A Level Crossing Near Miss 

This was me 😞 If anyone learns from my mistake then I'm happy. There is no sounder audible on the camera clip, and I've never heard a sounder here I'd think Ashley has the audio muted as I was listening to the radio (greatest hits ... I think it was a Barbara Streisland track...) and YT would do copyright infringment. Other than the song, I was I think talking to myself having realising how stupid I'd been. This is the Norwich / London main line, about 4 miles south of Norwich (Swainsthorpe) with 2 up and 2 down trains per hour usually (@ 6m out, 15m in, 36m out and 45m in, past the hour each hour and a long slow commercial wagon train at about 7pm each day) And yes I'm hard of hearing due to driving tractors in the 1970's and 1980's without ear protection. My mistake was following the rider onto the crossing and assuming they would exit. You can see me stop when they do, and then creep forward again when they cross to the opposite carriageway , and then I stop again when the return back to my carriageway, by which time the barriers are starting to move (I'm beyond the lights by this point so can't see them and only had the barriers to notify me). I reverse back until the barriers hit my car (Saab 9-3), and I assess that there is enough space for the train to pass, otherwise I would have reversed further breaking the barriers. I had half expected them to rise and attempt to lower again like others I've seen, but these don't.

Train Driver here. Horse riders MUST NEVER cross a railway, even one like this, without telephoning the signaller first. There is a phone provided at the crossing for this purpose and there will be associated signage. The signaller will grant a 'line blockage' by protecting the level crossing with red signals until he has assurance from the horse rider that they are safely across (using the telephone on the other side). This horse rider, assuming the signage is all in place, would be liable to prosecution for not following the crossing rules.

Driving mistakes aside. I'd urge the cammer to send this to Network Rail and raise a concern. There's no way those barriers should have gone up when a second train was approaching so soon after. The train detection sensors are far too close to the crossing. What if the horses got spooked half way over and it was them and the riders that were trapped? Edit: After watching a second time I count pretty much exactly 30 seconds between the barriers going up and coming back down. Keep in mind that there is at least a five second warning before the barriers come down, which brings our time down to just 25 seconds. Also note the dog walker to the right that barely had enough time to cross on foot. What if that were a wheelchair user or someone on crutches?

Network Rail produced a guide for riders using level crossings. It includes the following: "Most importantly, the guide reminds horse riders of the need to dismount at a level crossing and to be mindful of how their horse might react to the alarms, lights and other noises that might be present."

First off, well done to the cammer for allowing us to see that. A nightmare situation and a momentous, possibly life-saving lesson. Horses and trains are significant on their own, but put them together on a level crossing and that escalated very quickly. I'm sure the lesson was well learned, heart-stopping as it must have been.

i must admit this is probably the most scariest footage i have seen from this channel, massive respect to the person who shared this so we can all learn a valuable lesson. 👍

Gosh that's a pretty scary situation. Definitely a good lesson to learn

The complete and utter lack of awareness from these riders on a level crossing was honestly shocking.

I would have thought there was a fundamental problem with the level crossing system Surely the barriers should have remained down when there was little time between trains.

To be honest I don't think I'd done much better simply because I would not have expected the barriers to open and close again that quickly ie under 40 seconds between opening and closing again. May be if I were familiar with that crossing but otherwise not. Now I know better so: Thank you to whoever sent it in!

As a former rider you have to wonder why the riders did not dismount an lead their horses, you have so much more control that way and reduce risk for all. Often a horse will follow another horse though an area they miss trust ( i guess the riders were attempting this ploy here ) or even a person simply walking in front of them. I was never keen on riding on or near roads, horses are too flighty.

many decades ago when I started driving, I was on a level-crossing when a 7.5t came toward me taking up part of my side. I moved over to be safe from a side scrape and slipped onto the tracks with an almighty bang. Luckily for me, there were workmen and the crossing keeper. They were very kind in helping me get the car from the tracks. From that day on, I made sure I had the space to move regardless of what was happening around me or coming toward me. My first and last incident involving myself. Holding back has saved others from incidents. Be Humble, Promote Happiness

