McK&H.Aust wrote:A similar thing happened at the Olympic Hwy, Illabo which had a WCH m-bell replaced by a hybrid bell. The streetview image was also from 2007 I think, and has only been updated in the past few days and now you can't seem to navigate back to the older image https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.803 ... 312!8i6656 I have filmed this crossing and hope to have it posted in the next week or so, it's very rare now to find crossings that have hybrid bells paired with WCH m-bells.
I noticed the crossing has a mix of WCH and GRS/WRRS gate mechs. I wonder why this is the case?
The signal with the WCH gate mech is a replacement for the previous one which was destroyed by a rather messy accident back in 2006. A truck rolled over on the bend approaching the crossing and came to rest on the tracks, then shortly after it was hit by a southbound train and the gated signal was destroyed in the wreckage. The signal with one Alstom light and one WCH light was also damaged in the accident, originally it had 2 Alstom lights mounted on an Alstom junction box. It now has a McK&H junction box with the WCH and Alstom lights mounted on it! This is a report into the accident http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24304/aair2006013_001.pdf
The original gated signal also had a GRS/WRRS gate mech and looked pretty much the same as the surviving one. The replacement signal came from another crossing, it has a taller mast and still has a second junction box where an extra pair of lights was mounted https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.803 ... 312!8i6656 Originally it had a WCH m-bell which has been replaced in recent years by an older model Westinghouse hybrid bell.
McK&H.Aust wrote:A similar thing happened at the Olympic Hwy, Illabo which had a WCH m-bell replaced by a hybrid bell. The streetview image was also from 2007 I think, and has only been updated in the past few days and now you can't seem to navigate back to the older image https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.803 ... 312!8i6656 I have filmed this crossing and hope to have it posted in the next week or so, it's very rare now to find crossings that have hybrid bells paired with WCH m-bells.
I noticed the crossing has a mix of WCH and GRS/WRRS gate mechs. I wonder why this is the case?
The lights and the WCH gated signal were re-used from another crossing. Alstom seemed to make quite a few lights with long visors, but I can't recall seeing long visors on the newer United Group lights. Maybe the long visors are a special order.
McK&H.Aust wrote:The signal with the WCH gate mech is a replacement for the previous one which was destroyed by a rather messy accident back in 2006. A truck rolled over on the bend approaching the crossing and came to rest on the tracks, then shortly after it was hit by a southbound train and the gated signal was destroyed in the wreckage. The signal with one Alstom light and one WCH light was also damaged in the accident, originally it had 2 Alstom lights mounted on an Alstom junction box. It now has a McK&H junction box with the WCH and Alstom lights mounted on it! This is a report into the accident http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24304/aair2006013_001.pdf
The original gated signal also had a GRS/WRRS gate mech and looked pretty much the same as the surviving one. The replacement signal came from another crossing, it has a taller mast and still has a second junction box where an extra pair of lights was mounted https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.803 ... 312!8i6656 Originally it had a WCH m-bell which has been replaced in recent years by an older model Westinghouse hybrid bell.
McK&H.Aust wrote:The signal with the WCH gate mech is a replacement for the previous one which was destroyed by a rather messy accident back in 2006. A truck rolled over on the bend approaching the crossing and came to rest on the tracks, then shortly after it was hit by a southbound train and the gated signal was destroyed in the wreckage. The signal with one Alstom light and one WCH light was also damaged in the accident, originally it had 2 Alstom lights mounted on an Alstom junction box. It now has a McK&H junction box with the WCH and Alstom lights mounted on it! This is a report into the accident http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24304/aair2006013_001.pdf
The original gated signal also had a GRS/WRRS gate mech and looked pretty much the same as the surviving one. The replacement signal came from another crossing, it has a taller mast and still has a second junction box where an extra pair of lights was mounted https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.803 ... 312!8i6656 Originally it had a WCH m-bell which has been replaced in recent years by an older model Westinghouse hybrid bell.
For some reason there are quite a few incorrectly installed crossbucks in that area (Henty comes to mind). It seems to be at a strange angle too. Maybe their crossbuck guy should go to specsavers lol.
And 8x24s as well! Wonder if that bell is an MI mechanical bell?
I've checked the crossing and it is a WCH m-bell. The lights are Harmon 8x24's but there is a third signal which was added in the early 2000's which has Alstom 8x20 lights, makes for an interesting mix of light types. https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.835 ... 312!8i6656
Another crossing just up the road with 8x24 lights and a WCH m-bell is this one at Culcairn https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.656 ... 312!8i6656 Strangely it has 5 inch masts which are normally used on gated crossings only. I really would like to film both of those crossings as they are unique and they gradually seem to be upgrading all the gateless crossings in the area.
