Australian Railroad Crossing Signals

[TrickyMario7654]

Looks like Yankee Rd, Henty and Baird St, Culcairn crossings are being upgraded in late June, according to the recently released ARTC safe notices.
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
Hopefully both crossings have WCH lights and Aldridge LEDs. I wonder if they’ll show up in this years LCSC report since there was no mention of them last year?

You'd think so...

On the subject of upgrades, I've made another trip up to Puffing Billy to clean up the remaining crossings I haven't photographed yet. As I expected, the upgrades have been completed on those crossings at Belgrave, Clematis, and Emerald...

However, not all hope is lost as there's some interesting equipment on the new signals.

Here's the newly upgraded Old Monbulk Road crossing in Belgrave:


As predicted, the new gated signals have WCH mechs and newer style Westinghouse lights...




LED Healthy State Indicator.


One thing that surprises me though is the fact the crossing has only one bell! It's located on the gateless signal and is a WCH m-bell!




I wasn't able to photograph the other two upgraded crossings, but they have same equipment (WCH mechs, newer Westinghouse lights, and a single WCH m-bell).

Plus, I discovered this Teardrop in Gembrook is actually a Westinghouse one!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.947 ... 312!8i6656

Also had a close up look of this odd AAWS sign used to alert vehicles approaching the crossing from a nearby sharp bend in the road, and it uses two McK&H lights.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.946 ... 312!8i6656

[McK&H.Aust]

Looks like Yankee Rd, Henty and Baird St, Culcairn crossings are being upgraded in late June, according to the recently released ARTC safe notices.
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
Hopefully both crossings have WCH lights and Aldridge LEDs. I wonder if they’ll show up in this years LCSC report since there was no mention of them last year?

You'd think so...

On the subject of upgrades, I've made another trip up to Puffing Billy to clean up the remaining crossings I haven't photographed yet. As I expected, the upgrades have been completed on those crossings at Belgrave, Clematis, and Emerald...

However, not all hope is lost as there's some interesting equipment on the new signals.

Here's the newly upgraded Old Monbulk Road crossing in Belgrave:


As predicted, the new gated signals have WCH mechs and newer style Westinghouse lights...




LED Healthy State Indicator.


One thing that surprises me though is the fact the crossing has only one bell! It's located on the gateless signal and is a WCH m-bell!




I wasn't able to photograph the other two upgraded crossings, but they have same equipment (WCH mechs, newer Westinghouse lights, and a single WCH m-bell).

Plus, I discovered this Teardrop in Gembrook is actually a Westinghouse one!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.947 ... 312!8i6656

Also had a close up look of this odd AAWS sign used to alert vehicles approaching the crossing from a nearby sharp bend in the road, and it uses two McK&H lights.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.946 ... 312!8i6656

Great pictures, thanks for sharing

It's nice to see new m-bells being used on those upgraded crossings, it certainly fits better with the heritage theme of the railway than e-bells would. Interesting to see WCH gate mechs popping up everywhere now, I was hoping they would use recycled WRRS or MCK&H gate mechs from one of dan's removed crossings, but I guess in the long term it's easier to get spare parts for the WCH mechs.

Cool find with the McK&H lights on the AAWS signal, it's hard to tell from the image but are they yellow lights? It's also nice to have another Westinghouse teardrop added to the bell population!

[TrickyMario7654]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing

It's nice to see new m-bells being used on those upgraded crossings, it certainly fits better with the heritage theme of the railway than e-bells would. Interesting to see WCH gate mechs popping up everywhere now, I was hoping they would use recycled WRRS or MCK&H gate mechs from one of dan's removed crossings, but I guess in the long term it's easier to get spare parts for the WCH mechs.

Cool find with the McK&H lights on the AAWS signal, it's hard to tell from the image but are they yellow lights? It's also nice to have another Westinghouse teardrop added to the bell population!

You're welcome, now that I think about it, they could indeed be yellow. Here's a close up picture of one of the lights used on the sign.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v6vKvk ... sp=sharing

[trainman7]

Looks like Yankee Rd, Henty and Baird St, Culcairn crossings are being upgraded in late June, according to the recently released ARTC safe notices.
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
Hopefully both crossings have WCH lights and Aldridge LEDs. I wonder if they’ll show up in this years LCSC report since there was no mention of them last year?

