If there are people or cars stuck in the middle, the level crossing operator wont clear the railway signals, so trains would come to a stop well before the crossing. This is why there is such a long time for a train to pass through after the barriers are down
@@stevekelly5166such hostility (and xenophobia) from someone who is likely a signaller or crossing keeper admitting that they endangered people's lives by declaring a crossing clear before it was. I do hope you've retired or been fired as you seem not to care about your job.
@@gregoryclark8217 You are wrong about my job. But the signaller has to push the green button to sort of conclude, the crossing is clear. It's the last act. That's what the button is for before the signal can be cleared. And the CCTV really goes off at that point. It's real. No idea what yeast has got to do with anything. I guess yeast wound you up. At least you use a real name.
I don’t know and don’t want to know what the above comments are going on about. But with a full barrier crossing that is controlled by either a signaller or a crossing keeper, the following is the generic sequence for closing the road / lowering the barriers at most level crossings on Network Rail infrastructure: Signaller or crossing keeper visually checks the crossing either by looking out the window if the signal box is next to the crossing or by observing the CCTV monitor. If this is a CCTV monitored crossing the “Picture” button or switch has to be operated before the monitor will show a picture of the crossing. Until the “picture” button is pressed, the barriers will not lower. If there is no obstruction they press the “lower” button, this then starts the lights sequence. The amber lights now illuminate. Where provided, the audible warning sirens will sound. After around three to five seconds the amber lights go out and the flashing red lights will illuminate. There is then another short delay of around four to six seconds. Then the leading / nearside / entry barriers lower. The trailing / offside/ exit barriers will not start to lower until both leading barriers are proved to have fully lowered. At any point, the signaller or crossing keeper can halt / stop the sequence of the barriers lowering. And if needed, can raise them again. Each barrier should fully lower within ten seconds. Once all the barriers are proved to be fully lowered, if this is a CCTV monitored crossing, the signaller or crossing keeper has to specifically push the “crossing clear” button. Only then are the railway signals able to be cleared. If the crossing is next to the signal box, a crossing clear button may not be provided. After the “crossing clear” button has been pressed, on some designs the picture on the monitor may switch off. The signaller or crossing keeper can get it back by pushing the picture button again. But it will time out after a short time. Some designs maintain the picture until the barriers return to the fully raised position.
It's also one the primary reasons why Oxford to Cambridge (via Bletchley) - The Varsity Line his being rebooted. They can get freight more easily between Southampton to the east and northeast or Felixstowe to the south west more easily as well as transporting people between the university and research cities without the need for cars OR needing to clog up London transport by being forced to change between Kings Cross to Paddington or Marylebone, and vice versa. Easily as important as HS2, its unfortunately going to be diesel operation only due to a low bridges and no more budget but passive provision has been made for future electrification so the cost would not be so high to get OLE lines up. First phase was completed years ago under Chiltern Railways project Evergreen 3 and phase 2 has been built from Bicester Village to Bletchley. Test trains (GWR Class 800 and Chiltern Railways Class 168) just started running on the line now and will finished for opening at the end of the year.
@@BPJJohn That is extremely common here in the U.S. I never really thought about it before, it's just a thing one sees. I live in an area with more level crossings than I could put a number to so I see it way more than I would like actually.
3:38 is excellent in so many ways. - The timing with the crossing's lights (RTT is handy innit!) - The casual thumb point to said lights - The soft cut after the first sentence to a separate audio clip so there's no blaring alarm all the way through your explanation Master of your craft, and the attention to detail is excellent :)
Did i miss the "button specifically for that" moment? Assuming I'm right, this vid was woefully poor as I LOVE being asked to give it a thumbs up. I dutifully do it every time.
@@PurpleTT99 I believe we get that on the longer videos published around the weekend. These shorter midweek clips only have the short albeit consistent "thanks for watching".
Don't forget the pedestrian on the crossing as he's talking about walking across the crossing Ok he's just finished walking across but still, a fun coincidence
"You can't replace all level crossings with bridges and tunnels" - Well, that's exactly what Germany is doing. From 20,400 level crossings in 2008, they were down to 13,626 in 2020.
But only before 1863 when the Railway Clauses Act required the railway companies to build accommodation for a permanent crossing keeper. As a result, after 1863 new railway lines had very few level crossings.
@@alexhajnal107 Possibly given that the fine for not providing a manned lodge was £10 a day. The requirement for manned lodges ceased in 1994. Incidentally the cost of converting the level crossing at Ash to a bridge is £44.5m
It also has an attendant that spends all day every day stood in the pouring rain dealing with pedestrians, as it uniquely allows foot traffic to cross even when the barriers are closed to road traffic.
@@MrMWRMWR I suppose the trains will be very slow there, all approaching or leaving St Davids station. After all there are loads of uncontrolled pedestrian railway crossings around the country, where pedestrians are free to cross without any restrictions.
Great video. I remember seeing both signal boxes at Helpston in the late 1960s on a regular basis, along with the signal boxes at Lolham, Maxey and Walton Crossings. The ex-MR box at Helpston closed in 1971. Woodcroft Crossing has five not six tracks. The Down Slow on the ex-GNR mainline was removed between Werrington Junction and Helpston in 1971, trains using the Down Slow/Down Stamford line from Peterborough to Helpston on the ex-MR route where the Down Slow starts again just before the Helpston Crossing Box.
Here in the province of Zuid-Holland, there is a big effort ongoing to replace most, if not all level crossing with either a bridge or tunnel, to improve safety and avoid delays. From what I've seen, it's been quite effective so far!
As a callow youth I would go trainspotting there, it was a good ride out from Stamford on a bicycle, and it would take all afternoon to get there, spot a few trains and get back in time for tea. in the 1970's there wasn't so much traffic on the road so in the summer it was a lovely journey.
Me too. A bit further than going to Tallington but the roads were safer for cyclists - a good way to see the Deltics , 47s etc on the ECML and you still got the Stamford line traffic. I remember hearing the Deltics booming along the ECML from my bedroom on a clear night, probably on the run between Greatford and Essendine. They were loud!
I’m probably the only person to ever signal a train to pass over this crossing with a car in the middle of the crossing area. One morning a car smashed through the barriers and came to rest on the Up Stamford line with a passenger train approaching P802. I managed to replace the signal and the train came to a stand just past Maxey xing. I agreed with Peterborough PSB to secure the vehicle and authorise the driver of the train to pass over the crossing with a green hand signal. I’ve never measured it but I was always led to believe Maxey was a longer crossing to Helpston.
