton]

Yes they're a bit of a pain when we do the 21 route which runs through the "other" set, as they can be shut for up to half an hour. That's where they have the "run off" section, once the horses have crossed the finish line, so a Deceleration bit, if you like.

 

Is there a big pile of sand at the end in case they don't stop quickly enough?

[melmerby]

The racecourse seems to have another "level crossing" - no flashing lights this time, but gates that look as if they open across the road, complete with a continuation of the white barriers marking the edge of the course.

 

Looks like it gets "greened" for the Gee-Gees and the traffic has to wait while they pass

 

https://goo.gl/maps/GeoHU27jBNM2

 

Keith

Edited September 25, 2017 by melmerby

[The Stationmaster]

RAF Brize Norton had two taxiways crossing the East Gloucestershire Railway.  Railway is long gone, but the airfield is still there and very much operational.  The road at the eastern end lies within the potential runoff from the runway and has traffic light control to stop traffic at danger times.

 

I think you will find that they were added after the railway closed as an associated roadway runs along the course of the former railway.  However one aircraft did try to get on to the railway line in years gone by (an Avro York).

[Banger Blue]

I think you will find that they were added after the railway closed as an associated roadway runs along the course of the former railway.  However one aircraft did try to get on to the railway line in years gone by (an Avro York).

http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/History.htm

 

6th image down

 

On 28 November 1946 an Avro York MW168 belonging to the Transport Command Development Unit at RAF Brize Norton failed to become airborne and instead crashed onto the railway line between Brize Norton and Carterton stations, coming to rest in a field, as pictured above. Needless to say the line was closed for several days while the RAF effected recovery.

[eastglosmog]

I think you will find that they were added after the railway closed as an associated roadway runs along the course of the former railway.  However one aircraft did try to get on to the railway line in years gone by (an Avro York).

Not according to Stanley Jenkins, from whose book on the Fairford branch I got the information.  He says that"when the airfield facilities were extended south of the railway, two essential taxiways had to cross the running lines by means of level crossings; huge gates were necessary to span these wide taxiways".  There were also special signalling links between the airfield control tower and Bampton Signal box.  I am not sure when these taxiways were built, post 1945 I believe.

[Banger Blue]

The airfield was extended during the life of the branch, its mentioned in the Brize Norton / Carterton pages on Martin Loaders website (see link in post#2250)

 

It's also mentioned about USAF jets having to cross the operational Railway from their dispersal pads in Harold Gasson's book 'Signalling Days' (chapter 5, page 88)

 

I've never heard mention about the huge gates before, none of the above mentions them at all but it would make sense, especially given the Americans propensity for 'High Security'.

[eastglosmog]

If you are interested, here is a link to an air photograph showing the arrangement in 1957: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/94540138.

Scrolling through it, you can see a few other dates as well, showing there was only one taxiway in 1946 and none in 1942.

A bit off topic, but if you use Google Earth history section, the air photo they attribute to 1945 must actually be 1937 or earlier, as it does not show the airfield at all!