[Misc] f***ing Level Crossings

Sirnormangall · Thursday at 8:44 PM

Flounce said:
I know some NSCers work/have worked for the rail system, maybe they could enlighten me as to why this shit happens? Is it just some idle **** stepping outside for a fag and a chat with mates?

Rant over until tomorrow, when no doubt it will be a new day, same shit.

I think Jack Albion works for the rail system so you should seek an explanation from him. Your delay was probably due to him commandeering a train to his latest obscure non league game

thedonkeycentrehalf · Thursday at 9:05 PM

Met a friend for lunch today but she was late after having to wait for 5 trains to go through at East Preston.

For many years there has been a theory of two distinct shifts. One lot seem to leave the gates down for ages between trains whereas the other shift will put the gates up for a minute or two between trains to give the traffic a chance to get through.

Bozza · Thursday at 9:08 PM

thedonkeycentrehalf said:
Met a friend for lunch today but she was late after having to wait for 5 trains to go through at East Preston.

For many years there has been a theory of two distinct shifts. One lot seem to leave the gates down for ages between trains whereas the other shift will put the gates up for a minute or two between trains to give the traffic a chance to get through.

If nothing else you’ve confirmed that if @Flounce had any patience and left it for one more train, happily browsing NSC on his phone as he did so, he’d have crossed at Ferring as intended.

Some people, eh?

Deadly Danson · Thursday at 9:26 PM

Don't be that person.

Guinness Boy · Thursday at 9:37 PM

Peacehaven Wild Kids said:
Doing a right turn in a thirteen ton 1X out of Victoria Road into Boundary Rd is a feckin nightmare.

Checking traffic left,
Checking traffic right,
Checking pedestrians left
Checking pedestrians right
Checking traffic overtaking to do a right into Victoria Rd
Checking traffic overthinking the bus to turn left into Boundary Rd
Checking the mirrors nearside so you don’t tail swipe someone cutting up from the inside to turn left into Boundary
Watching out for Motorbikes/Deliveroo etc going through the barriers while they are still opening.
Making sure you don’t hit the barrier with the top of the bus.
Checking Is the entrance to Portland Rd clear, or am I gonna get stuck on the line?
Checking has someone parked on the double yellows opposite the traffic island (opp Ladbrokes) also potentially causing a tail back over the tracks.
And while explaining to some old dear who has chosen that moment to ask why the 1X doesn’t stop at Waitrose the bastard thing comes down again!

Oh, and no bugger gives way.

Imagine trying to cross in front of that with a fruity cockapoo that’s pulling for his groomer’s and then going back the other way, having dumped the pooch, with bags full of the cheeky £6 Aldi Ripasso that the prick on Saturday Kitchen alerted the world to.

Nightmare.

Invicta · Thursday at 10:27 PM

dazzer6666 said:
Whenever I go to Portslade the Boundary Road crossing always seems to be down, and stays down for at least a couple of trains…….

Every time We've done the EDF p&r we sit at the Portslade crossing! Endless wait for the train!

Robinjakarta · Thursday at 10:37 PM

Flounce said:
I waited for over 20 minutes this morning at Ferring Crossing as 4 trains went past and still the gates stayed down, gave up and drove around on the A259. Total and utter inefficiency from whoever controls this and this scenario has ramped up recently. Why the f*** should you have to wait for over five minutes between trains without the crossing coming up for a couple of minutes?.

With family living in Ferring, that's the main place I stay when in the UK, and a very pleasant place it is, too, except for one thing. That. It gets complained about a lot by locals who seem powerless in this day and age to do anything about it. Crazy.

jackalbion · Thursday at 10:44 PM

Flounce said:
I waited for over 20 minutes this morning at Ferring Crossing as 4 trains went past and still the gates stayed down, gave up and drove around on the A259. Total and utter inefficiency from whoever controls this and this scenario has ramped up recently. Why the f*** should you have to wait for over five minutes between trains without the crossing coming up for a couple of minutes?.

I know some NSCers work/have worked for the rail system, maybe they could enlighten me as to why this shit happens? Is it just some idle **** stepping outside for a fag and a chat with mates?