Maxey xing is less wide than Helpston. The road across Maxey is at right angles to the railway tracks, at Helpston the road crosses at an angle plus the wide way between the two sets of lines is several metres longer than at Maxey due to the room needed by the Midland Railway for their station platform on the now up Stamford side and the position of the GN Signal box. The Midland lines came under Eastern Region control fron 15m40ch to 22m60ch in June 1966.Helpston Box still has control over signals locally. A few years ago one of my functions at Network Rail was Level Crossing Inspection. Because of Safety considerations some of the parts of the Inspection at Helpston and Maxey was done on a Sunday morning when both rail and road traffic was at a minimum.
@@tulyar1043 Not saying you’re wrong, just going on information received during my time as a resident signaller at Helpston. It’s only recently that I’ve seen Helpston xing being claimed as the longest xing. Throughout my 33 years on the railway it was always Maxey. I don’t care enough to get my tape measure out, so we can always agree to disagree :)
I’ve spent years of my life waiting every harvest carting straw at that crossing ❌. Always respect the railway because you will lose if you don’t. Good to see you in my neck of the woods, Jon
I love how at 0:29 in the mid-1800s Robert Plant (left) can take a few moments out to contemplate the lyrics to some new hymn he's writing. All this while chatting to Dick Emery on the right.
I like this channel because it always introduces new places to me and makes a great but simply short informative little trip, the cherry on top is Gran Turismo music at the end which makes it perfect, well done!
It's almost impossible to get stuck in the middle of a level crossing, as the signaller can stop the barriers even if their going down, basically stopping the barriers half way down to give pedestrians a chance to get out the way. And DON'T wait in the middle of the crossing like the guy said, because the signaller in the signalbox can raise the barriers himself, and it would then take quite a bit longer to get out the crossing if your right in the middle, and you would also have to cross live tracks
I spend much of my life stuck at that crossing !!!! Eight trains is not unknown before the gates go up. The other half of my life is spent stuck at Tallington Crossing. Only the East Coast Main Line there, but it's controlled from York and if there's a train leaving Doncaster they tend to leave to closed (well that's how it seems sometimes!)
The white industrial building right next to the line is a paper supplier that deals in exercise books for schools. I used to go in there with an artic and pick up a full load a couple of times a week. Loads of fun trying to get an almost fully laden 44 tonner with an underpowered Daf unit over there before the alarm went off again. You could watch the gates go up, start off, and make it two thirds of the way across before it went off agian. Much squeaky bum times occurred.
Welcome to my neck of the woods, the Helpston crossing is a nightmare you can sometimes be stuck there for 20-25 mins at busy times.The crossing at woodcroft is even worse with waits up to 30 mins. Once upon a time they planned to put a flyover at Helpston but nearly 50 years later we are still to see it. What is even worse is that when the Helpston crossing was manned electronically from the signal box the signaller would open the gates to let traffic through . Now it's ultra safety that rules and I believe the control for this crossing now resides in York
I think that's a similar situation at Tallington, at least you haven't got the Stamford line there to cross as well.though. I guess the benefit-cost ratio would be too low for what is a minor road. And then you have the residential houses in the way on the Helpston side to navigate.
Brilliant video. I drove over this level crossing a while ago and thought it seemed unusually long but didn't really know much about it - until now!! More on bridges and crossing would be interesting on this channel.
Theres a similar setup just north of ely station but that one has a few houses in the middle! Always wonder how much that setup takes off the house prices...
On the outskirts of Moscow, RU (to the north IIRC but inside the city limits) there's a small village inside a railway test track/loop. Really primitive too, no electricity/gas/water/sanitation IIRC despite there being several dozen families. And this is within a major (?) country's capital!
Level crossings in Australia fitted with boom barriers only have barriers on the approach side, so any vehicles that enter the crossing have nothing (except traffic in front of them) stopping them from exiting the crossing.
We have some crossings with half-width barriers in the UK, but they're obviously more dangerous than full barriers, so they can only be used on lines with a maximum speed of 100mph.; and they can't cross more than two tracks. No more new half-barrier crossings are being built, and existing ones gradually being upgraded to have full barriers.
I very hesitantly crossed a level crossing on the outskirts of Cambridge during peak evening traffic (satnav 🙈) and wouldn't want to be doing that again. As for the ones described here, and in comments, I'm making a note of where to avoid. Newark is my most frequent level crossing and I treat that quiet one with all due respect.
The UK, from the beginning, requires railways to be fully fenced off from the public. (Australia and the US don't have this requirement.) That's why the old crossings have wooden gates that completely block the road and the newer ones have boom gates with skirts that do the same. The automatic crossings (half-barrier and open crossings) have these angled wooden slats across the tracks that are supposed to prevent pedestrians and animals wandering up the tracks. If your railways are unfenced anyway there's no reason to completely block access at level crossings!
@@RoamingAdhocrat Neither does continental Europe. The requirement to maintain all that fencing is part of the reason our railways are so expensive. A few years ago I was stopping in a hotel just outside Munich, and to get to one of the S-Bahn stations was a 15min walk along mostly footpaths. At one point this involved a path running right alongside the railway, with just a low wire fence between the path and the railway.
I remember when i was 5 or 6, my dad was driving, the car broke down and we were stuck in the middle section... me being so young i never really understood the situation, we ended up causing all sorts of delays as we had to be moved before trains were cleared across. Now i commute, passing helpston every week and im always reminded of that time.
I live near Warsaw in Poland and about 15kms west there's a hideous one where fast trains are going at full speed, it's 6 lines wide and if you get stuck... Well you're dead.
I drove along this road a few years ago and the level crossing stuck in my memory because we don't have many level crossings where I live and I was really surprised by a) how many trains went past while I was waiting, b) how long I had to wait and c) the distance between the gates. Thanks for explaining this.
You should check out videos of the Brightline railway in Florida. Some of the track runs down the middle of dual carriageways. Lots of accidents. According to Wikipedia, there have been been over 100 deaths since 2017.
Love your videos John, but there isn't any chance of a vehicle or pedestrian being stuck between the barriers. The barriers are lowered under signaller/ crossing attendant control, they will not lower the exit barriers from the crossing until everyone is clear. An automatic half barrier (AHB) doesn't have a Signaller to ensure that people or vehicles aren't on the crossing, but as it's only a half barrier, people are able to exit the crossing. AHB's have been phased out on the routes that I drive trains over, being replaced by CCTV controlled barriers which the signaller has to lower and ensure no one is on the crossing before the signal is cleared.