Level crossing barriers are designed to break off easily, if you're trapped on a crossing just drive into them and they'll move. You car might be a bit scratched but that's far better than being hit by a train. In this case reversing into the barrier would be the best course of action. And all that needs to be done to fix the crossing is to replace the barrier, the mechanism won't be damaged so it's a relatively cheap fix

Thank you for salutary warning! The problem emerges when the first rider unexpectedly changes their mind about intended direction without considering other road users. Then blocks the road because essentially neither rider seems to have complete control of their animals. I’m surprised that a rider would bring a horse up so close to a railway crossing, especially one with only half barriers. Surely the sensible thing would be to dismount and take a firm grip of the bridle? Secondly there is only about one minute elapsed between the two trains so opening the barriers for such a short time is not appropriate. In another scenario, what if both horses were oncoming, the exit path was clear when the barriers opened and then a horse backs across in the car’s path?

A very easy mistake to make, and very responsible for them to share. Having worked on the railway and been exposed to the aftermath of incidents, I would always advise reversing through the barrier. It's going to cause a major headache and disruption, but nobody will be hurt or killed. Thank you and your viewer for sharing. I have a huge respect for them sending you this.

On Swedish level crossing, on the inside of a barrier is the message written "don't stop on the track, continue driving and break the barrier" it was added after a few high profile accidents and apparently it help with the quick thinking.

ASHLEY ! I've only riden a few times! BUT was told "riders should dismount and lead the horse " as Network Rail safety guide !

To be honest if it was me I would have just floored it the moment those barriers started to come down. To hell with the horses. But after watching this. I will make sure that the exit is clear before entering the level crossing. Living in London though I'd probably have someone shouting abuse of laying on the horn behind to contend with

This video is *immensely helpful* for someone in the U.S.A., prior to visiting the UK. As I live in the suburbs, we just don't encounter horses on the roads.

I would've 100% quickly driven across when I realised those barriers were coming down around me, my care for the horses goes straight out the window in this situation. Though I doubt I would've entered the crossing until I was able to clear it, similar to a yellow box junction.

Christ almighty, what a terrifying moment. Props to the viewer for sharing this! This is a lesson you'd rather learn from watching than from experience!

Screw the barrier, I'd be reversing out of there! I'm surprised your viewer didn't hear the siren sounding before the barriers started to lower though. There's ample time to move back before you become trapped. Strange that the audio was muted on the clip, as I suspect they knew you'd absolutely rinse them if they left it in.

I was surprised at how quick the train came. The crossing we [used] to have near me was a good four or five minute wait. You could be stuck for 30 minutes which is why the build a tunnel. I think.

Thanks to the contributor for sharing this clip. I can imagine it was a very nerve wrecking situation and I'm thankful they got out of it unscathed. It really shows how aware we should be around others, but also maintain focus on everything around us.

Phew, that's frightening! It reminded me of the signs you see on French railway crossings: 'un train peut en cacher un autre' (literally, one train can hide another). It's worth remembering that, especially on busy lines. Thanks Ashley.

Wow. This was scarier than many footage of actual collisions. Those horses side stepping also made me very, very nervous. I would not have thought that the barriers would rise like that and immediately go back down again!

Literally the dangers of horsing around on a level crossing.

Not a great situation, but I have to say that the horse riders could have done more to ease the situation. They must have known that their horses were nervous, so why not get them clear of the crossing, calm them, and then cross, ideally when the crossing was going to be clear for more than enough time? I’d assume that as they are out riding, they wouldn’t have time constraints, so could afford to take a while and potentially cause less inconvenience. Just my thoughts 👍🏻

Just shows you how quick something can go wrong, even when you're trying to do the right thing.

Ashley im.a former MOM just retired with 30 years service. Horses like this are a living nightmare on crossings. The best advice is to wait till their clear as alot of riders are frankly clueless. The driver is absolutely correct ring the signalman and tell them and ring when clear.

I see these kinds of situations every day as I operate a level crossing on a busy road. You must never cross the white line until you are certain you can clear the other side of the crossing. So many people ignore this and end up in the middle of the crossing when the barriers are about to go down. Only difference is, the one I operate, I can hold off for a few seconds before I start the sequence but that Normally doesn't stop the next car from continuing on. Considering how much danger speeding trains pose, it's amazing how many people treat level crossings with less respect than a normal traffic light controlled junction. I see some crazy stuff every day.

