Hmm Birdsong as we approach the Box for early-turn. Perhaps on a Sunday, with thoughts of a nice cooked breakfast and good coffee, as the first trains are dealt with. What other life COULD there be?
I remember as a kid near to where we lived we had a crossing with the gates i used to love waiting to see the signal man to rush down and open the gates
In the early/mid '70s I had a summer job in the ex-station at Longstanton, when the St-Ives to Cambridge line was used only for goods. The crossing gates were operated by the train guard, so the train had to stop before and after the crossing. It was interesting to watch the operations that summer, sitting on the platform enjoying docky. One day I cadged a lift back to St Ives in the guard's van after my Lambretta bust a piston ring on the way to Longstanton.
sad news, same thing round this way, Bare lane station level crossing on the Morecambe branch, and Hest Bank level crossing box where the WCML passes just Yards from the sea in Morecambe Bay and where the Queens guide used to lead guided walks across the bay to Kents bank, they now start from Arnside, when the guide, Cedric Robinson retires, I doubt he will be replaced, the end of an era, there are still semaphores around the Cumbrian coast, how much longer, thanks for a nice historic video.
To hell with that - where's my big wheel? haha. We only had to that on the small crossing at Hilly Laid on the Wyre Branch. The rest were all Double gated. Smashing vid and scenery though.
I used to be a relief crossing keeper on West Anglia during the early 90's, its a shame to see most of these gated type crossing go under most of the re signalling programmes happening .
Such a shame these crossings have all been upgraded recently, I use to love seeing them and now with modernisation the signal boxes are now unmanned and redundant. .....I always felt the old fashioned gated crossings with a crossing keeper/signal man were much safer than the modern unmanned ones
The Cumbrian Coast has got until 2021, at least for part of it, one half is *planned* to go in 2019...mind you, unless Network Rail keeps its schedule (like that's going to happen!) it'll probably be a few years longer even than that.
Shame to see them go but you can`t stand in the way of so called progress. I was a Guard on this line in the 1980s and early 90s.Nothing seems to have changed much,Travelled every day from Cambridge to Norwich for six weeks for my Guards training course
Well these signals dont fail...these crossings dont have pratts dodging round or trying to run them...I bet these guys love their jobs too... Modern signals when go wrong means stop all trains for hours...if the crossing gets stuck, then the road is closed for hours. When the central box computer has a paddy...then you need hours of nerds time scratching their heads trying to sort it. Not forgetting all the meetings of the top nobs to decide who they can blame. Ask these signal guys to stop a train and ask the driver some thing...no problem...modern signal guys have to contact drivers via phone or radio, and if it means doing some thing slightly different than the norm...Thats it...go on strike... Well they call it progress....i call it money grabbing fat cats and share holders who dont give a toss as long as they get their cream.
I'm part of an Austrian group of railway enthusiasts and we have some track as well. From my experience, electric signal and points are cheaper in infrastructure, more flexibel for us and need less taking care of (less staff to maintain and less staff to control). Semaphores might be romantic but they can fail without indication, most parts have to made in long hours and the cost of having a box every few miles is just horrendous.
Great video, lovely scenery.
seramohore signals used to be the ornaments at the railway stations
*semaphore
Peter heath that was fantastic..it must be ten years old at least surely...
Hmm Birdsong as we approach the Box for early-turn. Perhaps on a Sunday, with thoughts of a nice cooked breakfast and good coffee, as the first trains are dealt with. What other life COULD there be?
Fab Video, Amazing Capture, all these have pretty much gone now with the Wherry Lines boxes still operating but only for a few days more :(
I remember as a kid near to where we lived we had a crossing with the gates i used to love waiting to see the signal man to rush down and open the gates
In the early/mid '70s I had a summer job in the ex-station at Longstanton, when the St-Ives to Cambridge line was used only for goods. The crossing gates were operated by the train guard, so the train had to stop before and after the crossing. It was interesting to watch the operations that summer, sitting on the platform enjoying docky. One day I cadged a lift back to St Ives in the guard's van after my Lambretta bust a piston ring on the way to Longstanton.
sad news, same thing round this way, Bare lane station level crossing on the Morecambe branch, and Hest Bank level crossing box where the WCML passes just Yards from the sea in Morecambe Bay and where the Queens guide used to lead guided walks across the bay to Kents bank, they now start from Arnside, when the guide, Cedric Robinson retires, I doubt he will be replaced, the end of an era, there are still semaphores around the Cumbrian coast, how much longer, thanks for a nice historic video.
To hell with that - where's my big wheel? haha. We only had to that on the small crossing at Hilly Laid on the Wyre Branch. The rest were all Double gated. Smashing vid and scenery though.
Wow, still a manual gate, those are very rare(ish) :)
I used to be a relief crossing keeper on West Anglia during the early 90's, its a shame to see most of these gated type crossing go under most of the re signalling programmes happening .
I like this so much
Mechanical signals and turn out is very good
One thing with the old gates, you don't get cars dodging the barrier! lol.
Such a shame these crossings have all been upgraded recently, I use to love seeing them and now with modernisation the signal boxes are now unmanned and redundant. .....I always felt the old fashioned gated crossings with a crossing keeper/signal man were much safer than the modern unmanned ones
thanks
The Cumbrian Coast has got until 2021, at least for part of it, one half is *planned* to go in 2019...mind you, unless Network Rail keeps its schedule (like that's going to happen!) it'll probably be a few years longer even than that.
Indeed - 8 years later - it’s 2022 and we still have mechanical signal boxes and crossing keepers on the Cumbria Coast & Furness Lines!
Which country
UK
Shame to see them go but you can`t stand in the way of so called progress. I was a Guard on this line in the 1980s and early 90s.Nothing seems to have changed much,Travelled every day from Cambridge to Norwich for six weeks for my Guards training course
Well these signals dont fail...these crossings dont have pratts dodging round or trying to run them...I bet these guys love their jobs too...
Modern signals when go wrong means stop all trains for hours...if the crossing gets stuck, then the road is closed for hours.
When the central box computer has a paddy...then you need hours of nerds time scratching their heads trying to sort it. Not forgetting all the meetings of the top nobs to decide who they can blame.
Ask these signal guys to stop a train and ask the driver some thing...no problem...modern signal guys have to contact drivers via phone or radio, and if it means doing some thing slightly different than the norm...Thats it...go on strike...
Well they call it progress....i call it money grabbing fat cats and share holders who dont give a toss as long as they get their cream.
I'm part of an Austrian group of railway enthusiasts and we have some track as well. From my experience, electric signal and points are cheaper in infrastructure, more flexibel for us and need less taking care of (less staff to maintain and less staff to control). Semaphores might be romantic but they can fail without indication, most parts have to made in long hours and the cost of having a box every few miles is just horrendous.
This can't be current surely