The level crossings on high streets are fascinating. I've been stuck at the Poole one lots of times (I know there is a foot bridge, but that requires you to walk up and down steps).
IIRC there is something similar just north of Doncaster station where the ECML and the Leeds line separate. However the road that uses those crossings is much more minor
I remember back in 1980 or so purposely stopping so I could watch the manual gates operation and the signal drops out on the carrot fields in the Fens of East Anglia on the way to work (RAF Lakenheath). Of course that was British Rail, and riding the rails was a joy. When going to a contract job in Torquay a decade ago, looked at riding the train from London to the nearest town with rental cars, but with the then convoluted privatization, would have cost three times as much and taken twice as long than to just drive straight. It's better now, but I'm retired. Would still like to go back and ride the trains again, so we'll see Thanks Jon, for your humor, insight and memories!
1863 was the year that it was made law that all level crossings in the uk should be equipped with manned gates with round the clock operation 365 days a year. Prior to that a flat crossing with nothing had been acceptable but higher train speeds and more road traffic led to the legislation. This made it MUCH more expensive for the railway company as they had to build and maintain gates, pay a member of staff in perpetuity and build a crossing keepers house, and sometimes even have trains stop specifically to drop off cans of water as the house would often be miles from anywhere. That was when building an under or over bridge for the road became the cheapest option and pretty much on all railways( except light railways built after 1900, that weren’t subject to the same regulations as ordinary railways with much less stringent signalling and level crossing rules but with a 25 mph maximum speed) bridge building was now the norm. Ironically the first flush of railway building is pretty much the network we have today, so a large amount of the original railway crossings still exist.
And yet there are level crossings that don’t have gates or barriers. The situation is a bit more complex. For starters, there are train crew operated crossings. And automatic open crossings (without barriers). As well as AHBC and various other crossing types on crossings that are not public roads (access to private land).
@@Mark1024MAK all introduced since the demise of the 24/7 xing keeper. And each type has its own working methods and rules. white light steady, train stopped, definitely clear off you go. Etc etc. Retired Traindriver.
This is about 6 miles from me. I once sat there for 45 minutes waiting. Woodcroft crossing is great, it’s nice talking to the network rail chap while waiting for the gate locks to be released.
I don't think I've ever seen or heard the word "nice" used to describe the Class 66 before. They're ugly and unpleasant to drive. ASLEF proposed banning their members from driving them due to excessive noise and heat in the cab, and class 66 drivers in Norway get extra pay for the displeasure. That's how bad they are...
This reminds me of a crossing kind of local to me is Pine Junction on Clark road in Gary Indiana but there's enough space that it's split into 3 separate crossings
Getting stuck on Helpston crossing wasn't a problem for our bus driver taking us to school back in 1991(92?) he just drove straight through as the first set of barriers came down scraping the length of the coach (Duple Dominant) owned by Fen Travel, meaning that the second set of barriers had to be opened as we were going over the crossing toward Glinton. Ironically? The bus driver never lost his license? Whenever I see a video like this or Don Coffee's Peterborough to Birmingham cab ride video? I always think about that morning......... I just wish I could find anything about it online?
How can there be a freight train that long with no graffiti plastered all over it ? Either G.B. has strict laws about this problem, or the price of paint makes it prohibitive. Cheers to another great presentation.
Yes. The barrier boom is attached by a pair of shear bolts. However, this isn’t really to allow motorists to escape, as the barriers are monitored at all times when in operation, usually by a signaller, but in more modern installations, LiDAR and RADAR, and signals won’t be cleared if an obstruction is observed. But rather to protect the more expensive hydraulic equipment that operates them, should they be struck by a vehicle or damaged by high winds. They will shear easily though, and I’ve dealt with failures where the shear bolts have gave way because a pedestrian forced the barriers apart to cross the track.
@@southcalder In the States crossings are universally un-staffed, un-monitored, and fully automated. No detection equipment either. There is a phone number printed on the gate equipment box though that connects directly to the train dispatcher. Should one get stuck on a US (or Canadian?) crossing IMMEDIATELY call that number.
John, very interesting video! The crazyness of British infrastructure management so typified by the Hepston crossing. Just one issue, you need to take a good look at the image of Woodcroft Crossing, it's only 5 lines, not 6 as you said. What was the Great Northern lines becomes just 3 just south of Hepston crossing as one line crosses over and joins the Midland Railway's 2 lines. So from that point onwards there are only 5 tracks. Jonathan.
I used to close level crossings on behalf f Network Rail for maintenance and the best one was Queen Adelaide level crossing in… some part of that flat bit of England… 😂😊
This crossing in peak times is on average closed to let trains past for 40/50 mins every hour. I live a stones throw away from this crossing and it’s caused a lot of traffic issues over the years due to how busy the lines and the roads are getting. Thanks for the video.
I was born in the early 60s and brought up in Stamford, just up the road from Helpston. My parents were both from Norfolk and we used to visit grandparents regularly and would go through Helpston on the way there and back when it had the two pairs of old-style gates, one pair on the main line, a gap and then the other pair on the Stamford line. More than once we stopped waiting in the gap but there was never any time when cars were stopped on the tracks themselves, just on the bit of road between the sets of gates. I found it really exciting but then I was obsessed by trains when I was little so was always delighted if we got stopped at any level crossing. I still use Helpston crossing fairly regularly and have never seen any issues with anyone "stuck" on the wrong side of the gates as they are now although you can be waiting there for a while and it's not uncommon to have 4 or more trains go through before the gates raise again.
The country's (and I believe the world's first) automated level crossing opened about a mile from my house - at Spath near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. It has long since gone, as has the railway.
We have quite a similiar level crossing here in Germany, except it's 4 tracks but on a length of appx. 42m. It still has barriers in the middle in between. We also have numerous so called "Call Crossings" such as you've shown towards the end. Perpetually closed, opened upon calling through basically an intercom right next to it. Usually placed where there isn't really much traffic trying to cross the tracks. Thanks for sharing!
These kinds of crossings are also found in the UK (and one was even shown in this video). Some examples are Appleford crossing near Didcot, New Barnetby crossing near Barnetby station, and Gringley Road crossing in Retford. There are actually 2 types. One of them uses old-fashioned swing gates operated by a crossing keeper, and the other one uses more modern lifting barriers and lights. A button is provided to notify that someone needs to cross. With the former, a crossing keeper comes out and opens the gates. With the latter, a signaller presses a button on his panel to raise the barriers; a minute later he checks the CCTV, if the crossing is clear he lowers the barriers.