The level crossing here is one of many different types on the rail network. This type is called an Automatic Half Barrier Crossing (AHBC). As other people have pointed out this type of crossing is operated automatically by approaching trains. When a train approaches and passes what is called the strike point the crossing light sequence will begin with the amber light. From that moment a train travelling at the maximum permitted speed for the section of line will reach the crossing in 27 seconds so the crossing in the video appears to be functioning correctly in that respect. There are hundreds of these crossings across the country. Although the controlling signaller will have an indicator to show the crossing is operating correctly there is no equipment to actually show that the crossing is clear of road traffic when the barriers descend. This is why the barriers only cover the left hand side of the road on approach, so there is an open escape route on the far side for emergencies. Additional equipment is provided at these crossings so that if a second train approaches soon after the first, the barriers will remain down until the second train passes. This is to stop the situation arising where a second train will be passing the strike point whilst the barriers are still rising after the first. In the case in this video the second train will have been outside the area covered by this additional equipment when the barriers went up. I'm a train driver not an infrastructure technician so I don't know what sort of timings apply to this additional equipment but I suspect the crossing here is operating correctly as designed. The driver of the second train will almost certainly have reported a near miss with a road vehicle and the crossing will have been checked for correct operation as a result. If anything was found to be faulty mitigating measures should have been put in place until it could be fixed. Other types of crossings that poeple have mentioned where the barriers stay down for longer are typically those that are operated by the signaller. These have full width barriers and a means for the signaller to check that the crossing is clear before signalling a train to pass over it. They are generally used on high speed lines (100mph+), busy roads or roads with junctions close to the crossing where traffic might queue across it despite the instructions in the highway code. They tend to cause much longer hold ups for road traffic.

I'd have also been pretty pissed off with the way they were buggering about . If the cam car had been stuck on the lines they would have been to blame

A great video, many thanks to the cammer for sharing this really important lesson. The section between the barriers should be treated as an ultra yellow box - i.e. don’t enter it unless it really is clear.

Many thanks for the driver sujpplying this great learning point, and to you Ashley for sharing it. I cannot swear that I would have done any better. I drive in the UK on occaision, and here in Germany the barriers would not have raised. I likely would have done the same. On the other hand. I do take a good gander both ways down the line at grade crossings, even if the barriers are up. Schtuffs occur.

Yes - I've never come across horses at a level crossing but they obviously do introduce additional risk, so this is a useful reminder of their unpredictability. I'm always very wary of level crossings so I never enter one until I can see the exit is clear but I also always make sure I cross with enough momentum that if the engine failed, I could coast across to the other side anyway.

Looks to me like the bell goes at 59 seconds, you can see the lady leading the pony react and stop going forward at that point and also the rider on white horse turns around. I think at that point I would have driven forward, even if not down the road there is space to the left in front of gate. It seems to be just 30 seconds from then to train passing which really doesn't seem a lot. I also think the riders could be somewhat at fault, would they not be better dismounting and leading horses across the crossing rather than riding them across, I would think they would have more control then, but admit I don't know a whole lot about horses, just seems like a more sensible approach.

That's why in the US we have signs that say "No parking on tracks" to stop people from stopping on them.

The rider didn't get out of the way, they disided to join there friend on the other side which seemed to make the other horse twitchy insted of walking away.

Hindsight ..a wonderful thing. Can’t help thinking that the visible horse rider was aware of the other horse and it’s rider and the potential for an issue if the car driver proceeded. All the cars needed to stay put until the horses had cleared the crossing. Easy for me to say! After the event. Hopefully a valuable lesson for motorists and horse riders sharing a rail crossing. Good no one (and horses) hurt or worse.

I don't have too many level crossings near me and I'm honestly surprised how short the time is from the barriers going down to the train passing. Good learning point 👍

The horse rider should inform the crossing operator via the telephone provided before and after they cross. This also applies to herds of livestock.

That was one scary clip, well done to your viewer for sharing that with us, I'm sure they will never do that again.