I'm betting they will have the WCH lights. It's odd that ARTC insist on naming the crossing at Henty as Yankee Rd, when the current street signs, and google maps name the road as Rosler Parade

Also found some information on the ARTC website about the upgrade of other gateless crossings on the Melbourne - Sydney line....

Ewings Rd, Avenel https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.895 ... 328!8i1664 is due to be upgraded on July 23 https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 1641475723

Finally, Oconnors Rd at Mangalore https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.933 ... 328!8i1664 is scheduled for upgrade on July 30 https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 1641475723


I've finished travelling now (need a rest lol) and thought I would report a few observations.

Though I'd check out a couple of places on the Mildura line after the conversion to standard gauge. First up was St Arnaud where it was very sad to see that the connections to all of the sidings have been removed, leaving just the main line in operation. As previously reported, all of the m-bells in town have been replaced by Safetran type 3 e-bells. All of the incandescent lights have been upgraded to LED, and a few of the crossings which previously had McK&H lights have been replaced by Westinghouse LED's, such as this one https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.616 ... 312!8i6656

One good bit of news is the Wabco bell still remains at Donald https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.379 ... 312!8i6656 The track has been converted to standard gauge and a new grade recently installed at the crossing, so I guess they intend to use the siding in the future, although the track is quite rusty at the moment. The lights here have also been upgraded to LED.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VKz5G ... hHUwSx7dPu
https://drive.google.com/open?id=12SwVd ... aCMwMXqz-6
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15dY9C ... GMx6Fce8Bi
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LfByD ... P46xjGAoLz
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qTrta ... EkSkrkIwO3

While at Donald, I also noticed something odd about the nearby Sunraysia Hwy crossing on the main line https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.379 ... 312!8i6656 You can see from the 2010 GSV image that the crossing was being upgraded at the time, since then the old gateless signals have been replaced by the new signals which were obviously intended to have gates, but in 2018 the gate mechs still haven't been installed.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vX-pN ... maURtqYpms
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i2E9d ... 9yiCudNX_W

While at Swan Hill, I also visited Kerang to check the crossings there. As expected, all crossings now have e-bells, and a couple of the older gateless installations now have completely new signals, although they remain gateless.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.728 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.724 ... 312!8i6656

Moving on to NSW, managed to film the crossing at Hebden Road, Ravensworth before it's impending removal https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.440 ... 312!8i6656

Finally filmed the crossing at Grasstree which still has Westinghouse hybrid bells and Westinghouse lights https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Vjo2G ... zvYbpXGYUF
The GSV image still shows the crossing when it was passive back in February 2008! https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.286 ... 328!8i1664


Also filmed the crossing at Brook St, Muswellbrook with it's Modern Industries bell https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.263 ... 312!8i6656 Sadly, I fear the MI bell could be on borrowed time, as it is very slow to get going when the crossing acivates. For the first train I filmed, the MI bell didn't start ringing until 3 seconds after the crossing had activated, you could hear the other WCH m-bell and the pedestrian alarms start up well before then. It was worse for the second and third trains, when the bell didn't start ringing until after 11 or 12 seconds (the gates were already lowering). Once the bell did get going it sounded fine, so hopefully it recieves some maintenance rather than being replaced.


Was going to film the crossing at Mareeba Rd, Parkville https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-31.984 ... 312!8i6656 but sadly, the Westinghouse hybrid bells have been replaced by Safetran type 3 e-bells
The hybrid bells were still there when I last drove past in October 2017, so they must have been replaced quite recently. It's strange that ARTC are still using Siemens e-bells, I thought they would have used WCH e-bells to replace the hybrids

I am shocked the Wabco bell still remains! That’s bizarre that they couldn’t be bothered to install gates! It’s sad that the MI bell is playing up like that. Hopefully they fix it although I don’t have my hopes up.

I suspect the hybrid bells died at Parkville and had to be replaced. My Dad (who regularly drives trains through the area) said that one was dead and the other was dying back in March. The e-bells are likely from the former level crossings at Belford and Lochinvar. They had new Safetran type 3 e-bells fitted for reasons known only to ARTC just weeks before they were removed.