Being a bit pedantic, but the merging of the railways came quite a bit before the closure of Helpston station & as is clearly visible from your drone footage Woodcroft only crosses 5 sets of tracks.
Woodcroft lane is claim to the UK's longest wait time, when certain services are stacked and in the incorrect sync it can take up to 45 minutes to get the correct window of opportunity to open and close both gates manually. I used to do some work up that neck of the woods and it was possibly the best waste of time known to man sometimes seeing 10+ trains before the gates open.😊
I was in Dorset earlier this year and came across a level crossing in the middle of a housing estate. Now, I'm from Scotland, we don't really have these things there. So it was a bit of a surprise.
I would like to offer up Kingsknowe MCB-OD in Edinburgh, slap in the middle of a residential area. Try dealing with a failure on that when the flat roof pub next door empties out! Not fun.
You're unlikely to get stuck on the crossing unless the signaller is doing a shite job. They shouldn't close the barriers fully or open the section if its not clear.
I got stuck behind an idiot once on that crossing. Barriers down fore and aft. Rapid!😳 manoeuvring was undertaken to get to a safe space in the middle of the crossing. 🤷♂️
You only need to look up the Hixon Rail Crash of 1968 to see what can go tragically wrong at level crossings and how the lessons learned have made them safer since.
The Hixon crossing had been made more dangerous six months BEFORE the crash, in order to save money. Before that time, the crossing was gated and signalled, and no such accident could have occurred.
There's something similar at Tallington. If I remember correctly, that one is the busiet level crossing in the country. These midweek videos are pretty cool, Jon; keep up the good work
Tallington must be less busy than Helpston because Helpston has the same lines as Tallington plus the Peterborough - Stamford line. Saying that, I bet Tallington causes way more delay to people because the road is so much busier.
@@MrMatStace I was about to say the same. Helpston not only has the Stamford line but there is more freight on that line, some trains can take the best part of a minute or so to go through depending on the speed. At least by the time trains go through Tallington they tend to be at full speed.
I thought the remaining level crossings on the East Coast Mainline (ECML) will all be removed, especially with the recently finished Werrington dive-under (near Peterborough) and the ongoing European Train Control System (ETCS) project raising the line speed from 200km/h to 225km/h., And also because the ECML is a busy railway and 200km/h is already fast. In fact, the Werrington junction upgrade is already an improvement on its own as it no longer mixes with (slow and long) freight trains.
That's quite a few crossings just in the Peterborough area alone (Holme, The Offords, Helpston, Tallington etc) never mind the many others I can think of the length of the ECML. That's a massive piece of work and would be hugely costly. I can't ever envisage that happening.
I was once told the next crossing is wider, but I am not convinced! Incidentally Tallington crossing is on an A road and that causes huge disruption. Agreed about waiting it out in the middle, there must be pedestrians that have had to do that. There was a plan to build a road to bypass the crossing but that hasn't happened yet.
If I was ever caught out here (eg I am running and they start lowering the barriers because the cameras couldn't see me) then as I said I would wait it out and ring the Network Rail emergency number to let them know
This is honestly the strangest rail design I have seen, and that's saying something, because I am from Canada, where our railways are all kinds of wacky due to having so much extra space.
3:24 if you'd like to cross here, there is of course a button specifically for that.
Excellent work sir
and if you go to Google Map Street View you'll see the nice railway worker opening the gates for a car.
NICE!
If there are people or cars stuck in the middle, the level crossing operator wont clear the railway signals, so trains would come to a stop well before the crossing. This is why there is such a long time for a train to pass through after the barriers are down
@@stevekelly5166such hostility (and xenophobia) from someone who is likely a signaller or crossing keeper admitting that they endangered people's lives by declaring a crossing clear before it was. I do hope you've retired or been fired as you seem not to care about your job.
came here to say this!
@@gregoryclark8217 You are wrong about my job. But the signaller has to push the green button to sort of conclude, the crossing is clear. It's the last act. That's what the button is for before the signal can be cleared. And the CCTV really goes off at that point. It's real. No idea what yeast has got to do with anything. I guess yeast wound you up. At least you use a real name.
I don’t know and don’t want to know what the above comments are going on about. But with a full barrier crossing that is controlled by either a signaller or a crossing keeper, the following is the generic sequence for closing the road / lowering the barriers at most level crossings on Network Rail infrastructure:
Signaller or crossing keeper visually checks the crossing either by looking out the window if the signal box is next to the crossing or by observing the CCTV monitor. If this is a CCTV monitored crossing the “Picture” button or switch has to be operated before the monitor will show a picture of the crossing. Until the “picture” button is pressed, the barriers will not lower. If there is no obstruction they press the “lower” button, this then starts the lights sequence. The amber lights now illuminate. Where provided, the audible warning sirens will sound. After around three to five seconds the amber lights go out and the flashing red lights will illuminate. There is then another short delay of around four to six seconds. Then the leading / nearside / entry barriers lower. The trailing / offside/ exit barriers will not start to lower until both leading barriers are proved to have fully lowered. At any point, the signaller or crossing keeper can halt / stop the sequence of the barriers lowering. And if needed, can raise them again. Each barrier should fully lower within ten seconds.
Once all the barriers are proved to be fully lowered, if this is a CCTV monitored crossing, the signaller or crossing keeper has to specifically push the “crossing clear” button. Only then are the railway signals able to be cleared. If the crossing is next to the signal box, a crossing clear button may not be provided. After the “crossing clear” button has been pressed, on some designs the picture on the monitor may switch off. The signaller or crossing keeper can get it back by pushing the picture button again. But it will time out after a short time. Some designs maintain the picture until the barriers return to the fully raised position.
@@Mark1024MAK Been doing it since 1981. I don't cut and paste.
Great to see the container freight on the tracks and not on 50 lorries on the motorway.
It's also one the primary reasons why Oxford to Cambridge (via Bletchley) - The Varsity Line his being rebooted. They can get freight more easily between Southampton to the east and northeast or Felixstowe to the south west more easily as well as transporting people between the university and research cities without the need for cars OR needing to clog up London transport by being forced to change between Kings Cross to Paddington or Marylebone, and vice versa.
Easily as important as HS2, its unfortunately going to be diesel operation only due to a low bridges and no more budget but passive provision has been made for future electrification so the cost would not be so high to get OLE lines up. First phase was completed years ago under Chiltern Railways project Evergreen 3 and phase 2 has been built from Bicester Village to Bletchley.
Test trains (GWR Class 800 and Chiltern Railways Class 168) just started running on the line now and will finished for opening at the end of the year.