I’m not sure if it’s the same everywhere in Scotland, but in the nearest town where I live that has a barrier, if there’s another train coming so soon after that last one had come through, the barriers would not have lifted. Sometimes you can sit there for what like seems ages, but the simple fact is that if two trains are in close proximity to the level crossing then the barriers stay down for the entire time.

This has been one of the most unusual and interesting hazards I've seen both on yt and in general. I can safely say I've not seen an incident like this with my own eyes. This goes to show that even the most careful and we'll meaning drivers can and do make mistakes. It's easy for us to say what they should have done but hindsight is always 20/20. Thankfully no one was hurt and the driver did a fantastic job of giving the horse and rider plenty of space! Said rider also did an amazing job of keeping the horse calm. I'd imagine a train is terrifying to a horse, especially at the speeds they can pass at on a crossing.

A very good educational tip Ashley , and dash cam shows only too well . Horses are unpredictable , even when ridden .

Jesus, my heart was beating out my chest and I wasn't even in the car! I'm glad the cammer is safe, but clearly something was off with the signalling. That barrier should have remained down I think but I think 30 seconds was the threshold...I guess in normal circumstances traffic would have cleared by that time.

Great lesson, I could easily see myself getting into a similar situation.

Other peoples mistakes, make us all safer if they are shared! I am pleased your viewer was brave enough to share this video

Just watched this now and that was heart wrenching. Kudos to the cammer for sending this in. Although I've never been in such a situation at a level crossing, I have to admit to making a similar error of judgement when leaving a regular intersection clear, whereby I started to move forward again when I THOUGHT the traffic on the far side was moving enough for me to start an early follow through. And yes, "perceived pressure from behind" was a factor, as well as a worry that someone in the next lane might steal my space if I didn't take it early. So this video is also a good reminder at regular intersections (be they yellow box or not) to only move forward when you can actually see for sure there is sufficient space to clear. Greetings from Vancouver btw, having spent the last 7 days in the USA and crossed the border back into Canada late last night. No wait time at all at the border and fortunately no snow on my journey either, though other areas of Vancouver as well as Washington State were hit. However, major snow is forecast for metro Vancouver this weekend.

From the beginning of the clip the horse was being very twitchy. Just stay well back and let them do their thing. Very lucky escape by your viewer there.

Rider here. One horse should NEVER cross the line leaving the other behind unless they are bulletproof in this situation. Even then there is no reason not to play safe. Horses are herd animals and by nature want to stay together, which will be a much stronger instinct if they are not well trained or the rider is inexperienced or nervous. Also see the comment below: horseriders/handlers need to telephone the signaller before crossing.

Thanks to the viewer for sending in, but honestly, this was such a silly error. Hope lessons were learned.

Level crossings scare the absolute crab out of me! I can confidently say I don't think I would've made this mistake that the cammer made. I don't live near any level crossings so whenever I come across one I go into an absolute maximum caution mode. I suppose if you drive through them every day you may become desensitised to the danger.

I give horses plenty of time and space but the one in this video is not ready to be let lose in the roads.

I think it’s crazy that at level crossings the first indication of a train is the barriers coming down. Surely it would be far safer for the lights to flash and an alarm to sound for several seconds before the barrier even starts to move?

Had this been years ago when there were manned crossings, this scenario would never have happened because the crossing keeper would not have opened the gates until after the second train had crossed the crossing

Fascinating, thanks for sharing this.

Thanks for sharing. It's not a situation most people encounter often

The horse rider took a bit of a risk right in the beginning, deciding to wait for the train that close! Maybe it would've been an option to go back and wait a bit further away when they saw the lights blink. That way the horse might've got let stressed and upset about the train and maybe everything went differently then, who knows. Mad respect for the motorist though, they basically had so much care and respect towards the horse and the rider that they missed how they were putting their own life in danger, sort of let that super dangerous mistake of stopping on the level crossing happen to them, while helping others.

Yon never, never cross the white stop line on a level crossing unless it's 100% clear. Being 99% sure can be fatal.

Was at a Lc a few weeks back, there were cars in front of me - but I held back as I felt I wouldn’t clear the track. The driver behind me got impatient and went round me onto the track, the barriers started coking down and he has a similar issue as above. If only he’d waited behind me - I could see I was better to wait!

Whoa! that would get your sphincter oscillating. Really surprised they opened those barriers between those two trains. Fortunately a good outcome.

