Australian Railroad Crossing Signals

[TrickyMario7654]

Firstly, I’ve got footage of the Bank St level crossing in Avenel (along with a couple of others, like Palmerston St Baddaginnie when it had a Westinghouse hybrid bell and no boom gates, Faithful St Benalla and High St Seymour). It is a beautiful crossing, and I will upload it to YouTube as soon as I finish uploading footage of the Dandenong corridor.

Thanks for the information on the Baddaginnie crossing, shame they upgraded it.

Secondly, I have started volunteering at Puffing Billy. I’m currently training to become a conductor, and I love it. I love giving a commentary to passengers on the sights to see, and, of course, I never get sick of riding past the various crossings with teardrop bells.

Cool!

At Menzies Creek station, they’ve just upgraded the pedestrian crossing to have automatic gates. I think it was operational in January of this year. They’ve done a good job, designing the gates to the style of railway, with a ‘white picket fences’ look. They’ve also added 2 bells to the crossing. One is a nicely restored McKenzie & Holland teardrop bell on the southern end and the other is a General Signals e-bell on the northern end. Yeah, it’s a bit upsetting that Puffing Billy now has an e-bell, but given they also just installed a teardrop bell, I guess we can live in hope! The teardrop bell sounds out when the gates close and the e-bell sounds continuously until the gates open. This is where the new crossing is, although the street view is out of date:

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.920 ... 312!8i6656

A Teardrop with an E-bell? Having an E-Bell on a heritage seems REALLY out of place, but at least they have a Teardrop bell protecting it too!

At Emerald station, there is a scrap yard with lots of random bits of rail infrastructure. In one section, closest to the train line, there is a HUGE stockpile of crossing bits. There are lots of McKenzie & Holland teardrop bells and Westinghouse hybrids. There is even a Westinghouse teardrop. It’s really quite a pot of gold. I learnt from one of the conductors that they get most of this stuff from the metropolitan network to be used as spare parts. This is where it is:

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.934 ... 312!8i6656

Wonder if the Ivanhoe Teardrop is among the ones in there? Maybe the Blackburn Road Teardrop is even in there! Very interesting stuff indeed.

EDIT: Just found out that Streetview drove through the crossing shortly after they 'downgraded' the bells at Ivanhoe!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.768 ... 312!8i6656

Some other new images I found in Streetview...

The newly duplicated Cardinia Road crossing is now shown.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.071 ... 312!8i6656

Burke Road finally updated to show the grade separation.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.852 ... 312!8i6656

[TrickyMario7654]

I just got back from a drive to Maryborough to check out the vintage equipment on some disused crossings in the area.

Great pictures, thanks for sharing them. It's sad to see all of those nice crossings just wasting away and being neglected. I guess if the track was ever reopened then all of this lovely equipment would be torn out and replaced. Hopefully it ends up being saved and not scrapped, specially the WABCO bell and the teardrop bells.

I have some bad news to share, they're reopening the Maryborough to Ararat rail line soon as part of the Murray Basin Rail Project. You can read more about it here...
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/projects/rai ... il-project

So expect a lot of the crossings along the line to be upgraded with the same boring equipment as elsewhere.

Anyways, here's some interesting crossings I've found along the Yelta line, which is being converted to Standard gauge as part of the project. (Sadly, a lot of the images are old, so I don't know if they're still there)

This crossing has a Safetran bell, and it's still there according to this 2015 image!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.312 ... 328!8i1664
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.312 ... 312!8i6656

This crossing Ouyen to Murrayville line has a signal with a tall mast, and two flashers & crossbucks!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.079 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.079 ... 312!8i6656

Here's a crossing on a spur line in Donald with a WABCO bell!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.379 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.379 ... 312!8i6656

A crossing in St Arnaud with a Teardrop bell.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.618 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.618 ... 312!8i6656

A gateless crossing with two Safetran M-bells!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.622 ... 312!8i6656

Another crossing with a Teardrop bell!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.624 ... 312!8i6656

[freebrickproductions]

Anyways, here's some interesting crossings I've found along the Yelta line, which is being converted to Standard gauge as part of the project. (Sadly, a lot of the images are old, so I don't know if they're still there)

This crossing has a Safetran bell, and it's still there according to this 2015 image!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.312 ... 328!8i1664
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.312 ... 312!8i6656

This crossing Ouyen to Murrayville line has a signal with a tall mast, and two flashers & crossbucks!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.079 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.079 ... 312!8i6656

Here's a crossing on a spur line in Donald with a WABCO bell!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.379 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.379 ... 312!8i6656

A crossing in St Arnaud with a Teardrop bell.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.618 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.618 ... 312!8i6656

A gateless crossing with two Safetran M-bells!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.622 ... 312!8i6656

Another crossing with a Teardrop bell!
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.624 ... 312!8i6656

At least one of y'all had better be gettin' out to those crossings there before they be gettin' upgraded then!

