Signalman badly injured at East Farleigh

[roythebus]

A signalman was badly injured on Friday at East Farleigh station, Kent. He was closing the level crossing gates when a car failed to stop. the signalman was badly injured and was transferred to Kings college Hospital, London, with life-changing injuries.

 

This information taken from the KESR Facebook private section. If I get a link to other information I'll post it. there was a video of the incident but that has been withdrawn due to the ongoing police investigation. 

Edited April 27, 2015 by roythebus

[Cheekypaul]

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/person-hit-by-car-at-35763/

[beast66606]

<shakes head>

[Oldddudders]

RMwebber Colin W was the relieving signalman taking over duties from the injured man. Colin posted on Facebook that the poor chap had broken vertebrae - and we all know the complications from that can be awful.

 

Something over 30 years ago I reviewed this crossing on site with Major Kit Holden of HMRI, with a view to modernising. It's a pity other schemes were more pressing.

[ZiderHead]

So a system designed to stop traffic moving at walking pace doesn't work safely with traffic moving 10x faster … big surprise!

 

Hope the signalman makes a full recovery.

[Colin_McLeod]

 

Something over 30 years ago I reviewed this crossing on site with Major Kit Holden of HMRI, with a view to modernising. It's a pity other schemes were more pressing.

 

I remember Kit Holden well. He and Tom Craig of Transmark and myself spent a lot of time working together with the Northern Ireland Railways level crossing modernisation programme in the 1980s.  Here they are in 1980 with Leslie Young of the DOE(NI) Roads division

Is Kit still around and any contact details?

 

Edited April 26, 2015 by Colin_McLeod

[Jim Martin]

Just to clarify, how are the gates shut? Does the signaller actually have to go outside and push them into position across the road?

 

Jim

[Oldddudders]

I remember Kit Holden well. He and Tom Craig of Transmark and myself spent a lot of time working together with the Northern Ireland Railways level crossing modernisation programme in the 1980s.  Here they are in 1980 with Leslie Young of the DOE(NI) Roads division

Is Kit still around and any contact details?

 

 

He was fairly "grown up" then, so would not be young now. I also suspect more recent changes in the HMRI might not have impressed the incumbents from those days.

 

As an aside, I was driving, and he offered information on the state of the traffic on his side of the car, which I found useful. He said it was something the army practised as a matter of course, which remark I have used since, when drivers seem to be insulted about my doing the same!

[Mallard60022]

I think there was some discussion about this incident on the farcebook Signal Box thread(s).

There might be some helpful info on that site?

Good luck and best wishes to the unfortunate Bobby.

Phil

[ZiderHead]

Just to clarify, how are the gates shut? Does the signaller actually have to go outside and push them into position across the road?

 

Jim

 

It appears so, and since there are no lights to stop traffic the first thing a driver will know about the crossing being closed is seeing the gates start to swing close (or not …)

Edited April 26, 2015 by ZiderHead

[Mallard60022]

Presumably there is a road sign warning of a crossing? If so then any driver(s) should expect the gates to close and be prepared to stop; that is, of course, if the driver is paying attention! I do not know this crossing so should not speculate further.

P

[ZiderHead]

 

Just one of these on each side. Approaching from the North it looks on google maps that the Eastern gate could have swung a good 20deg before a driver would even see it, due to the road curvature and the oblique crossing.

 

Now this is very speculative, but it looks to me that closing the Western gate first would vastly improve sighting for drivers from either direction.

[Huw Griffiths]

Something over 30 years ago I reviewed this crossing on site with Major Kit Holden of HMRI, with a view to modernising. It's a pity other schemes were more pressing.

 

I remember Kit Holden well. He and Tom Craig of Transmark and myself spent a lot of time working together with the Northern Ireland Railways level crossing modernisation programme in the 1980s.  Here they are in 1980 with Leslie Young of the DOE(NI) Roads division

Is Kit still around and any contact details?

 

He was fairly "grown up" then, so would not be young now. I also suspect more recent changes in the HMRI might not have impressed the incumbents from those days.

 

 

I don't know whether this is the same gentleman - but a familiar sounding name appears on one website, connected with Parry People Movers:

 

http://www.intermediatetechnologyworkshops.com/#!meet-the-team/cyse

 

 

Huw.

[Edwin_m]

Undoubtedly the same person.  I had some involvement with Parry in the 1990s and I think Kit Holden was involved then too having already left HMRI at that point. 

[Richard E]

I cannot believe some of the remarks on that papers website, quite a few blaming the signaller - what are coming to in this country?

[beast66606]

I cannot believe some of the remarks on that papers website, quite a few blaming the signaller - what are coming to in this country?

 

It's always someone elses fault.

[uax6]

Being employed as a signaller at a box which includes closing gates as part of the job, I can honestly say that it is only a matter of time before I am in the same position. Motorists just don't seem to pay attention to the road anymore.

The approach to my crossing is straight on one side, but there is a bend in the road on the other, with the box obscuring the gates. The amount of drivers that come haring upto the gates (its a 30 limit too!) and on finding them closed tank on the brakes is scary.

