Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

McK&H.Aust wrote:

Username1 wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:
What will the bell Nazis do for entertainment once all the m-bells have gone?

They've started replacing the WCH gate mechs and Barker Technics E-Bells on the upfield line now... tons of fun left for them

I thought the WCH gate mechs on the Upfield line were installed in the 1990's when they upgraded the line and abolished all of the hand operated crossing gates? Are they replacing them with newer WCH ones or Siemens? No doubt they would be using GS E-bells to replace the Barker Technics ones, it's a shame because they are a unique bell.

They are using Siemens mechs to replace the WCH ones.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.733 ... 312!8i6656

Of course, they leave the incandescent lights untouched.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.733 ... 312!8i6656

I swear once all the m-bells and Barker Technics e-bells are replaced, they'll resort to replacing General Signals e-bells with other e-bells.

Sad to see Dawson Street and Albert Street "upgraded". I'm pretty sure Stuart Hunt mentioned that Brunswick Road was targeted as well (I drove over it on Boxing Day last year, and it still had the Barker Technics e-bells & WCH mechs). As I posted above, Gaffney Street as them now, as well as Box Forest Road.

TrickyMario7654 wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

Username1 wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:
What will the bell Nazis do for entertainment once all the m-bells have gone?

They've started replacing the WCH gate mechs and Barker Technics E-Bells on the upfield line now... tons of fun left for them

I thought the WCH gate mechs on the Upfield line were installed in the 1990's when they upgraded the line and abolished all of the hand operated crossing gates? Are they replacing them with newer WCH ones or Siemens? No doubt they would be using GS E-bells to replace the Barker Technics ones, it's a shame because they are a unique bell.

They are using Siemens mechs to replace the WCH ones.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.733 ... 312!8i6656

Of course, they leave the incandescent lights untouched.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.733 ... 312!8i6656

I swear once all the m-bells and Barker Technics e-bells are replaced, they'll resort to replacing General Signals e-bells with other e-bells.

Sad to see Dawson Street and Albert Street "upgraded". I'm pretty sure Stuart Hunt mentioned that Brunswick Road was targeted as well (I drove over it on Boxing Day last year, and it still had the Barker Technics e-bells & WCH mechs). As I posted above, Gaffney Street as them now, as well as Box Forest Road.

Metro certainly seem to like replacing things that don't really need to be replaced

Not that I have anything against incandescent lights but it's odd that they didn't upgrade the lights to LED, makes for less maintenance, fewer call outs to replace bulbs and also uses less power. Also I noticed that Gaffney Street and Dawson Street have LED traffic lights, so you think they would have upgraded the crossing lights to match.

On a positive note, at least they didn't replace the inverted SORS signs and install the ugly new style crossbucks with the red backgrounds.

McK&H.Aust wrote:Metro certainly seem to like replacing things that don't really need to be replaced

Not that I have anything against incandescent lights but it's odd that they didn't upgrade the lights to LED, makes for less maintenance, fewer call outs to replace bulbs and also uses less power. Also I noticed that Gaffney Street and Dawson Street have LED traffic lights, so you think they would have upgraded the crossing lights to match.

On a positive note, at least they didn't replace the inverted SORS signs and install the ugly new style crossbucks with the red backgrounds.

I don't have anything against incandescent lights either, but I'm surprised that so many of Metro's crossings still use incandescent lights. Obviously, Metro seem more determined to replace mechanical bells rather than upgrading crossings with LED's.

In fact, the only time they do upgrade crossings with LED's is when either VicRoads install traffic lights at nearby intersections that are coordinated with the crossing activations or when a crossing gets a safety upgrade (though it's rare in the latter case and it only happens with major ones).

Some examples of LED upgrades done to Metro crossings along with traffic light coordination are...

Dublin Road, Ringwood East (who's willing to bet that they also replaced the m-bells at the same time).
2009: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.812 ... 312!8i6656
2014: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.812 ... 312!8i6656

Tooronga Road, Malvern.
2013: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.850 ... 312!8i6656
2016: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.850 ... 312!8i6656

A rather recent example is Bedford Road, Ringwood. The latest image from November 2016 shows the traffic lights already installed but yet to be commissioned.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.816 ... 312!8i6656

The traffic signals were commissioned in March this year and chances are, the crossing now has LED lights. But hopefully Metro didn't replace the hybrid bells at the same time.

On an unrelated note, it seems that Metro still replace inverted SORS signs, WITH inverted SORS signs!

Heading back to Tooronga Road, this gated signal had an older inverted SORS sign replaced by a newer inverted SORS sign.
2009: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.849 ... 312!8i6656
2017: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.849 ... 312!8i6656

It also happened to a nearby crossing at High Street, Glen Iris.
2009: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.860 ... 312!8i6656
2013: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.860 ... 312!8i6656

These are two crossings I would love to document to the site eventually, although both crossings have had e-bells since at least 2009 (when Connex ran the metropolitan network) and judging from a video on YouTube, Tooronga Road has adjusted Type 1's.