Frankly I would like to see Double Stack Containers in the English countryside on new Rail Lines, but I know that's not going to Happen.
LGV drivers left the chat.
@@BPJJohn That is extremely common here in the U.S. I never really thought about it before, it's just a thing one sees. I live in an area with more level crossings than I could put a number to so I see it way more than I would like actually.
@@BPJJohnthey wouldn't fit under lower bridges
3:38 impeccable timing with the amber lights!
take 26
Aka Wig Wags 😁
3:38 is excellent in so many ways.
- The timing with the crossing's lights (RTT is handy innit!)
- The casual thumb point to said lights
- The soft cut after the first sentence to a separate audio clip so there's no blaring alarm all the way through your explanation
Master of your craft, and the attention to detail is excellent :)
Did i miss the "button specifically for that" moment? Assuming I'm right, this vid was woefully poor as I LOVE being asked to give it a thumbs up. I dutifully do it every time.
Pay attention. That button is only for Sunday vids. Use the thumbs up button for everything else. @@PurpleTT99
@@PurpleTT99 I believe we get that on the longer videos published around the weekend. These shorter midweek clips only have the short albeit consistent "thanks for watching".
I need to reach this level of editing honestly
Don't forget the pedestrian on the crossing as he's talking about walking across the crossing
Ok he's just finished walking across but still, a fun coincidence
It was only a matter of time before John crowbarred a video about railway infrastructure on to the channel. Bravo, sir, excellent work as always.
"You can't replace all level crossings with bridges and tunnels" - Well, that's exactly what Germany is doing. From 20,400 level crossings in 2008, they were down to 13,626 in 2020.
4:02 ah music to my ears… GT3 - Car Dealer
Yea, I'm loving this gentle move towards the rail network!!!
I have to say "cheap to build and easy to construct" tickled me. The words of a man never exposed to railway signalling projects!
But only before 1863 when the Railway Clauses Act required the railway companies to build accommodation for a permanent crossing keeper. As a result, after 1863 new railway lines had very few level crossings.
Surely still cheaper and easier overall than a bridge or a tunnel?
@@andymerrett Depends; you don't have to staff those.
@@alexhajnal107 Possibly given that the fine for not providing a manned lodge was £10 a day. The requirement for manned lodges ceased in 1994.
Incidentally the cost of converting the level crossing at Ash to a bridge is £44.5m
Amazing, Jon's mastery of sarcasm is reaching new levels of subtlety! 🙂
There is a six track level crossing on the approach to Exeter St Davids
It also has an attendant that spends all day every day stood in the pouring rain dealing with pedestrians, as it uniquely allows foot traffic to cross even when the barriers are closed to road traffic.
@@southcalder that's awful. At least build a footbridge 😧
@@MrMWRMWR I suppose the trains will be very slow there, all approaching or leaving St Davids station. After all there are loads of uncontrolled pedestrian railway crossings around the country, where pedestrians are free to cross without any restrictions.
Great video. I remember seeing both signal boxes at Helpston in the late 1960s on a regular basis, along with the signal boxes at Lolham, Maxey and Walton Crossings. The ex-MR box at Helpston closed in 1971. Woodcroft Crossing has five not six tracks. The Down Slow on the ex-GNR mainline was removed between Werrington Junction and Helpston in 1971, trains using the Down Slow/Down Stamford line from Peterborough to Helpston on the ex-MR route where the Down Slow starts again just before the Helpston Crossing Box.
Another great episode of Railway Shenanigans!
Here in the province of Zuid-Holland, there is a big effort ongoing to replace most, if not all level crossing with either a bridge or tunnel, to improve safety and avoid delays. From what I've seen, it's been quite effective so far!
As a callow youth I would go trainspotting there, it was a good ride out from Stamford on a bicycle, and it would take all afternoon to get there, spot a few trains and get back in time for tea. in the 1970's there wasn't so much traffic on the road so in the summer it was a lovely journey.
Me too. A bit further than going to Tallington but the roads were safer for cyclists - a good way to see the Deltics , 47s etc on the ECML and you still got the Stamford line traffic. I remember hearing the Deltics booming along the ECML from my bedroom on a clear night, probably on the run between Greatford and Essendine. They were loud!
I’m probably the only person to ever signal a train to pass over this crossing with a car in the middle of the crossing area. One morning a car smashed through the barriers and came to rest on the Up Stamford line with a passenger train approaching P802. I managed to replace the signal and the train came to a stand just past Maxey xing. I agreed with Peterborough PSB to secure the vehicle and authorise the driver of the train to pass over the crossing with a green hand signal. I’ve never measured it but I was always led to believe Maxey was a longer crossing to Helpston.
You could probably find out for certain with the ruler tool and satellite photos on Google Maps!
Maxey xing is less wide than Helpston. The road across Maxey is at right angles to the railway tracks, at Helpston the road crosses at an angle plus the wide way between the two sets of lines is several metres longer than at Maxey due to the room needed by the Midland Railway for their station platform on the now up Stamford side and the position of the GN Signal box. The Midland lines came under Eastern Region control fron 15m40ch to 22m60ch in June 1966.Helpston Box still has control over signals locally.
A few years ago one of my functions at Network Rail was Level Crossing Inspection. Because of Safety considerations some of the parts of the Inspection at Helpston and Maxey was done on a Sunday morning when both rail and road traffic was at a minimum.
@@tulyar1043 Not saying you’re wrong, just going on information received during my time as a resident signaller at Helpston. It’s only recently that I’ve seen Helpston xing being claimed as the longest xing. Throughout my 33 years on the railway it was always Maxey. I don’t care enough to get my tape measure out, so we can always agree to disagree :)
I’ve spent years of my life waiting every harvest carting straw at that crossing ❌. Always respect the railway because you will lose if you don’t. Good to see you in my neck of the woods, Jon
I love how at 0:29 in the mid-1800s Robert Plant (left) can take a few moments out to contemplate the lyrics to some new hymn he's writing. All this while chatting to Dick Emery on the right.
I went back to check. Good spot.
I think it's Noddy Holder and Wilfrid Brambell.
I'm sorry Dick but "You are awful, but I like you" will not fit.
Nah, it’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Doherty
One of them is definitely Sean Lock.
And the other is Tom Baker.
I really do think we ought to encourage Jon to be brave enough to be 'out' as a rail enthusiast...
I like this channel because it always introduces new places to me and makes a great but simply short informative little trip, the cherry on top is Gran Turismo music at the end which makes it perfect, well done!