[trainman7]

Looks like Yankee Rd, Henty and Baird St, Culcairn crossings are being upgraded in late June, according to the recently released ARTC safe notices.
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... 2134922738
Hopefully both crossings have WCH lights and Aldridge LEDs. I wonder if they’ll show up in this years LCSC report since there was no mention of them last year?

You'd think so...

On the subject of upgrades, I've made another trip up to Puffing Billy to clean up the remaining crossings I haven't photographed yet. As I expected, the upgrades have been completed on those crossings at Belgrave, Clematis, and Emerald...

However, not all hope is lost as there's some interesting equipment on the new signals.

Here's the newly upgraded Old Monbulk Road crossing in Belgrave:


As predicted, the new gated signals have WCH mechs and newer style Westinghouse lights...




LED Healthy State Indicator.


One thing that surprises me though is the fact the crossing has only one bell! It's located on the gateless signal and is a WCH m-bell!




I wasn't able to photograph the other two upgraded crossings, but they have same equipment (WCH mechs, newer Westinghouse lights, and a single WCH m-bell).

Plus, I discovered this Teardrop in Gembrook is actually a Westinghouse one!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.947 ... 312!8i6656

Also had a close up look of this odd AAWS sign used to alert vehicles approaching the crossing from a nearby sharp bend in the road, and it uses two McK&H lights.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.946 ... 312!8i6656

Thanks for the photos! It’s good to see they installed a WCH mechanical bell instead of an e-bell! Are the gate lights WCH? I am glad they didn’t install ugly red crossbucks!

[McK&H.Aust]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing

It's nice to see new m-bells being used on those upgraded crossings, it certainly fits better with the heritage theme of the railway than e-bells would. Interesting to see WCH gate mechs popping up everywhere now, I was hoping they would use recycled WRRS or MCK&H gate mechs from one of dan's removed crossings, but I guess in the long term it's easier to get spare parts for the WCH mechs.

Cool find with the McK&H lights on the AAWS signal, it's hard to tell from the image but are they yellow lights? It's also nice to have another Westinghouse teardrop added to the bell population!

You're welcome, now that I think about it, they could indeed be yellow. Here's a close up picture of one of the lights used on the sign.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v6vKvk ... sp=sharing

Cool, that could mean they are the only yellow McK&H lights in existence, it's nice to see older equipment being re-purposed.

[McK&H.Aust]

It’s sad that the MI bell is playing up like that. Hopefully they fix it although I don’t have my hopes up.

I suspect the hybrid bells died at Parkville and had to be replaced. My Dad (who regularly drives trains through the area) said that one was dead and the other was dying back in March. The e-bells are likely from the former level crossings at Belford and Lochinvar. They had new Safetran type 3 e-bells fitted for reasons known only to ARTC just weeks before they were removed.

I am crossing my fingers that the MI bell survives, but if the Hebden Rd crossing is removed soon, they could use the Safetran type 3 from there to replace it. The WCH m-bell from Hebden Rd sounds a bit tired so they may not recycle it.

At least the hybrid bells at Parkville died and weren't just replaced for the sake of it. It's a big relief as I was fearing an outbreak of e-bell fever in the area!

[trainman7]

It’s sad that the MI bell is playing up like that. Hopefully they fix it although I don’t have my hopes up.

I suspect the hybrid bells died at Parkville and had to be replaced. My Dad (who regularly drives trains through the area) said that one was dead and the other was dying back in March. The e-bells are likely from the former level crossings at Belford and Lochinvar. They had new Safetran type 3 e-bells fitted for reasons known only to ARTC just weeks before they were removed.

I am crossing my fingers that the MI bell survives, but if the Hebden Rd crossing is removed soon, they could use the Safetran type 3 from there to replace it. The WCH m-bell from Hebden Rd sounds a bit tired so they may not recycle it.

At least the hybrid bells at Parkville died and weren't just replaced for the sake of it. It's a big relief as I was fearing an outbreak of e-bell fever in the area!

It seems like newer hybrids don’t seem to last as long compared to older ones. For example, Hebden Rd had a hybrid bell replace the other WCH mechanical bell in 2010 but it died in mid 2015.

