Trivia: Level crossings that still have bells.

[busestrains]

How many level crossings with bells are still remaining on the railway network today?

I can think of all of the following ones which seem to still have bells:

• Ashwell (Langham Road) Rutland
• Brook (New Road) Surrey
• Charlton (Charlton Lane) Greater London
• Chilworth (Sampleoak Lane) Surrey
• Collingham (Cross Lane) Nottinghamshire
• Ditchling (Spatham Lane) Sussex
• Farncombe (Bourne Road) Surrey
• Hatton (Station Road) Derbyshire
• Hythe (West Street) Hampshire
• Marchwood (Tavells Lane) Hampshire
• Marchwood (Trotts Lane) Hampshire
• Marchwood (Veals Lane) Hampshire
• Sandwich (New Street) Kent
• Sandwich (Woodnesborough Road) Kent
• Southampton (Adelaide Road) Hampshire
• Southampton (Mount Pleasant Road) Hampshire
• Winthorpe (Holme Lane) Nottinghamshire
• Wokingham (Barkham Road) Surrey

There are certainly very few remaining these days compared to in the past.

Are there any other ones that anyone knows of to add to the list?

 

[Paul’s]

Woodsmoor Level Crossing still it’s bells , and been painted too

 

[dan4291]

Botany Bay level crossing on the ECML just north of Retford.

Edit: not applicable to thread.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Woodsmoor Level Crossing still it’s bells , and been painted too

Different sort of bell.

Those are to warn drivers of overheight vehicles to stop or get zapped from the overheads.

The OP is talking about bells that announce the start of the crossing closure process.

 

[Freightmaster]

The OP is talking about bells that announce the start of the crossing closure process.

• Ashwell (Langham Road) Rutland

Not particularly sonorous - sounds like a alarm clock to me:

MARK

p.s. what's an "asking plunger" (as seen in the above video clip) when it's at home??

 

[zwk500]

p.s. what's an "asking plunger" (as seen in the above video clip) when it's at home??

I would surmise it's for drivers of Long or Slow vehicles to request permission without needing to phone the signaller every time. I'm not sure what else you'd call it! From the location I'd guess farm vehicles can make quite heavy use of the crossing at times and the CCTV is present to avoid the need for the driver to stop, phone, cross, stop, report every crossing.

 

[greatkingrat]

If you look at the pictures on Google Streetview (from 2009), the signage implies the gates are (or were) normally kept closed, and would only be opened if someone pressed the plunger to request to cross.

 

[Railsigns]

If you look at the pictures on Google Streetview (from 2009), the signage implies the gates are (or were) normally kept closed, and would only be opened if someone pressed the plunger to request to cross.

Correct. The crossing is protected by "on call" barriers.

 

[Annetts key]

How many level crossings with bells are still remaining on the railway network today?

I don’t know what other S&T thought of them, but the Yodalarms (electronic sirens) are far more reliable than the electric bells. You could almost guarantee that during the annual crossing review, you would end up changing one. In one depot, an old bell was used as a door stop

 

[Trackman]

Racking my brains, I'm sure I crossed one on foot a few years back and heard the bells. But it did the job telling me not to cross (obviously with flashing lights).

 

[stuving]

I don’t know what other S&T thought of them, but the Yodalarms (electronic sirens) are far more reliable than the electric bells. You could almost guarantee that during the annual crossing review, you would end up changing one. In one depot, an old bell was used as a door stop

The Ashwell Gate example in that video is a continuous ringer - a dringer, if you like - as French ones are. Here in Wokingham we have a dinger. As I remember it, about 15-20 years ago the ding rate halved - as if it had two dinger mechanisms for reliability, and one failed. Or did half of the dings go to Surrey, and the other half stayed here in Berkshire with Wokingham?

I suspect our dinger is not long for this world, so if you want to see and hear it you need to be quick. We are due to get a new crossing as part of the Feltham and Wokingham resignalling project. Not that the barriers and warnings need to be replaced to give us new controls (CCTV, OD, or whatever the plan says), but I suspect the lot will go. There is a five-day all week closure of both railway and road (13-17 February) which looks likely.

 

[midland1]

I would surmise it's for drivers of Long or Slow vehicles to request permission without needing to phone the signaller every time. I'm not sure what else you'd call it! From the location I'd guess farm vehicles can make quite heavy use of the crossing at times and the CCTV is present to avoid the need for the driver to stop, phone, cross, stop, report every crossing.

I've been to that crossing, sometimes the barriers are down with no trains around so you press the plunger to get the signalman to bring up the barriers.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Heatherbell level crossing, north of Coatbridge, continues to have one ‘bell’.

 

[Tomnick]

Correct. The crossing is protected by "on call" barriers.

Interestingly, when I used to occasionally work Ashwell, there was a locally-led scheme to routinely use the "extended lift" facility (intended to keep the barriers raised for large/slow vehicles or animals to cross, otherwise they'd descend automatically after a short period of being raised), only lowering the barriers when a train was to be signalled. A basic CCTV system was provided, but it wasn't great quality and didn't cover the whole crossing surface.

I don't know whether that's still the case, but I certainly refused to have anything to do with it.

 

[Freightmaster]

Heatherbell level crossing, north of Coatbridge, continues to have one ‘bell’.

Gone now, I'm afraid...

Here in Wokingham we have a dinger. As I remember it, about 15-20 years ago the ding rate halved - as if it had two dinger mechanisms for reliability, and one failed. Or did half of the dings go to Surrey, and the other half stayed here in Berkshire with Wokingham?

I suspect our dinger is not long for this world, so if you want to see and hear it you need to be quick....

Sounds more like a 'bring out your dead' tolling rather than an urgent alarm!

MARK

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Is St Stephen's crossing, Canterbury still mechanical bell? Haven't been there for quite some time and I know an equipment box went up but not sure if the crossing was renewed

 

[A0wen]

This video suggests Winthorpe in Notts was a bell a month ago

 

[fgwrich]

It's been a while since I last travelled along there, but I seem to recall a few on the Newquay branch.

 

[Dr Hoo]

[Heatherbell CCTV LC] Gone now, I'm afraid...
MARK

Every day is a school day. Thanks.

I suppose that still leaves Belmont, south of Ayr, if you're not fussy about counting 'Ls'.

 

[Railsigns]

Heatherbell LC is still open. If one bell isn't enough, there's always Bells LC at Brundall.

 

[MadMac]

Heatherbell LC is still open. If one bell isn't enough, there's always Bells LC at Brundall.

I think the point being made was that it had become Yodalarms at som point: I would have thought they would have gone in when it became CCTV in the 80s!