It's almost impossible to get stuck in the middle of a level crossing, as the signaller can stop the barriers even if their going down, basically stopping the barriers half way down to give pedestrians a chance to get out the way. And DON'T wait in the middle of the crossing like the guy said, because the signaller in the signalbox can raise the barriers himself, and it would then take quite a bit longer to get out the crossing if your right in the middle, and you would also have to cross live tracks
I spend much of my life stuck at that crossing !!!!
Eight trains is not unknown before the gates go up.
The other half of my life is spent stuck at Tallington Crossing. Only the East Coast Main Line there, but it's controlled from York and if there's a train leaving Doncaster they tend to leave to closed (well that's how it seems sometimes!)
As a railway enthusiast (and Advanced Driver and SAAB fan) your site does it all for me, John (and I'm a John too)
But he's a Jon.
Aaah man.. I used to go here as a kid with my grandad when we visited him in the 80s/90s brings back great memories
The white industrial building right next to the line is a paper supplier that deals in exercise books for schools. I used to go in there with an artic and pick up a full load a couple of times a week. Loads of fun trying to get an almost fully laden 44 tonner with an underpowered Daf unit over there before the alarm went off again. You could watch the gates go up, start off, and make it two thirds of the way across before it went off agian. Much squeaky bum times occurred.
I liked the video and used the button spacifically for that
more railway stuff please Jon...
I found this video really interesting. Thank you Jon. There's another interesting 6 track level crossing at Cow Lane, Exeter, which is manned.
Local resident here. That crossing is an absolute ballache, when it is shut, prepare to spend atleast 20-25 minutes there.
Welcome to my neck of the woods, the Helpston crossing is a nightmare you can sometimes be stuck there for 20-25 mins at busy times.The crossing at woodcroft is even worse with waits up to 30 mins.
Once upon a time they planned to put a flyover at Helpston but nearly 50 years later we are still to see it.
What is even worse is that when the Helpston crossing was manned electronically from the signal box the signaller would open the gates to let traffic through . Now it's ultra safety that rules and I believe the control for this crossing now resides in York
Unless it has changed fairly recently, within the last year, it is still controlled from Helpston.
"Ultra safety" is the way the railway should be. You don't want to end up a casualty in an RAIB report...
Helpston Crossing is controlled from Helpston Signal Box, along with Maxey, Lolham, Tallington and many others in the area.
I think that's a similar situation at Tallington, at least you haven't got the Stamford line there to cross as well.though. I guess the benefit-cost ratio would be too low for what is a minor road. And then you have the residential houses in the way on the Helpston side to navigate.
@@adambro5480 Ah, i wrongly assumed that when they moved the Peterborough control to York that included the level crossing control too
Brilliant video. I drove over this level crossing a while ago and thought it seemed unusually long but didn't really know much about it - until now!! More on bridges and crossing would be interesting on this channel.
This brings back so many memories of waiting on the Glinton Road, otherwise known as the B1443, thanks John for another exciting video.
Theres a similar setup just north of ely station but that one has a few houses in the middle! Always wonder how much that setup takes off the house prices...
Really? A video is needed.
On the outskirts of Moscow, RU (to the north IIRC but inside the city limits) there's a small village inside a railway test track/loop. Really primitive too, no electricity/gas/water/sanitation IIRC despite there being several dozen families. And this is within a major (?) country's capital!
Surely that would increase the house prices, due to competition among rail enthusiasts wishing to live there...
Fabulous vid...! Also, check out the one at Exeter - I think it's called Red Cow and has 7 tracks....
Level crossings in Australia fitted with boom barriers only have barriers on the approach side, so any vehicles that enter the crossing have nothing (except traffic in front of them) stopping them from exiting the crossing.
That type exists here but it's not common - motorists see a way through even as the trains approach
We have some crossings with half-width barriers in the UK, but they're obviously more dangerous than full barriers, so they can only be used on lines with a maximum speed of 100mph.; and they can't cross more than two tracks.
No more new half-barrier crossings are being built, and existing ones gradually being upgraded to have full barriers.
I very hesitantly crossed a level crossing on the outskirts of Cambridge during peak evening traffic (satnav 🙈) and wouldn't want to be doing that again. As for the ones described here, and in comments, I'm making a note of where to avoid. Newark is my most frequent level crossing and I treat that quiet one with all due respect.
The UK, from the beginning, requires railways to be fully fenced off from the public. (Australia and the US don't have this requirement.) That's why the old crossings have wooden gates that completely block the road and the newer ones have boom gates with skirts that do the same.
The automatic crossings (half-barrier and open crossings) have these angled wooden slats across the tracks that are supposed to prevent pedestrians and animals wandering up the tracks.
If your railways are unfenced anyway there's no reason to completely block access at level crossings!
@@RoamingAdhocrat Neither does continental Europe. The requirement to maintain all that fencing is part of the reason our railways are so expensive. A few years ago I was stopping in a hotel just outside Munich, and to get to one of the S-Bahn stations was a 15min walk along mostly footpaths. At one point this involved a path running right alongside the railway, with just a low wire fence between the path and the railway.
That is the nearest level crossing to my house, renowned for some really long waits if you miss time the approach (10 minutes plus in some cases)
Absolutely staggering video😊
This Bloody channel is addictive , I need to get some work done !
I remember when i was 5 or 6, my dad was driving, the car broke down and we were stuck in the middle section... me being so young i never really understood the situation, we ended up causing all sorts of delays as we had to be moved before trains were cleared across. Now i commute, passing helpston every week and im always reminded of that time.
In Hull we have a crossing across a dual carriageway, which is supposed to be the widest crossing (in terms of the road width).
Have you taken a peep at Queen Adelaide north east of Ely, Cambridgeshire where there are multiple crossings?
There’s a crossing near where I grew up with 8 tracks and no spaces in the middle.
Sounds like Seaham Harbour!
I live near Warsaw in Poland and about 15kms west there's a hideous one where fast trains are going at full speed, it's 6 lines wide and if you get stuck... Well you're dead.
😬
That moment when my fav road network youtuber... hits my railway hyper-interest
What you doing in Helpston?.. and how did you get out ?...LOL this crossing is a nightmare and the bane of lots of our life's !!!
I drove along this road a few years ago and the level crossing stuck in my memory because we don't have many level crossings where I live and I was really surprised by a) how many trains went past while I was waiting, b) how long I had to wait and c) the distance between the gates. Thanks for explaining this.
Very interesting and worth watching found it very informative
Any chance of doing more railway stuff John ?