To mitigate against this sort of driving the residents in the box go out about a minute and a half before we should so that we can wait for a gap in the traffic (not that heavy) without delaying the trains. Then the motorists complain about excessive waiting times (and thats with a car underpass!).

The other way you can mitigate is to 'throw' the first gate into the road, and then follow several paces behind. Not really good practise, but I know of crossings around here where that was the safest way of doing it.

 

I hope my colleague recovers well.

 

Andy G

[PaulRhB]

First I wish the Signalman the very best to hope the injuries aren't permanent and a good recovery can be made.

 

It appears so, and since there are no lights to stop traffic the first thing a driver will know about the crossing being closed is seeing the gates start to swing close (or not …)

There are warning signs as mentioned above and the target on the gate is the Stop signal, it's a massive red stop sign, nearly twice the size of your average road sign backed by a large white gate. I've operated a similar crossing at Marchwood with a curved approach and yes drivers try to beat the gates if they see you closing them. It's not that they don't see it but they actively race at the facing gate and you need your wits about you. So not inadequate equipment but exactly the same impatience, lack of tolerance or attention that makes AHB's such a high risk. Many have taken drivers to court over this and had near misses.

I used to walk alongside the gate and dodge off to the side pronto if I saw someone not slow and leave them to decide whether to take on the steel gate. Carrying a camera to photograph anyone too was a good idea if you can catch the gate and car.

Edited April 27, 2015 by PaulRhB

[Colin_McLeod]

I don't know whether this is the same gentleman - but a familiar sounding name appears on one website, connected with Parry People Movers:

 

http://www.intermediatetechnologyworkshops.com/#!meet-the-team/cyse

 

 

Huw.

That's him Huw

 

Many thanks for the link.

[phil-b259]

Being employed as a signaller at a box which includes closing gates as part of the job, I can honestly say that it is only a matter of time before I am in the same position. Motorists just don't seem to pay attention to the road anymore.

The approach to my crossing is straight on one side, but there is a bend in the road on the other, with the box obscuring the gates. The amount of drivers that come haring upto the gates (its a 30 limit too!) and on finding them closed tank on the brakes is scary.

To mitigate against this sort of driving the residents in the box go out about a minute and a half before we should so that we can wait for a gap in the traffic (not that heavy) without delaying the trains. Then the motorists complain about excessive waiting times (and thats with a car underpass!).

The other way you can mitigate is to 'throw' the first gate into the road, and then follow several paces behind. Not really good practise, but I know of crossings around here where that was the safest way of doing it.

 

I hope my colleague recovers well.

 

Andy G

 

While I am not aware of any accidents to the signalmen (probably because it had a gate wheel), Littlehaven gates suffered damage on many occasions with motorists attempting to beat them closing. The eventual solution (post 2000) was to fit wig-was and red traffic signal cameras - I have a feeling it might have been the first mixed installation in the country too) and that mostly sorted the issue.

 

Of course a few years later the crossing was upgraded to CCTV, but depending on how long the East Kent resignalling is being delayed maybe the Littlehaven style solution could be adopoted elsewhere (similar in principle to the retro fit barriers being added to some open crossings). If done correctly quite a lot of the equipment could be retained on a future upgrade

[Joseph_Pestell]

As an aside, I was driving, and he offered information on the state of the traffic on his side of the car, which I found useful. He said it was something the army practised as a matter of course, which remark I have used since, when drivers seem to be insulted about my doing the same!

 

For goodness sake, don't tell SWMBO! She's been doing that to me for the last 12 years and I don't like it.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Joseph_Pestell

[Flying Fox 34F]

As someone who is usually first response to incidents at Level Crossings, this is very harrowing.

I have worked in my job now for 14 years and it is noticeable that some drivers just put there foot down and don't read the road.  In fact it is highly likely they don't read road signs.

When I have to get details of incident I always ask about the signs on the approaches.  Trust me you would not believe the replies I get!!!

 

All my best wishes to the Signaller involved.  No doubt my employer will be transmitting a Safety Update to my works email address as I speak

 

Paul 4475

[woodenhead]

I didn't know we still had such manually operated gates in this country on Network Rail lines.

[The Stationmaster]

Just to clarify, how are the gates shut? Does the signaller actually have to go outside and push them into position across the road?

 

Jim

They are very manual gates in that the person closing them has to physically push them across the road - there is no gatewheel.  The signalling was modernised in 2005 but manual gates are still in use at East Farleigh and, I think, also at the next station, Wateringbury.  I took a number of photos at East Farleigh back in the early 1990s and helped the Signalman swing the gates on a couple of occasions whilst I was there as he was very helpful in giving me access to certain things - the gates weren't too difficult to swing and they were in clear view of any approaching road traffic;  in my view it would be very obvious to all but the most brain dead of motorists that the gates were being swung.

[roundhouse]

I didn't know we still had such manually operated gates in this country on Network Rail lines.

There are quite a few locations.

 

Brundall in Norfolk for instance and a number of other  gates in that area are manual still