Australian Railroad Crossing Signals

[TrickyMario7654]

Just so this thread remains at the top of the front of the first page, I thought I'll share some more videos of Victorian hand-operated crossings...


This video was shot on one of the final days of the hand operated gates at Nerrim Road, Glenhuntly in 1986. You can clearly see the new equipment that's been partly installed. You'll also see some old Blue/Harris trains, unrefubrished Comengs, and Hitachi's in their original plain sliver colors too!

[chris96]

This crossing in the West Footscray train yards are almost always down. They only go up when work vehicles need to cross. There are no bells and the lights don't flash when the gates are down either:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.800 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.800 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.800 ... 312!8i6656

Must be a user operated crossing. The lights probably activate when there is a train.

That could be a possibility, or perhaps there's absolutely no power to the crossings either (which would cause the gates to lower). The lights at those crossings aren't flashing at all.

I was lucky enough to see this crossing in action the other day. When a worker swipes their card to access the yard through the main sliding gate, the booms rise and remain up for about 30-40 seconds. Then, the lights begin to flash and the barriers begin to lower after about 5 seconds. The lights then turn off once the gates have fully lowered.

[McK&H.Aust]

Can't remember if these were posted previously, but there are some interesting crossings at Hastings, VIC on the tracks leading to the Bluescope Steel facility and other sidings. Most are not on street view but these two are.

This is the first crossing near the junction, it has wishbone gates and Westinghouse hybrid bells https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.284 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.284 ... 312!8i6656

This section of track seems to be out of use, but has a crossing with a teardrop bell, notice the crossbuck is missing.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656

I find the big industrial sites with their own tracks have very interesting crossings.

This crossing in Newcastle NSW is at the Onesteel plant at Mayfield. It has lights with large backgrounds, a Safetran type 3 e-bell and is mounted on a traffic light mast. Instead of a normal gate mechanism they use parking lot gates!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656

At the nearby Port Waratah facility this siding is being used to store coal hoppers, and the crossing doesn't even have any signs!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.905 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.905 ... 312!8i6656

[freebrickproductions]

This section of track seems to be out of use, but has a crossing with a teardrop bell, notice the crossbuck is missing.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656

Not really missing, just fell off:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656

This crossing in Newcastle NSW is at the Onesteel plant at Mayfield. It has lights with large backgrounds, a Safetran type 3 e-bell and is mounted on a traffic light mast. Instead of a normal gate mechanism they use parking lot gates!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656

Those lights look like 8x24 inch lights. Also, a bit of an odd location for the bell.

[McK&H.Aust]

Not really missing, just fell off:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656.

Well spotted, I totally missed that

This crossing in Newcastle NSW is at the Onesteel plant at Mayfield. It has lights with large backgrounds, a Safetran type 3 e-bell and is mounted on a traffic light mast. Instead of a normal gate mechanism they use parking lot gates!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... 312!8i6656

Those lights look like 8x24 inch lights. Also, a bit of an odd location for the bell.

I agree that 8x24 inch lights look strange, don't know why they didn't just go for 12x24 if sighting was an issue. I guess they couldn't put the bell on top of the mast because of the traffic light junction box up there already, but it certainly looks odd where it is. Just checked the satellite view and it looks like that track is out of service, it is blocked just near the crossing. That's a shame because it would have been interesting to see the crossing activated.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.892 ... a=!3m1!1e3

[cabman701]

At the nearby Port Waratah facility this siding is being used to store coal hoppers, and the crossing doesn't even have any signs!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.905 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.905 ... 312!8i6656

Well... if you want to get technical, at least one side does. https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.905 ... 312!8i6656

[TrickyMario7654]

Can't remember if these were posted previously, but there are some interesting crossings at Hastings, VIC on the tracks leading to the Bluescope Steel facility and other sidings. Most are not on street view but these two are.

