Australian Railroad Crossing Signals

[trainman7]

Made a visit to Army Camp Rd, Singleton level crossing today and sadly the original signals with Federal Signal gate mechs have been replaced. Unfortunately I’m pretty sure this leaves Glenrock Parade, Koolewong https://www.google.com/maps/@-33.466039 ... 0YIbrg!2e0 as the last crossing with Federal Signals gate mechs in NSW. The new signals were installed between Tuesday the 19th and Friday the 22nd of November. The new signals have mostly WCH equipment apart from new Safetran Type 3s. I’m not sure why Type 3s are still being installed in the Hunter region when most other new installations in NSW use WCH e-bells. Interestingly, the old signals have just been left beside the track although will probably be removed at a later date.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/

Changing the topic now, my dad (who’s a train driver) sent me photos recently of a new gate-less installation from the cab of his train on this private crossing at Mindaribba: https://goo.gl/maps/EzVtXkapcd33gk5Q6 that has yet to be commissioned. These signals were installed on the 18th to the 21st of September 2019. What is interesting is that the signals are actually a trial with the crossing operating in “shadow mode” and have solar panels and antennas on them and are using “wireless level crossing equipment”. There are silver boxes on both masts which I think may have equipment that would otherwise be in the relay hut since this crossing doesn’t have one. The lights (likely WCH) are covered in yellow bags and there is also a WCH e-bell and bases.
https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/Doc ... F?49261986
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/

Changing the topic again, heard from a friend that this gated signal at St James Rd, Adamstown was destroyed by a car yesterday. https://www.google.com/maps/@-32.933402 ... MEvFlQ!2e0 I’m not sure what has been put in it’s place but I suspect it is probably a typical new Sydney Trains setup having United Group lights, a WCH gate mech, base and e-bell.

[freebrickproductions]

Made a visit to Army Camp Rd, Singleton level crossing today and sadly the original signals with Federal Signal gate mechs have been replaced. Unfortunately I’m pretty sure this leaves Glenrock Parade, Koolewong https://www.google.com/maps/@-33.466039 ... 0YIbrg!2e0 as the last crossing with Federal Signals gate mechs in NSW. The new signals were installed between Tuesday the 19th and Friday the 22nd of November. The new signals have mostly WCH equipment apart from new Safetran Type 3s. I’m not sure why Type 3s are still being installed in the Hunter region when most other new installations in NSW use WCH e-bells. Interestingly, the old signals have just been left beside the track although will probably be removed at a later date.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139253871 ... ed-public/

IMHO, those new signals don't look all that bad. Kinda nice, actually, if I'm gonna be honest.

[Jack2003]

Sucks another NSW crossing has been ruined. They should've just replaced the gate mechs and not the whole signals. Anyway I happen to have a few things to share. I now have my first level crossing bell and it is a Western Cullen Hayes mechanical bell with the double mount base! Here are some pictures and videos of the bell:





I took it down to the Ring Road level crossing in Mitchell Park in Ballarat last Saturday and had it ringing while the crossing activated and also filmed it. This crossing also used to have a Western Cullen Hayes mechanical bell at it up until 2009 when the crossing got gates. Here is the video of the crossing and the bell ringing:


Here's a picture of when the crossing was gateless and it had a Western Cullen Hayes bel at it too:


I am also creating a level crossing signal and I will have the mounted on the pipe and I can take it off if I want to take it somewhere. I have a crossbuck as well, but I don't have a pair of lights. I'm wanting to get a pair of Westinghouse incandescents from the Lakers Siding station junkyard on the Bellarine Peninsula railway as well as a black background stop on red signal sign when I'm next in Geelong. Here are some pictures:


I don't have the right bolts to attach the crossbuck to the pipe at this stage it just laying on the pipe right now



The cross here is where the lights will be mounted if I get them from the Lakers Siding station junkyard


The cross here is where the stop on red signal sign will be mounted if I also get from the Lakers Siding station junkyard


In other news the cantilever at the disused Forest Road North level crossing at Lara has unfortunately been completely removed. The signal with the hybrid bell is still there though as well as everything else. Victorian Rail Heritage filmed this crossing with the removed cantilever and unfortunately he didn't allow me to use some pictures from his video to post here.

