Since my last post of crossing updates in May. I have quite a lot of things to share with you all.
Firstly some very sad news and that is the last ever Safetran Type 1 electronic bell in Australia at Altmann's Road, Mount Barker, South Australia has been replaced with a Safetran Type 3.
Here are a couple of pics of the crossing taken by McK&H Aust from the cab of a train showing the new bell:
In other news it has been rumoured by AH137 that the incandescent lights at the Armstong's Road level crossing in Seaford have been replaced with LED type lights. However I am yet to see any pictures of the crossing to know if it is actually true.
Unfortunately the McKenzie And Holland lights and crossarms at Marshall Street, Ivanhoe have been replaced with newer style Westinghouse LED lights and crossarms at the start of last month.
The crossing has also had new crossbucks and two track signs installed as well. The Western Railroad Supply gate mechs still survive for now though. Here's Tazzie Transport's yet to be released video of the crossing showing the current state:
https://youtu.be/giRYsz6x5KY
While on topic of the Hurstbridge line the Yarralea Street level crossing in Alphington has recieved new crossbucks and new two track signs. Thankfully the crossing keeps it's incandescent lights and old boom gate mechanisms for now. Here's Tazzie Transport's video of the crossing showing the new signage:
https://youtu.be/QFY7g6_to4c
And moving towards Hurstbridge now where a passive crossing on a private road off Main Hurstbridge Road has been upgraded to flashing lights. It is the first flashing light setup to be installed on the Melbourne Suburban Rail Network since the 1980's and is currently the only flashing light setup on the Melbourne Suburban Rail Network as well. Here's what the crossing looked like before it was upgraded:
https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.649634 ... 384!8i8192
Here's what the new flashing light install looks like in operation, credit to SBMetro for the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQpB_3hWVbg
There have also been other crossing upgrades since May one of those been Bendigo-Maldon Road, Maldon which was upgraded from passive protection to flashing lights in July. The install was originally meant to recieve boom gates, but for some reason the boom gates, boom gate mechanisms, counterweight arms and counterweights weren't installed in the end. It may eventually recieve boom gates in the future. The crossing however has equipment that is out of place on a heritage railway. This includes Safetran Type 3 electronic bells and red background crossbucks.
V/Line were responsible for the installation as they were for the crossing upgrades on Puffing Billy, so why couldn't they do a Puffing Billy type of upgrade? But I shouldn't complain about the equipment as the setup is unique and at least V/Line gave it white painted picket fencing to give it a heritage feel, but I wish it received normal crossbucks and a Western Cullen Hayes mechanical bell like what the gated setups on Puffing Billy pre 2017 have. Here's a photo compilation video of TheRailRanger VTMG's showing the new setup:
https://youtu.be/66ezAO22nV4
The School Road level crossing in Menzies Creek (Gembrook end) was upgraded with boom gates in August and is a quad gate setup. Here is a drone view picture of the crossing taken by Andrew Wheatland on the day the crossing was commissioned:
The Murray Valley Highway level crossing in Echuca was upgraded with boom gates in June and is a quad gate setup. Here's a picture of what the new setup looks like taken by Joey Blow:
Unfortunately two level crossings between North Geelong and Werribee that had Westinghouse gate mechs have recently been upgraded with new gated signals.
Those crossings being Saint George's Road, Norlane and Canterbury Road East, Lara. As for the other crossings on that section with Westinghouse gate mechs it seems that they're on burrowed time too. Here is what the new gated setup looks like at Saint George's Road, credit to Tazzie Transport for the video:
https://youtu.be/H4EpAmeOV-M
Here's what the new gated setup looks like at Canterbury Road East looks like. Credit to McK&H Aust for the train cab pic:
Moving to Inverleigh now where the Westinghouse hybrid bell at Inverleigh-Winchelsea Road has sadly been replaced with a Safetran Type 3.
This now leaves Barwon Park Road as the last crossing in Inverleigh to have a Westinghouse hybrid bell. Think at the start of this year that there were four crossings with Westinghouse hybrid bells in Inverleigh and now there's only one crossing left in Inverleigh to have a Westinghouse hybrid bell. Here's a train cab view picture taken by McK&H Aust of the crossing showing the new bell:
Heading to Waurn Ponds now where the Ghazeepore Road level crossing has recieved a second track as part of the Geelong line upgrade. This also meant that the signals on the southern side of the crossing were replaced with new ones and the signal on the northern side stayed the same but had a pole adapter piece added to make room for a red background crossbuck. The original signals on the southern side only dated back to the early 2010's so why couldn't they just move the signals forward to their new foundations? Here is a pic of what the new setup looks like, credit to the Regional Rail Revival for the pic:
Heading to Mornington now where the Bungower Road level crossing has recieved keep tracks clear signs and yellow hazard markings. The keep tracks clear signs are mounted on poles that are at the regular height of road signs. The rest of the crossing is unchanged though. Here are a couple of pics taken by AH137 of what the crossing now looks like:
At the Frankston-Flinders Road level crossing in Baxter a new gateless signal has been installed in place of the previous one. It would've been involved in a vehicle strike as the safety barriers and large crossing sign were taken out as well. The new signal looks to have brand new signage and older style Westinghouse LED lights that might have been reused from the old signal. Here are some pics of the new signal and the wreckage taken by AH137:
The Moorooduc Highway level crossing in Frankston has had it's older style Westinghouse LED lights on the upper part of the southern cantilever replaced with newer style ones. The rest of the crossing is unchanged though. Here are a couple of pics of the new lights taken by AH137:
Heading to Bridgewater On Loddon now where the Safetran Type 3 has been stolen leaving the crossing bell-less. One of the lights on the signal that had the bell has had it's visor partially unattached as well. My theory is that someone would climbed up the signal and stood on the visors to get the bell which is how the visor became unattached. Here is what the crossing now looks like, credit to Ethan The Victorian Railfan for the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVZPQPCizwg&t=2s
The passive display signage at Progress Street, Dandenong South has had it's hazard triangle and three tracks sign stolen, but retains it's crossbuck. The crossing itself is unchanged. Here's what the display passive crossing signage looks like with just a crossbuck, credit to AH137 for the pics:
Lastly the Lydiard Street level crossing in Ballarat which was famous for being the last ever crossing in Australia to have operational interlocking gates until May 30th 2020 where an out of control V/Line VLocity smashed through the southern interlocking gates sending debris flying, is now in the process of receiving boom gates. Major work started in August and at this stage the concrete foundations for the new signals have been installed as well as some cream painted metal fencing that goes around the gated signal foundations. There have also been two large cube shaped poles installed on the north eastern and south western sides of the crossing which will probably have keep tracks clear signs. Here's a timeline of the works that I've taken pictures of:
September 21st 2021. The concrete foundations had been installed for the new signals, as well as a new power cabinent on the foundation of the orignal control box which house the gears and chains for the interlocking gates. The current relay boxes for the crossing will be reused for the new gated setup.
October 16th 2021. White painted metal fencing was installed around the gated signal foundations.
October 30th 2021. The white painted metal fencing was repainted cream for some reason and a large cube shaped pole on the north eastern and south western sides were installed to possibly mount keep tracks clear signs on.
And that's all from me
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