Just to give a further example, Murrumbeena Road also had it's inverted SORS signs replaced with inverted SORS signs.
2007: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.889 ... 328!8i1664
2009: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.889 ... 312!8i6656

It even happened at this disused crossing in Cranbourne, twice!
2010: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.101 ... 312!8i6656
2013: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.101 ... 312!8i6656

Feb 2013: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.100 ... 312!8i6656
July 2013: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-38.100 ... 312!8i6656

Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

ToledoRailfan wrote:Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

I don't believe there are any plans to replace all of the crossbucks, it seems mostly confined to new installations and also on some upgrades. Sometimes it seems quite random, as one crossing will have the red backgrounds but the next one won't. Gradually most of the crossbucks will probably be replaced, but it will take many years at the current rate.

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

I don't believe there are any plans to replace all of the crossbucks, it seems mostly confined to new installations and also on some upgrades. Sometimes it seems quite random, as one crossing will have the red backgrounds but the next one won't. Gradually most of the crossbucks will probably be replaced, but it will take many years at the current rate.

Interesting. Not that long ago weren't the crossbucks with the red backgrounds just found in certain states/territories?

ToledoRailfan wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

I don't believe there are any plans to replace all of the crossbucks, it seems mostly confined to new installations and also on some upgrades. Sometimes it seems quite random, as one crossing will have the red backgrounds but the next one won't. Gradually most of the crossbucks will probably be replaced, but it will take many years at the current rate.

Interesting. Not that long ago weren't the crossbucks with the red backgrounds just found in certain states/territories?

The first state I remember seeing them in was Queensland, so maybe it was their invention. As far as crossings are concerned, Queensland likes to be unique, they have no bells and the masts are painted with candy stripes.

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

I don't believe there are any plans to replace all of the crossbucks, it seems mostly confined to new installations and also on some upgrades. Sometimes it seems quite random, as one crossing will have the red backgrounds but the next one won't. Gradually most of the crossbucks will probably be replaced, but it will take many years at the current rate.

Interesting. Not that long ago weren't the crossbucks with the red backgrounds just found in certain states/territories?

The first state I remember seeing them in was Queensland, so maybe it was their invention. As far as crossings are concerned, Queensland likes to be unique, they have no bells and the masts are painted with candy stripes.

I forgot about the candy striped masts. I never noticed how they don't have bells, that is really odd! Although Western Australia has those weird lights though, we all kind of forget that those exist.

What happened to those yellow masts? Didn't they use to be common?

ToledoRailfan wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

I don't believe there are any plans to replace all of the crossbucks, it seems mostly confined to new installations and also on some upgrades. Sometimes it seems quite random, as one crossing will have the red backgrounds but the next one won't. Gradually most of the crossbucks will probably be replaced, but it will take many years at the current rate.

Interesting. Not that long ago weren't the crossbucks with the red backgrounds just found in certain states/territories?

The first state I remember seeing them in was Queensland, so maybe it was their invention. As far as crossings are concerned, Queensland likes to be unique, they have no bells and the masts are painted with candy stripes.

I forgot about the candy striped masts. I never noticed how they don't have bells, that is really odd! Although Western Australia has those weird lights though, we all kind of forget that those exist.

What happened to those yellow masts? Didn't they use to be common?

The yellow masts were very common in Tasmania, don't recall seeing many of them elsewhere. There were a few private crossings in NSW with yellow masts but they are long gone now.

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:

McK&H.Aust wrote:

ToledoRailfan wrote:Are there plans for all of the crossbucks at public crossbucks to be replaced with the ones with the red backgrounds?

I don't believe there are any plans to replace all of the crossbucks, it seems mostly confined to new installations and also on some upgrades. Sometimes it seems quite random, as one crossing will have the red backgrounds but the next one won't. Gradually most of the crossbucks will probably be replaced, but it will take many years at the current rate.

Interesting. Not that long ago weren't the crossbucks with the red backgrounds just found in certain states/territories?

The first state I remember seeing them in was Queensland, so maybe it was their invention. As far as crossings are concerned, Queensland likes to be unique, they have no bells and the masts are painted with candy stripes.

I forgot about the candy striped masts. I never noticed how they don't have bells, that is really odd! Although Western Australia has those weird lights though, we all kind of forget that those exist.

What happened to those yellow masts? Didn't they use to be common?

The yellow masts were very common in Tasmania, don't recall seeing many of them elsewhere. There were a few private crossings in NSW with yellow masts but they are long gone now.

Interesting. There was this one site about Australian signals that I use to look at when I was kid and I remember seeing a lot of yellow masts. It seems that your crossings seem to significantly vary from different states and territories, I wonder if that has to do with you guys having several rail systems?