Like he needs encouragement.
His videos are mostly excuses to talk about railway infrastructure and to scout out new dogging locations. :^)
@@alexhajnal107 and that’s exactly why I watch them 👀😂
You should check out videos of the Brightline railway in Florida. Some of the track runs down the middle of dual carriageways. Lots of accidents. According to Wikipedia, there have been been over 100 deaths since 2017.
Darwin at work.
Love your videos John, but there isn't any chance of a vehicle or pedestrian being stuck between the barriers. The barriers are lowered under signaller/ crossing attendant control, they will not lower the exit barriers from the crossing until everyone is clear.
An automatic half barrier (AHB) doesn't have a Signaller to ensure that people or vehicles aren't on the crossing, but as it's only a half barrier, people are able to exit the crossing. AHB's have been phased out on the routes that I drive trains over, being replaced by CCTV controlled barriers which the signaller has to lower and ensure no one is on the crossing before the signal is cleared.
The level crossings on high streets are fascinating. I've been stuck at the Poole one lots of times (I know there is a foot bridge, but that requires you to walk up and down steps).
Great video!
Does look like a 1' (foot) measuring wheel rather than a 1m one?
However take the point it's a long way across.
IIRC there is something similar just north of Doncaster station where the ECML and the Leeds line separate. However the road that uses those crossings is much more minor
There was a similar crossing on the Marholm Road closer to the city. That was far more dangerous.
I remember back in 1980 or so purposely stopping so I could watch the manual gates operation and the signal drops out on the carrot fields in the Fens of East Anglia on the way to work (RAF Lakenheath). Of course that was British Rail, and riding the rails was a joy. When going to a contract job in Torquay a decade ago, looked at riding the train from London to the nearest town with rental cars, but with the then convoluted privatization, would have cost three times as much and taken twice as long than to just drive straight. It's better now, but I'm retired. Would still like to go back and ride the trains again, so we'll see
Thanks Jon, for your humor, insight and memories!
1863 was the year that it was made law that all level crossings in the uk should be equipped with manned gates with round the clock operation 365 days a year. Prior to that a flat crossing with nothing had been acceptable but higher train speeds and more road traffic led to the legislation. This made it MUCH more expensive for the railway company as they had to build and maintain gates, pay a member of staff in perpetuity and build a crossing keepers house, and sometimes even have trains stop specifically to drop off cans of water as the house would often be miles from anywhere. That was when building an under or over bridge for the road became the cheapest option and pretty much on all railways( except light railways built after 1900, that weren’t subject to the same regulations as ordinary railways with much less stringent signalling and level crossing rules but with a 25 mph maximum speed) bridge building was now the norm. Ironically the first flush of railway building is pretty much the network we have today, so a large amount of the original railway crossings still exist.
And yet there are level crossings that don’t have gates or barriers. The situation is a bit more complex. For starters, there are train crew operated crossings. And automatic open crossings (without barriers). As well as AHBC and various other crossing types on crossings that are not public roads (access to private land).
@@Mark1024MAK all introduced since the demise of the 24/7 xing keeper. And each type has its own working methods and rules. white light steady, train stopped, definitely clear off you go. Etc etc. Retired Traindriver.
@@Mark1024MAKfor automatic open crossings the train has an auto announcer that shouts "get clear or dieeeeeeeee" as the train approaches 😉
I just saw my motor parked at Woodcroft which incidentally is where I work 😊
This is about 6 miles from me. I once sat there for 45 minutes waiting. Woodcroft crossing is great, it’s nice talking to the network rail chap while waiting for the gate locks to be released.
Ah, with all this wonderful railway content you're spoiling us!
That is a big crossing! I used to live near the wonderfully named “red cow” crossing by Exeter st David’s - that was a bit of a beast too!
Those are some nice looking Class 66 locomotives
Freight trains 😊
I don't think I've ever seen or heard the word "nice" used to describe the Class 66 before. They're ugly and unpleasant to drive. ASLEF proposed banning their members from driving them due to excessive noise and heat in the cab, and class 66 drivers in Norway get extra pay for the displeasure. That's how bad they are...
This reminds me of a crossing kind of local to me is Pine Junction on Clark road in Gary Indiana but there's enough space that it's split into 3 separate crossings
Getting stuck on Helpston crossing wasn't a problem for our bus driver taking us to school back in 1991(92?) he just drove straight through as the first set of barriers came down scraping the length of the coach (Duple Dominant) owned by Fen Travel, meaning that the second set of barriers had to be opened as we were going over the crossing toward Glinton. Ironically? The bus driver never lost his license? Whenever I see a video like this or Don Coffee's Peterborough to Birmingham cab ride video? I always think about that morning......... I just wish I could find anything about it online?
How can there be a freight train that long with no graffiti plastered all over it ? Either G.B. has strict laws about this problem, or the price of paint makes it prohibitive. Cheers to another great presentation.
03:52 Does the UK use break-away gates to allow trapped vehicles to escape? That's standard practice state-side.
Yes. The barrier boom is attached by a pair of shear bolts. However, this isn’t really to allow motorists to escape, as the barriers are monitored at all times when in operation, usually by a signaller, but in more modern installations, LiDAR and RADAR, and signals won’t be cleared if an obstruction is observed. But rather to protect the more expensive hydraulic equipment that operates them, should they be struck by a vehicle or damaged by high winds.
They will shear easily though, and I’ve dealt with failures where the shear bolts have gave way because a pedestrian forced the barriers apart to cross the track.
@@southcalder In the States crossings are universally un-staffed, un-monitored, and fully automated. No detection equipment either. There is a phone number printed on the gate equipment box though that connects directly to the train dispatcher. Should one get stuck on a US (or Canadian?) crossing IMMEDIATELY call that number.
In olden days there was a footbridge across it but long since remoced
John, very interesting video! The crazyness of British infrastructure management so typified by the Hepston crossing. Just one issue, you need to take a good look at the image of Woodcroft Crossing, it's only 5 lines, not 6 as you said. What was the Great Northern lines becomes just 3 just south of Hepston crossing as one line crosses over and joins the Midland Railway's 2 lines. So from that point onwards there are only 5 tracks.
Jonathan.
That's why I added the "I said 6, I mean 5" subtitle?
@@AutoShenanigans I missed seeing the sub-title oopsy! I must be blind 😎😎😎😎
I used to close level crossings on behalf f Network Rail for maintenance and the best one was Queen Adelaide level crossing in… some part of that flat bit of England… 😂😊
nth of Ely
A minor point at 3:14, Woodcroft crossing involves 5 tracks not 6.