[McK&H.Aust]

Just returned from another visit to northeast Victoria with the following observations....

The following crossings now have gates and e-bells
Rutherglen - Springhurst Rd, Springhurst https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.179 ... 64!6m1!1e1
Birkett St, Euroa https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.753 ... 328!8i1664

The installation of gates has been delayed at Gravel Pit Rd, Wangaratta https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.383 ... 312!8i6656 and Cemetery Rd, Benalla https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.557 ... 312!8i6656
Both crossings have the new concrete signal foundations in place along with cable ducts and foundations for the new relay cases, while Benalla actually has the new relay case installed. Not sure of the reasons for the delay or when the work will be finished, but wonder if it has something to do with resources being diverted to here http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/safety-up ... -services/

The crossing at Bank St, Avenel still has it's three Westinghouse hybrid bells. Recent upgrade work at the crossing was the replacement of the road surface https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.892 ... 312!8i6656

High St, Seymour is unchanged and still has hybrid bells and Westinghouse gate mechs https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.018 ... 312!8i6656

Also noted was the installation of gates at this crossing on the Tocumwal branch at Mangalore https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.933 ... 328!8i1664

[TrickyMario7654]

The installation of gates has been delayed at Gravel Pit Rd, Wangaratta https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.383 ... 312!8i6656 and Cemetery Rd, Benalla https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.557 ... 312!8i6656
Both crossings have the new concrete signal foundations in place along with cable ducts and foundations for the new relay cases, while Benalla actually has the new relay case installed. Not sure of the reasons for the delay or when the work will be finished, but wonder if it has something to do with resources being diverted to here http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/safety-up ... -services/

Seems like it, as PT minster Jacinta Allan's seat is in Bendigo. Must be another case of priority seats getting the most attention from the government.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.763 ... 312!8i6656.

Here's two level crossings in Rochester that's were about to go under an upgrade at the time (upgraded about three months later).
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.358 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-36.360 ... 312!8i6656

You are very lucky that NSW isn't full of bell nazis like Victoria is.

[freebrickproductions]

Just out of curiosity, other than the Westinghouse Hybrid bells, what models of mechanical bell remain on Metro's system?

[TrickyMario7654]

Just out of curiosity, other than the Westinghouse Hybrid bells, what models of mechanical bell remain on Metro's system?

Unfortunately, the only model of mechanical bells left on Metro's network is Westinghouse Hybrids. Even then, all remaining mechanical bells are supposed to be phased out in a few years time.

One third of the remaining mechanical bells are located on the Cranbourne & Pakenham lines, with some crossings having hybrid's that have been in-service since the 1980's!

The Werribee (including the Altona loop), Upfield, and Stony Point (unelectrified) lines also have quite a few. But other than that, most lines have around 2-4 crossings with m-bells or none in some cases.

Here's a tally of the current amount of m-bells in use on each Metro line (numbers in brackets don't count rail corridors, shared by more than one line)

• Alamein - 0 (0)
• Belgrave - 2 (2)
• Cragieburn - 2
• Cranbourne - 10 (4)
• Frankston - 2
• Flemington Racecourse - 0 (0)
• Glen Waverley - 2
• Hurstbridge - 2 (2)
• Lilydale - 0 (0)
• Pakenham - 12 (6)
• Sandringham - 0
• South Morang - 4 (4)
• Stony Point - 7
• Sunbury - 0
• Upfield - 6
• Werribee (counting Altona Loop) - 6 (5)
• Williamstown - 1 (0)

I believe Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing has the oldest hybrid bells still in use on the Metro network (dating back to 1983, from what I've heard).
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.883 ... 312!8i6656

[Username1]

Does anyone know if the Frankston line had any American mechanical bells on it? I think Seaford road may have had one but the picture in google maps is too blurry. I think the rest of the crossings had Hybrid bells and Teardrops, which is kind of odd as every other line had at least one American bell on it.

[TrickyMario7654]

Does anyone know if the Frankston line had any American mechanical bells on it? I think Seaford road may have had one but the picture in google maps is too blurry. I think the rest of the crossings had Hybrid bells and Teardrops, which is kind of odd as every other line had at least one American bell on it.

Sadly, I'm not too sure on that. I do know that there was a gateless crossing on the Stony Point line which had a Safetran bell.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.353 ... 312!8i6656

But the crossing has since been upgraded with gates.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.353 ... 312!8i6656

[freebrickproductions]

Are there any gateless crossings left on Metro's system?