More sad news and that is the McKenzie and Holland gate mechs at High Street, Glen Iris and the WRRS gate mechs at Tooronga Road, Malvern have sadly been replaced with Western Cullen Hayes gate mechs. Here is a picture of the new Western Cullen Hayes gate mechs at Tooronga Road, unfortunately there isn't one of the new gate mechs at High Street:


Even more sad news and that is the Woolton Avenue level crossing at Thornbury has been completely ruined. The Westinghouse gate mechs have been replaced with Western Cullen Hayes gate mechs and the incandescent lights have been replaced with newer style Westinghouse LED's. Metro may be getting round to replacing incandescent lights now. Here is a video of this crossing being upgraded:


While on topic of the Mernda line the crossings at Oakover Road, Bell Street, Cramer Street and Murray Road have been fast tracked for removal and construction will start next year and the crossings are to be removed in 2022. Oakover Road is a worthless one to remove as when I filmed it in October this year no cars stopped at the crossing, but when Redhen Railcar SAR filmed it in April this year 4 trains passed through the crossing in one activation. He filmed it during peak hour and the line of traffic was gatting quite long. This crossing is better off having track circuit work done to it than removing it and the same should happen for Webster Street, Dandenong and Mont Albert Road. They should've put Keon Parade on the removal list instead as it's way busier and dangerous than Oakover Road! Also the High Street skyrail bridge at Reservoir will have trains running on it in on the 16th of December. I don't know when High Street will reopen for traffic though.

Anyway that's all from me

[Applehead137]

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[Applehead137]

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[Jack2003]

I happen to have some more sad news to report. Firstly the signals at Evans Road, Lynbrook have sadly been removed to make way to put in the new road bridge so it's RIP to the GRS lights and Westinghouse EB gate mechs. EVANS ROAD IS A WORTHLESS CROSSING TO REMOVE AS THE ROAD IS CLOSED AND IT DOESN'T GET CONGESTED!!! More sad news and that is the Gillies Street level crossing in Wendouree has had it's median signals crossbucks replaced with red background crossbucks during the Gillies Street level crossing road closure as part of the track junction work on the western side of the crossing to put in a new second track for the new second platform at Wendouree station. The gated signals were installed 3 years ago replacing the original gated signals which dated back to 1992 which had normal crossbucks, Westinghouse EB gate mechs and Safetran Type 3 ebells before the gated signals got replaced. Here is what the crossing looks like now:



Here's what it looked like with the new gated signals and the normal crossbucks on the median signals:


Here's what it looked like with it's original gated signals. The gated signal on the northern side had a hybrid bell up until early 2015:


I also filmed the new red background crossbuck been installed on the southern median signal. I filmed the works around Wendouree station as well:


To end a good note, Applehead137 posted this picture on Discord of the former Station Road level crossing in Foster on the former Port Albert line from like the 1980's or 90's and this crossing had a Wabco bell! This takes the total of known Wabco bells on crossings in Australia to 9. Here's the picture of the crossing:


Here's what the crossing looks like today:

[Applehead137]

Yes I did find that picture of Foster on Facebook and it was from the last steam beyond Leongatha in 1988. I really like the picture as it shows the crossing and the train . Also I find it funny how there are people climbing on the searchlight signal and the relay cases. So I’ve found a couple cool pictures on Vicsig of crossings in Victoria from around 2004-7 and there are some pretty interesting finds .



So here’s the Baxter-tooradin road crossing on the stony point line before it got upgraded to gates in 2009 and you can see that here it still had a Westinghouse hybrid bell . I recently learned that this crossing used to have yellow metal hand gates before the FL signals were installed . Those handgates ended up going to the crossing in longwarry where they were painted white until that crossing got boom gates in 1988.



Here’s the Somerton rosd Crossing in Somerton before it was grade separated in 2007 . You can see that the crossing was another one with Westinghouse EB gatemechs but also had white poles and Mck&h crossarms. It looks like there were Westinghouse incandescent lights and there were also Westinghouse hybrids! Also I can see why this crossing would have been removed as it has 5 tracks and would have seen lots of trains .



Millers road seaholme with Westinghouse hybrids!