This is the first crossing near the junction, it has wishbone gates and Westinghouse hybrid bells https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.284 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.284 ... 312!8i6656

This section of track seems to be out of use, but has a crossing with a teardrop bell, notice the crossbuck is missing.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.289 ... 312!8i6656

Not crossing related, but I've actually found the Steel train that runs there in GSV on two occasions!

Passing through Moorabbin station.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.933 ... 6656?hl=en

Passing through the Glenhuntly crossing.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.889 ... 6656?hl=en

[chris96]

There's a few industrial crossings around Geelong. This internal crossing in the dockyards consists of strobe beacons and small traffic light style flashing lights and custom yellow "railway crossing" and red "stop on red signal" signs (these are the best images I could find on Google. It's the two yellow posts):
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.100 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.100 ... 312!8i6656

Right next to those is this public road crossing:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.100 ... 312!8i6656

The next crossing down is missing a signal on this side:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.099 ... 312!8i6656

Back in 2010 it had a Safetran type 3 E-Bell:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.099 ... 312!8i6656

Just in case you hadn't guessed it already, this line is out of service:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.099 ... 312!8i6656

Another disused crossing:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.096 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.096 ... 312!8i6656

And another, this one had its tracks ripped up either side:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.048 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.048 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.048 ... 312!8i6656

There was also a line that ran to the Fyansford Cement Works with some neat old signals. Unfortunately, the tracks and almost all equipment have been removed now:
Douro St 2010:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.112 ... 312!8i6656
Douro St 2015:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.112 ... 312!8i6656

Thompson Rd 2010:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.114 ... 312!8i6656
Thompson Rd 2015:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.114 ... 312!8i6656

Ballarat Rd 2010:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.119 ... 312!8i6656
Ballarat Rd 2015:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.119 ... 312!8i6656

Church St 2007:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.129 ... 328!8i1664
Church St 2010:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.129 ... 312!8i6656
Church St 2015:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.129 ... 312!8i6656

McCurdy Rd 2007:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.137 ... 328!8i1664
McCurdy Rd 2010:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.137 ... 312!8i6656
McCurdy Rd 2015 (with the only equipment that still survives on the line):
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.137 ... 312!8i6656

According to this site, it used to have a Safetran bell, GRS lights and they installed the crossbuck wrong!:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/loco_b67/rail1/

Also, check out some of the other oddities listed on this site, especially the examples from The State Electricity Commission of Victoria.

[TrickyMario7654]

Right next to those is this public road crossing:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.100 ... 312!8i6656

It also has a Hybrid bell too!

Might as well talk about some of the other photos on that site.

Weird hand operated steel gates at Longwarry, VIC. Since replaced with signals that have barriers.
http://au.oocities.com/loco_b67/LongwarryGates0025.JPG

Mix of different colored boom gates at High Street, Reservoir. The actual crossing it self is located in a spaghetti intersection containing roads like Cheddar Road and Spring Street. The description says that the junction had been recently rebuilt at the time of the picture being taken. (I think this crossing has to be on the site! Especially since the Andrews government is planning on grade separating the crossing.)
http://au.oocities.com/loco_b67/blackredbooms0222.JPG

GSV Link (Feel free to explore it).
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.716 ... 312!8i6656

[chris96]

Some more interesting items on that site:

Someone clearly doesn't care about their job:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/loosebell0331.JPG

A flashing light signal with an extra lamp on top for the driver. Also notice the yellow poles Tasmania used for a while:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/ebrXsig0400.JPG

A passive crossing right next to an active one:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/GivewayandFLX0412.JPG

Originally, Australia used American style crossbucks. Here is a preserved example:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/woodXsign.jpg

Very strange indeed....
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/kooragangstop0102.JPG

Downgraded crossing:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/TasHandXing0434.JPG

When the Barinsdale line reopened, the crossing signals were not immediately restored. Instead, flagman drove to the crossings and manually stopped traffic:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/RTLMaffraRd0413.JPG

Some signals made from traffic light parts at the The State Electricity Commission of Victoria:
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/secxingsignal0206.jpg
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/secsig0210.jpg
http://www.oocities.org/loco_b67/SECxingsigYlrn0402