Rant over until tomorrow, when no doubt it will be a new day, same shit.

Funny you say this because the local council have raised it :lolol:

. Network Rail will be more involved with it than Southern, but they decide stuff like this to do with timetables and infrastructure. The problem is at Angmering the trains bunch, ask me some time and I can explain it, but it’s very long and complicated, and if you could bring 4 wooden trains along for me to demonstrate it as well. I’ll get there.

GT49er · Thursday at 10:44 PM

thedonkeycentrehalf said:
Met a friend for lunch today but she was late after having to wait for 5 trains to go through at East Preston.

For many years there has been a theory of two distinct shifts. One lot seem to leave the gates down for ages between trains whereas the other shift will put the gates up for a minute or two between trains to give the traffic a chance to get through.

Regulations. With automated level crossings, minimum distance and minimum times before a train arrives apply, and the gates then have to close. Sometimes the local community to blame - at Goring the railway spent millions to build a bridge, but the locals (particularly I believe those from a church to the north of the railway) went to law and forced the railway to keep the level crossing by the station, even though a perfectly good alterative was available (and there was a footbridge for pedestrians).

Whoislloydy · Thursday at 10:45 PM

It's been a while since I lived at home, but West Worthing was a nightmare!

GT49er · Thursday at 10:47 PM

Whoislloydy said:
It's been a while since I lived at home, but West Worthing was a nightmare!

The road layout to the south of the line makes it a frightenly dangerous place!

SouthSaxon · Thursday at 10:48 PM

So much so that a former colleague of mine was running a Twitter profile for it at one time

Lenny Rider · Thursday at 10:48 PM

Flounce said:
I think West Worthing is statistically the worst in the country, as trains over hang the crossing, but I avoid it like the plague

I was led to believe it was the worst in Western Europe, post 1988, when they knocked the old signal box down, and it’s all done by the central computer further down the line.

Hearse and limousine wise, we have an imaginary line, south of the line, one side we go over Durrington Bridge, the other side it’s Broadwater Bridge.

jackalbion · Thursday at 10:48 PM

GT49er said:
Regulations. With automated level crossings, minimum distance and minimum times before a train arrives apply, and the gates then have to close. Sometimes the local community to blame - at Goring the railway spent millions to build a bridge, but the locals (particularly I believe those from a church to the north of the railway) went to law and forced the railway to keep the level crossing by the station, even though a perfectly good alterative was available (and there was a footbridge for pedestrians).

I THINK all along the West Coastway are automatic, but you’d have to ask someone who works at Network Rail, I have seen trains creep into Portslade though and wait on the signal with the barriers up, so that one could be manual.

A1X · Thursday at 10:49 PM

jackalbion said:
if you could bring 4 wooden trains along for me to demonstrate it as well. I’ll get there.

Footage of the demonstration

Soton Seagull · Thursday at 10:50 PM

Worthing is a nightmare, quite often shut for 10+ mins for a couple of trains. Makes no sense.

West worthing equally shite, but better because no barriers on the platforms so you can wander through and use the tunnel to get to the other side.

smudge · Thursday at 10:53 PM

I live in Lancing.
There's no escape on some days.

GT49er · Thursday at 10:59 PM

jackalbion said:
I THINK all along the West Coastway are automatic, but you’d have to ask someone who works at Network Rail, I have seen trains creep into Portslade though and wait on the signal with the barriers up, so that one could be manual.

No argument from me - I've got no way of knowing the details these days.

GT49er · Thursday at 11:18 PM

smudge said:
I live in Lancing.
There's no escape on some days.

Well, that's Lancing for you, innit!

Lady Whistledown · Thursday at 11:30 PM

Reading this thread, I can't personally wait to have the shoe on the other foot, and enjoy pausing to enjoy the the 75 or so stops between Brighton and Southampton this weekend, not to mention the rail replacement bus to get to Brighton in the first place.

I've calculated it's going to take me four and a half hours to get from my house in Haywards Heath to Southampton, a journey of 71 miles. Nine hours travelling for an hour and a half of football in the next county. Absolute scenes.

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[Misc] f***ing Level Crossings

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