These barriers, at least the newer ones, are designed to break in case of an emergency like this. and the rail manager(the company) would be more than happy to replace the barrier than to have to check for repairs on the track and even repair on trains.

That must have been a pretty busy junction a the barriers werent up for too long before coming back down. i confess i'd have made the same mistake. i ride so would have echo'd the drivers movements

With the short time between the trains crossing, I'm a little surprised that the barriers lifted at all. Perhaps that's only because of the issue with the skittish horses though, ordinarily your be long gone before the barriers closed again and maybe staying closed, when apparently clear, would just goad chancers into blowing through regardless.

Half-barriers mean its an automatic level crossing, not interlocked with the signals, to enable an escape route. Minimum times are 7 seconds yellow light, 7 seconds flashing reds, 7 seconds barriers down, seven seconds fastest train will arrive at the crossing. 28 seconds in total until the fastest train will arrive. Crossings with full barriers across the road are controlled and monitored by a human (or obstacle detectors), and the signals won't clear for a train unless the crossing is clear

Great clip, seeing other people's experiences you gain your own

I come across horses like this all the time being rural. The best thing in this instance is to stop (not on the crossing), engine and radio off and let the horse pass. The horse rider is also at fault to some degree. They should have dismounted and lead the horse over the crossing once it started resisting. While I get they’ve got to train the horse, that one wasn’t ready for somewhere so busy.

Just wondering if those horses or the rider were ready to be on the road, seem to have problems controling it. If they are a bit twitchy or unsure, is it wise to take them near a railway crossing

This is one of the scariest AN videos I've seen !

We can spend all the time in the world finding who to blame, but frankly the infrastructure should not allow for such incident to happen in the first place. Replace the horse rider with a wheelchair user or someone with a walking stick. The 30 seconds would not have been enough for those vulnerable road users to cross before the second train arrived.

Wow. Great learning clip, but very scary.

The horse rider is also in the wrong, they should've called the signal box for permission to cross, they would've given a longer lime to cross and probably monitored on CCTV. I'm sure the signs on approach to LCs say to call if you have animals.

Wow, what a scary situation. I'll admit watching this, my instant reaction to being trapped was to floor it across the junction to the clear road I can see. In retrospect I don't think that would have been the right call, but you have to make a split second decision and that's what my mind told me to do.

Maybe they should consider adding a yellow hashed box to the middle of the train crossing area, so the horses would be obligated not to block people on the tracks.

Man that is absolutely frightning. Andrew, I'm glad you survived this. If your vehicle was a little bigger, it may have been a different story.

Having read some of the comments below it may be helpful to explain why the barriers went up and then down again so soon. In the 'old days' automatic crossings were activated by a treadle that was activated by the approaching train, this was placed an appropriate distance up the track so that the barriers were lowered in time for a train approaching at the line speed limit. The consequence of this was that if a slow train came along the barriers would be down for a longer time than necessary. Also, if a 'train' (e.g. an engineering hand cart) went the wrong way the barriers would lower until a train went the right way thus resetting the system - this resulted in at least one accident, where a driver went round the barriers after waiting for a while, only to have a train come along and crash into their car. Nowadays many automatic barriers are operated by a sensor system where a pulse is sent up the rails, when a train comes along the pulse is bounced back to the transmitter. By measuring the time it takes the pulse to be returned the control system can calculate the speed of the train and lower the barriers at a time appropriate to the speed of the train. The downside of this is if the train wheels don't make good electrical contact with the rails (e.g. there is excessive leaf mulch build-up) the sensor miscalculates the train speed (or doesn't see the train at all) and the barriers don't close - this has also happened.

Personally I would have waited until the horses were gone, but I can understand why, in all the confusion, your viewer took his chances. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Wow Major education for all here.. I wasn't expecting that, yes I'd have given them as much room waiting at the crossing. But most people would probably not have waited for them to 100% clear the other side b4 crossing...

I attribute some of this to horse riders. Surely it would have been better if instead fart arsing around near level crossing they should of got clear and then messed around.

See this happen a lot at a level crossing nearby. Though usually cyclists more than horses that catch people out. People can use their instrument of impatience all day long, I will not cross a level crossing, bridge or intersection if I cannot clear the entire thing.