It’s interesting most crossings in the Muswellbrook area have had one mechanical bell replaced with an e-bell and the other m-bell kept. I wonder if it has something to do with the amount of Coal trains most crossings now see which makes components wear out? Did you film Mangoola?

[McK&H.Aust]

It’s sad that the MI bell is playing up like that. Hopefully they fix it although I don’t have my hopes up.

I suspect the hybrid bells died at Parkville and had to be replaced. My Dad (who regularly drives trains through the area) said that one was dead and the other was dying back in March. The e-bells are likely from the former level crossings at Belford and Lochinvar. They had new Safetran type 3 e-bells fitted for reasons known only to ARTC just weeks before they were removed.

I am crossing my fingers that the MI bell survives, but if the Hebden Rd crossing is removed soon, they could use the Safetran type 3 from there to replace it. The WCH m-bell from Hebden Rd sounds a bit tired so they may not recycle it.

At least the hybrid bells at Parkville died and weren't just replaced for the sake of it. It's a big relief as I was fearing an outbreak of e-bell fever in the area!

It seems like newer hybrids don’t seem to last as long compared to older ones. For example, Hebden Rd had a hybrid bell replace the other WCH mechanical bell in 2010 but it died in mid 2015.

It’s interesting most crossings in the Muswellbrook area have had one mechanical bell replaced with an e-bell and the m-bell kept. I wonder if it has something to do with the amount of Coal trains most crossings now see which makes components wear out? Did you film Mangoola?

Yes it seems to be a lucky dip with the newer hybrid bells, they either die quickly or last for a long time. I did film Mangoola, as well as Rosemount Rd, Denman and the odd gateless private crossing at Coggan Creek. I also checked out a newer gated crossing at Bylong, known as the Upper Bylong Service Rd, didn't film it as it has the typical newer setup of WCH gate mechs & e-bells, and United Group lights. It also has locked gates preventing anyone from using it.

I think you're right about m-bells around Muswellbrook wearing out because of the frequent long and slow moving coal trains, specially for the one bell that rings for the whole time. I noticed at Mangoola that the crossing seems to activate for a long time before the train arrives, and the slow moving trains either entering or departing from the nearby passing loop, which is probably why the other hybrid bell died there.

[TrickyMario7654]

It’s sad that the MI bell is playing up like that. Hopefully they fix it although I don’t have my hopes up.

I suspect the hybrid bells died at Parkville and had to be replaced. My Dad (who regularly drives trains through the area) said that one was dead and the other was dying back in March. The e-bells are likely from the former level crossings at Belford and Lochinvar. They had new Safetran type 3 e-bells fitted for reasons known only to ARTC just weeks before they were removed.

I am crossing my fingers that the MI bell survives, but if the Hebden Rd crossing is removed soon, they could use the Safetran type 3 from there to replace it. The WCH m-bell from Hebden Rd sounds a bit tired so they may not recycle it.

At least the hybrid bells at Parkville died and weren't just replaced for the sake of it. It's a big relief as I was fearing an outbreak of e-bell fever in the area!

It seems like newer hybrids don’t seem to last as long compared to older ones. For example, Hebden Rd had a hybrid bell replace the other WCH mechanical bell in 2010 but it died in mid 2015.

It’s interesting most crossings in the Muswellbrook area have had one mechanical bell replaced with an e-bell and the m-bell kept. I wonder if it has something to do with the amount of Coal trains most crossings now see which makes components wear out? Did you film Mangoola?

Yes it seems to be a lucky dip with the newer hybrid bells, they either die quickly or last for a long time. I did film Mangoola, as well as Rosemount Rd, Denman and the odd gateless private crossing at Coggan Creek. I also checked out a newer gated crossing at Bylong, known as the Upper Bylong Service Rd, didn't film it as it has the typical newer setup of WCH gate mechs & e-bells, and United Group lights. It also has locked gates preventing anyone from using it.

I think you're right about m-bells around Muswellbrook wearing out because of the frequent long and slow moving coal trains, specially for the one bell that rings for the whole time. I noticed at Mangoola that the crossing seems to activate for a long time before the train arrives, and the slow moving trains either entering or departing from the nearby passing loop, which is probably why the other hybrid bell died there.

What does the crossing at Coggan Creek have?