Calder Highway teddywaddy que it was gateless and also had a teardrop bell , sadly this equipment has been replaced
Also one of the Westinghouse crossarms looks like it has no junction box cover



Final picture, wooralla Drive Mt Eliza 2004 , oddly here it looks a bit different equipment wise than now . Firstly there are no Strobe lights or lights to tell the train driver that the crossing is active. Secondly the crossing still has incandescent lights at this time . Thirdly it looks like the crossing had only 1 relay case back then and the crossing now has 2 . I’m not sure why they installed the second mkrdern one because when the crossing was not automatically operated they would use the older one . If you look in the background you can see some pipes which look like they were where the newer relay case now is so they were probably installing it around this time . My forth and final observation is that the teardrop bell is oddly facing a different direction and if you look closely it looks like it’s a Westinghouse teardrop. My guess is that the Westinghouse teardrop eventually had some fault and got replaced by the current Mck&h one but it’s still cool to know that this crossing sued to have a Westinghouse teardrop. My guess is that the Mck&h teardrop was taken from one of the other crossings on the line that got there signals removed when the line first closed as I heard that Mornington railway got a lot of infastructur from the original Mornington station and line.

[Applehead137]

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[Jack2003]

Well after the forum being down for a while, it's back in action again. I happen to have some stuff to share.

Firstly the McMahons Road level crossing in Springhurst which had new signal bases for gates installed in July of 2019 has still not gotten gates as of late December. I'd say the new signals are still being waited to be delivered or the work has been delayed. This boom gate upgrade along with many other crossings on the North East line have been absolutely worthless as they see very less traffic. Here is a picture of the crossing in December taken by Train Hunter Junior who isn't on the forum:


In other news the signals at Shepard's Siding with Harmon gate mechs were sadly replaced in May last year with new gated signals comprising of all Western Cullen Hayes equipment and red background crossbucks. The new gated setup is probably the first in all of Australia with Western Cullen Hayes Type 4 ebells. For some good news and that is the Western Cullen Hayes mechanical bell which was on the silo side of the crossing has now been reused at Sladen Street in Henty to replace the previous dying Western Cullen Hayes mechanical bell. Here is McK&H Aust's video showing the new signals, the action starts at 4:20:


More sad news and that is the Victoria Road level crossing in Northcote has had both it's WRRS gate mech and McKenzie And Holland gate mech replaced with Western Cullen Hayes gate mechs. Here is a video showing the new gate mechs, the crossing is shown at 2:56. The video has some audio problems as well:


More sad news and that is the McKenzie And Holland lights and crossarms facing the side roads at Maclise Street in Castlemaine have sadly been replaced with older style Westinghouse LED's and Westinghouse crossarms. It happened between June and September. Here is my video of the crossing which shows the new LED lights. The crossing activates at 0:43:


In other news at Brunt Road in Beaconsfield the signal which got knocked over in the accident in July last year has had it's incandescent lights replaced with LED's which probably came off a crossing on the Dandenong corridor. The hybrid bell on that signal has had it's operation changed to sound till the gates lower. Here is my video of the crossing with the new LED lights:


Also there has been another upgrade at Sisely Avenue in Wangaratta and that is the Westinghouse EB gate mech on the side with the unprotected pedestrian crossing has been replaced with a Western Cullen Hayes gate mech.

Finally I found a couple of pictures of the new gated setup at McCallum Street in Swan Hill. There was a fault there last month with the gates being stuck down for several hours causing mayhem, with police having to detour traffic. Here are the pictures:

[trainman7]

The 2018/19 LCSC report was released recently for anyone interested.
https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system ... 018-19.pdf

The following crossings have been upgraded:
Old Gostwyck Rd, Armidale: https://goo.gl/maps/kyWdd73pDxMkJEzN8

Limbri Road, Kootingal: https://goo.gl/maps/d6cX5vro9Mqg5teD7

Hoskinstown Road, Bungendore: https://goo.gl/maps/He5fpTbk3YSAfFZg7

Brewongle Lane, Brewongle: https://goo.gl/maps/yYzmytDorkFniLXK9

Changing the topic slightly now, the pedestrian crossing at Bellambi Lane, Bellambi https://goo.gl/maps/KvQucv9JqkLnNurP7 has received a slight upgrade with the crossing having four new WCH e-bells in custom housings (same design as others on the line such as the pedestrian crossing at Fairy Meadow) installed between the 14th-16th of December 2019. Some more info about the upgrade can be seen on page 17 of this Sydney Trains weekly notice: https://railsafe.org.au/__data/assets/p ... Notice.pdf The new bells can be seen at 1:22 in this video. https://youtu.be/eCaHrXOtXSU