Date filmed: Wednesday the 15th of May 2024
Video filmed at 11:07
Route: Weardale Railway
- Between Fosterley and Wolsingham Stations
Crossing type: Manually Controlled Barrier crossing (MCB)
Filming location: Fosterley, Bishop Auckland (DL13 2SQ)
For more information about the railway:
www.weardale-railway.org.uk/
A level crossing on the 16-mile-long Weardale Railway, a heritage railway in County Durham, which runs from a mainline connection at Bishop Auckland to Stanhope. The term 'Manually Controlled Barriers' is used very widely in the UK's railway terms, but this takes it quite literally! These are the only known hand-operated lifting barriers in use at any public level crossing in the UK. It's a location which is unsuitable to have regular manually-operated gates due to there being no space for any, and not just because the line is single-track. The crossing keeper here probably has a fairly slow day as typically only one train runs at a time, but it's a very important job, and they've got a very peaceful and pretty spot.
Upon the approach of a train, the crossing keeper will get a call via mobile from the line's control who instruct them to close the crossing, and once they've used a small control panel to activate the lights, they will lower these funny and skinny little barriers one by one. When they are satisfied all is in order and the crossing is clear, they will then prop up a green flag which is displayed to the train until it has passed, when they will then withdraw it and raise the barriers, again one by one, before turning off the lights when all are raised. Counterweights help massively with the job of raising the barriers, but it's not a particularly quick procedure either way given they're worked one by one typically. The road lights here are halogen bulb-type ones manufactured by PIKE systems, and there are four of them here which are tested daily, but there is no audible warning of the crossing in operation at all. The lights being tested caught me off-guard and made me think they were being activated for the train until they were turned off again in quick succession.
In this video, the crossing is seen being worked for the first of three departures that day between Stanhope and Wolsingham. It was the start of the day, hence the customary lights test, and this train would then return about half an hour later and run similar services departing at 1PM and 3PM as part of the railway's 'Purple' timetable. Although heritage railways naturally conjure up images of steam trains, this is not the case here as the service was being run by nothing other than a notorious Ex-Northern Pacer - a Leyland Bus very subtly modified for railway usage which was withdrawn from mainline operations completely in 2020, and they provoked very divided opinion. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the video! It may be in County Durham, but a level crossing this unusual feels like it's been taken straight out of North Wales!
Video guide:
Intro - 0:00
-
Lights test - 1:28
-
Lowering (1:41):
142 078 (Weardale Railway, Ex- Northern 'Pacer') - 4:18
Stanhope ➡ Wolsingham
-
Barriers raised - 4:36
-
End-of-video picture showcase - 5:42
Filmed on: Panasonic HC-VX1 in 4K 25fps
Thanks for watching!
10 июл 2024