Another point - if the driver wasnt sure about the front of the bonnet being clear of the track, that type of crossing (an AHBC or automatic half barrier) doesnt have a barrier opposite for this exact reason, if behind is blocked you can clear ahead. As soon as those barriers started coming down moving across and out the other side should have been a consideration. Another point i should make is that these types of crossings are not usually monitored by a human, so there is probably no CCTV for an operator to see you and stop any approaching trains. Got to sort it yourself.

“Never drive forward, that’s never an option” is pretty bad advice. I completely agree that the driver shouldn’t have entered the crossing to begin with. But if I had made the same mistake, the second those barriers start coming down I’d have gone straight across to get clear of the crossing. You’ve got enough time before the train arrives, if the barriers have only just started coming down. Reversing and breaking the barrier behind you is a bad idea as you’ve damaged your car and the crossing when you didn’t need to.

Scary to see and probably quite unusual situation with many variables and things that could have been a lot worse - props to the cammer for sharing this as lots to learn 👍

Wow! Yeah, don’t enter the level crossing until the exit is clear. Same rule as a yellow box but with more severe consequences for sure!

Wow! Thanks god everyone were ok.

I was very surprised by the time between the barrier going down and the train coming. There are several level crossings around me and each one takes a good 30s-1min (depending on speed of the train) between the barrier fully closing and something crossing

Even after the barriers had gone up after the train I'd have reversed back until those horses were across after what just happened. We have a level crossing near us with a turning into the station on the one side. The amount of times I've seen a car indicate to go across traffic while cars queue behind on the crossing is scary.

Love the uploads

That would probably have caught me out. Scary.

I'll give you all another tip too; no matter that the signal is on go for you; don't for goodness sake take that as read. I saw a clip on You Tube of a car getting hit by a train despite the crossing having literally only just opened; and not shut again before the 2nd train came. I always let it clear then look both up and down the tracks for my own safety and peace of mind. Well done to the cammer for sharing what they did wrong. Glad they learnt from it. Also glad everything worked out okay bar for a few scratches on the boot lid; that must have been really scary.

I can't wrap my head around the fact that the barriers go up and down in such close sequence. In my country they'd stay down waiting for both trains to pass. Our railroad crossings ring around 30s before the barriers go down. That would give the cammer enough time to back up. Can't believe Czech Republic has safer system than UK, usually it's the opposite.

How he was able to just sit there on the track when a train was coming is beyond my comprehension.😳

Goodness knows what the riders were thinking here. Weird that the cammer left all that gap behind the horse and then proceeded to cross close behind. I’ve learned something from this clip for sure, hang back until the driver in front is well clear of the crossing. From the comments I have learned that barriers are easily broken - if you have someone behind that may not be an option though - In that instance I would have gone forward if the barrier had only just gone down, that might be the best option if I had children in the car, rather than evacuate. Or maybe even try turning to the right and getting the car parallel with the tracks. Only 20 seconds to act in this instance… Watching it again, i’d have gone forward probably instinctively. So much hesitation in this video.

I have to admit that was a lucky escape for both the viewer and the horse rider. If the horse had bolted being so skittish both the horse, rider and potentially even the train could have met a grisly end.

Hat off for their owning the mistake. Think, had it been me, I hope I would have seen the 2nd horse and held back until I knew which way both were travelling

Well done to the lady who got out of her car to help.

I would have smashed that barrier. Here is the technique to doing it correctly. You put the car in reverse gear, holding the handbrake with button depressed upwards. You put revs on your engine up, it may scream, when you get clutch bite look at the bonnet in front when it has dipped down to its lowest position, you whilst revving drop the handbrake fast as possible and you accelerate rearwards quickly. If you try and break the barrier with the bonnet upwards, the rear end may get stuck under the barrier and you will not have enough torque to do the manoeuvre.

As a rail enthusiast, I see this a lot, it's really annoying as people don't seem to get the idea to hold off. Thanks for posting this, hopefully people will see this and realise the dangers. On a side note, the minimum time from a crossing activating to the train passing is 27s, but usually more at full barrier crossings. Thanks again for posting mate 👍