And 8x24s as well! Wonder if that bell is an MI mechanical bell?
I've checked the crossing and it is a WCH m-bell. The lights are Harmon 8x24's but there is a third signal which was added in the early 2000's which has Alstom 8x20 lights, makes for an interesting mix of light types. https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.835 ... 312!8i6656
Another crossing just up the road with 8x24 lights and a WCH m-bell is this one at Culcairn https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-35.656 ... 312!8i6656 Strangely it has 5 inch masts which are normally used on gated crossings only. I really would like to film both of those crossings as they are unique and they gradually seem to be upgrading all the gateless crossings in the area.
I'm pretty sure Albury had quite a few gateless crossings with 8x24 inch lights before they eliminated them when they upgraded the Hume Freeway. In fact, the one at Thurgoona Road had them based on this accident report. http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/679347/rair2006006_001.pdf
Not to mention, this crossing on Olive Street had at least one Safetran m-bell and GRS/WRRS gate mechs. (As shown in this Weston Langford picture from 1999)
index.jpeg (9.54 KiB) Viewed 7570 times
Sadly, his site went down recently and I had to retrieve a copy of the photo via Google Images.
Metro, why do you keep removing Mechanical bells?!
TrickyMario7654 wrote:
I'm pretty sure Albury had quite a few gateless crossings with 8x24 inch lights before they eliminated them when they upgraded the Hume Freeway. In fact, the one at Thurgoona Road had them based on this accident report. http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/679347/rair2006006_001.pdf
Not to mention, this crossing on Olive Street had at least one Safetran m-bell and GRS/WRRS gate mechs. (As shown in this Weston Langford picture from 1999)
index.jpeg
Sadly, his site went down recently and I had to retrieve a copy of the photo via Google Images.
Nice find with that picture, it appears to have a GRS/WRRS type B gate mech, McK&H lights and the Safetran bell (where's that time machine?) There were 4 gateless crossings at Albury and all were replaced by overpasses around 2007. I wouldn't mind betting that a few of them had 8x24 lights and maybe even some interesting bells (Safetran or MI).
TrickyMario7654 wrote:
I'm pretty sure Albury had quite a few gateless crossings with 8x24 inch lights before they eliminated them when they upgraded the Hume Freeway. In fact, the one at Thurgoona Road had them based on this accident report. http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/679347/rair2006006_001.pdf
Not to mention, this crossing on Olive Street had at least one Safetran m-bell and GRS/WRRS gate mechs. (As shown in this Weston Langford picture from 1999)
index.jpeg
Sadly, his site went down recently and I had to retrieve a copy of the photo via Google Images.
Nice find with that picture, it appears to have a GRS/WRRS type B gate mech, McK&H lights and the Safetran bell (where's that time machine?) There were 4 gateless crossings at Albury and all were replaced by overpasses around 2007. I wouldn't mind betting that a few of them had 8x24 lights and maybe even some interesting bells (Safetran or MI).
I believe there was another crossing which was upgraded from 'lights only' to boom barriers just a few years earlier too, seems like a waste to do that.
TrickyMario7654 wrote:
I'm pretty sure Albury had quite a few gateless crossings with 8x24 inch lights before they eliminated them when they upgraded the Hume Freeway. In fact, the one at Thurgoona Road had them based on this accident report. http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/679347/rair2006006_001.pdf
Not to mention, this crossing on Olive Street had at least one Safetran m-bell and GRS/WRRS gate mechs. (As shown in this Weston Langford picture from 1999)
index.jpeg
Sadly, his site went down recently and I had to retrieve a copy of the photo via Google Images.
Nice find with that picture, it appears to have a GRS/WRRS type B gate mech, McK&H lights and the Safetran bell (where's that time machine?) There were 4 gateless crossings at Albury and all were replaced by overpasses around 2007. I wouldn't mind betting that a few of them had 8x24 lights and maybe even some interesting bells (Safetran or MI).
I believe there was another crossing which was upgraded from 'lights only' to boom barriers just a few years earlier too, seems like a waste to do that.
There was another crossing south of Gerogery where the Olympic Hwy crossed the railway line. I remember seeing a picture and it also had 8x24 lights. In 2001 five teenagers were killed when their car was hit by the XPT at the crossing. After the accident they installed gates at the crossing and then built a overpass a couple of years later https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerogery_ ... g_accident
Wonder if that bell is an MI mechanical bell?