❤❤ There's a little railway nerd inside every one of us ❤❤
Jerry rafferty stuck in the middle with you greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
You do railway videos quite nicely, sir!! 🛤️
This crossing in peak times is on average closed to let trains past for 40/50 mins every hour. I live a stones throw away from this crossing and it’s caused a lot of traffic issues over the years due to how busy the lines and the roads are getting. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for covering railways jon! Fantastic work!
Interesting.
Thank you.
☮
The 13 Track Level crossing at the approach into Cologne Gremberg Yard would like to have a word 😅
I was born in the early 60s and brought up in Stamford, just up the road from Helpston. My parents were both from Norfolk and we used to visit grandparents regularly and would go through Helpston on the way there and back when it had the two pairs of old-style gates, one pair on the main line, a gap and then the other pair on the Stamford line. More than once we stopped waiting in the gap but there was never any time when cars were stopped on the tracks themselves, just on the bit of road between the sets of gates. I found it really exciting but then I was obsessed by trains when I was little so was always delighted if we got stopped at any level crossing.
I still use Helpston crossing fairly regularly and have never seen any issues with anyone "stuck" on the wrong side of the gates as they are now although you can be waiting there for a while and it's not uncommon to have 4 or more trains go through before the gates raise again.
The country's (and I believe the world's first) automated level crossing opened about a mile from my house - at Spath near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. It has long since gone, as has the railway.
We have quite a similiar level crossing here in Germany, except it's 4 tracks but on a length of appx. 42m.
It still has barriers in the middle in between.
We also have numerous so called "Call Crossings" such as you've shown towards the end. Perpetually closed, opened upon calling through basically an intercom right next to it. Usually placed where there isn't really much traffic trying to cross the tracks.
Thanks for sharing!
These kinds of crossings are also found in the UK (and one was even shown in this video). Some examples are Appleford crossing near Didcot, New Barnetby crossing near Barnetby station, and Gringley Road crossing in Retford.
There are actually 2 types. One of them uses old-fashioned swing gates operated by a crossing keeper, and the other one uses more modern lifting barriers and lights. A button is provided to notify that someone needs to cross. With the former, a crossing keeper comes out and opens the gates. With the latter, a signaller presses a button on his panel to raise the barriers; a minute later he checks the CCTV, if the crossing is clear he lowers the barriers.
Being a bit pedantic, but the merging of the railways came quite a bit before the closure of Helpston station & as is clearly visible from your drone footage Woodcroft only crosses 5 sets of tracks.
Woodcroft lane is claim to the UK's longest wait time, when certain services are stacked and in the incorrect sync it can take up to 45 minutes to get the correct window of opportunity to open and close both gates manually. I used to do some work up that neck of the woods and it was possibly the best waste of time known to man sometimes seeing 10+ trains before the gates open.😊
I was in Dorset earlier this year and came across a level crossing in the middle of a housing estate. Now, I'm from Scotland, we don't really have these things there. So it was a bit of a surprise.
I would like to offer up Kingsknowe MCB-OD in Edinburgh, slap in the middle of a residential area. Try dealing with a failure on that when the flat roof pub next door empties out! Not fun.
I knew where you were from the overhead shot at the start of the video. Takes forever to get across there if the crossing is closed.
Jonny boy, an unusual level crossing and some keyboard based jazzy rhythms. Sorted.
Wasted quite a bit of time sitting waiting for its mate a bit further to the North to open when on my way to Stamford.
Is that end music from a Gran Turismo?! It sounds exactly like something that would be in Gran Turismo.
The crossing at Amtrak’s Sanford Station in Florida seems much larger.
You're unlikely to get stuck on the crossing unless the signaller is doing a shite job.
They shouldn't close the barriers fully or open the section if its not clear.
I got stuck behind an idiot once on that crossing. Barriers down fore and aft. Rapid!😳 manoeuvring was undertaken to get to a safe space in the middle of the crossing. 🤷♂️
You only need to look up the Hixon Rail Crash of 1968 to see what can go tragically wrong at level crossings and how the lessons learned have made them safer since.
The Hixon crossing had been made more dangerous six months BEFORE the crash, in order to save money.
Before that time, the crossing was gated and signalled, and no such accident could have occurred.
I grew up not far from here and used this a lot throughout life and never though of it as large or anything like that, lol.
There's something similar at Tallington. If I remember correctly, that one is the busiet level crossing in the country. These midweek videos are pretty cool, Jon; keep up the good work
Tallington must be less busy than Helpston because Helpston has the same lines as Tallington plus the Peterborough - Stamford line. Saying that, I bet Tallington causes way more delay to people because the road is so much busier.
@@MrMatStace I was about to say the same. Helpston not only has the Stamford line but there is more freight on that line, some trains can take the best part of a minute or so to go through depending on the speed. At least by the time trains go through Tallington they tend to be at full speed.
I really expected it to be a Brightline crossing. Wow!
The Auto Train's southern terminal in Sanford, Florida has 10 tracks going over it. Fast trains aren't a concern there.
I thought the remaining level crossings on the East Coast Mainline (ECML) will all be removed, especially with the recently finished Werrington dive-under (near Peterborough) and the ongoing European Train Control System (ETCS) project raising the line speed from 200km/h to 225km/h., And also because the ECML is a busy railway and 200km/h is already fast. In fact, the Werrington junction upgrade is already an improvement on its own as it no longer mixes with (slow and long) freight trains.
That's quite a few crossings just in the Peterborough area alone (Holme, The Offords, Helpston, Tallington etc) never mind the many others I can think of the length of the ECML. That's a massive piece of work and would be hugely costly. I can't ever envisage that happening.
@@s.i.g.4861 There's a flat RAILWAY crossing at Newark, on the ECML.
I was once told the next crossing is wider, but I am not convinced!
Incidentally Tallington crossing is on an A road and that causes huge disruption.
Agreed about waiting it out in the middle, there must be pedestrians that have had to do that.
There was a plan to build a road to bypass the crossing but that hasn't happened yet.
If I was ever caught out here (eg I am running and they start lowering the barriers because the cameras couldn't see me) then as I said I would wait it out and ring the Network Rail emergency number to let them know
Great video Jon, Cheers...........
didn't think I'd see this nightmare of a local crossing crop up on your channel!
funky end credits
This is honestly the strangest rail design I have seen, and that's saying something, because I am from Canada, where our railways are all kinds of wacky due to having so much extra space.
That was fwicked sweet awesome....