Trivia: runways or taxiways that cross railways

[Watershed]

Having recently transited through Charlotte, NC (CLT) I was surprised to see that one of the taxiways involves crossing over the end of a small rail yard:



There are obviously plenty of examples of runways and taxiways that cross over roads. But can anyone come up with any other examples of ones that cross railways?

BTW I'm not talking about ones that cross over railways that are in a tunnel (e.g. the line from Heathrow Airport Junction to Terminals 2 & 3).

 

[Gloster]

Ballykelly near Derry used to be one. I think that there may still be one in New Zealand, or maybe Tasmania.

Looks like it was Gisborne in NZ, but there was also one in Tasmania.

 

[Watershed]

Ballykelly near Derry used to be one. I think that there may still be one in New Zealand, or maybe Tasmania.

Ah yes, Gisborne airport in New Zealand:

I'd love to know how the 'interlocking' works there!

 

[Taunton]

Ballykelly near Derry used to be one.

There was an article about this in a 1960s (I think) Railway World.

It described the equipment installed in the airfield control tower to communicate with the railway signalbox. It was straightforward old railway technology and hardware, with a bell tapper, a loud bell, and the need to send Call Attention, followed by a belling code for an aircraft movement. Meanwhile the railway sent 4 to the control tower for a fast train and 3-1 for a stopper. The whole setup was apparently regarded with complete derision by the professional air traffic control staff!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

This link mentions a handful:

Airports With Railroad Crossings

A blog for remembering abandoned transportation routes, ghost towns, forgotten places, history, and Earth's interesting creations.

www.frrandp.com

Text edited from post:

In Wynyard, TAS, Australia, the Far Western Railway of TasRail once crossed the north end of a runway at Burnie Airport.
This arrangement was not without precedent in Australia, or in other parts of the world, as Sydney's Airport had a similar crossing before the tracks were relocated. Chicago's Midway Airport also had a similar situation early in its life.
Obviously, as trains and planes occupying the same space is not a good idea in any situation, almost all of these situations have involved the railroad relocating. That said, there's at least one active rail line through an airport remaining at Gisborne Airport in New Zealand.

I got a feeling of there being one in sub-Saharan Africa but the details escape me at the moment.

 

[Gloster]

There was an article about this in a 1960s (I think) Railway World.

It described the equipment installed in the airfield control tower to communicate with the railway signalbox. It was straightforward old railway technology and hardware, with a bell tapper, a loud bell, and the need to send Call Attention, followed by a belling code for an aircraft movement. Meanwhile the railway sent 4 to the control tower for a fast train and 3-1 for a stopper. The whole setup was apparently regarded with complete derision by the professional air traffic control staff!

The line was single and the signal box was, I think, a small concrete building that just had trap points either side of the runway and protecting signals. This dated from 1943 when the runway was extended. Trains had priority except in emergency.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

The Khyber Pass railway from Peshawar to Landi Kotal in Pakistan crosses the runway at Peshawar.
source: https://uk.railway.narkive.com/OjFV4MI2/railways-and-runways

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Not international, but Filton airfield in Bristol had a level crossing on its runway/taxiway for a period of time to accommodate an extension for the "Brabazon" aircraft that were built there.

 

[AlterEgo]

Le Touquet: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HtNCVYM3QTufibey6?g_st=ic

 

[Watershed]

Some excellent suggestions there. I hadn't realised there were quite so many level crossings - I thought that bridges would be more common!

 

[MarcVD]

Le Touquet: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HtNCVYM3QTufibey6?g_st=ic

Le Touquet line was for the Silver Arrow service. London to Paris half by train and other half by plane. The train came on the airport's apron but as far as I know did not cross any runway. Still needed a clearance from the airport's tower to open the entry signal. Today the track has been lifted but there are still some places where the rails remain, embedded in concrete. The place where the airport spur connected to the Amiens - Boulogne mainline is also still very recognizable today.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

There was an article about this in a 1960s (I think) Railway World.

It described the equipment installed in the airfield control tower to communicate with the railway signalbox. It was straightforward old railway technology and hardware, with a bell tapper, a loud bell, and the need to send Call Attention, followed by a belling code for an aircraft movement. Meanwhile the railway sent 4 to the control tower for a fast train and 3-1 for a stopper. The whole setup was apparently regarded with complete derision by the professional air traffic control staff!

Somewhat off-topic, but I think the RAF Valley station on Anglesey has some means of warning the railway in the event of an aircraft encroaching on the runway.

 

[LickeyIncliner]

Le Touquet line was for the Silver Arrow service. London to Paris half by train and other half by plane. The train came on the airport's apron but as far as I know did not cross any runway. Still needed a clearance from the airport's tower to open the entry signal. Today the track has been lifted but there are still some places where the rails remain, embedded in concrete. The place where the airport spur connected to the Amiens - Boulogne mainline is also still very recognizable today.

See also this thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/northern-ireland-oddities.253212/#post-6366618

 

[edwin_m]

Somewhat off-topic, but I think the RAF Valley station on Anglesey has some means of warning the railway in the event of an aircraft encroaching on the runway.

Several airports have this system (assuming you mean railway not runway...) where the railway passes close to the end of the runway. Southend and Edinburgh spring to mind but there are probably others.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Several airports have this system (assuming you mean railway not runway...) where the railway passes close to the end of the runway. Southend and Edinburgh spring to mind but there are probably others.

Manchester has "trip wires" that turn the railway signals to red and shut off the power to the overhead lines if an aircraft approaches too low

 

[Ken X]

Manchester has "trip wires" that turn the railway signals to red and shut off the power to the overhead lines if an aircraft approaches too low

I think Gatwick has a similar system at the East end of the runway due to the proximity of the mainline railway.

 

[Gloster]

Also on the Northern Counties Committee system in Northern Ireland there was a plan to introduce a similar arrangement to Ballykelly at Toome on the Antrim-Magherafelt line for the US Army Air Force. However, it never happened and Toome, actually in Ballymaguigan, never seems to have been extended and remained as a minor RAF base.

Source: Volume II of Russell Currie’s history of the NCC.

 

[JonasB]

There has been two airports in Sweden with a level crossing on the runway.

Visby airport, the railway crossed both taxiway and runway. Train drivers had to stop before crossing the airport and call the tower and ask for permission.


And Söderhamn Air Force base. There was a railway running close to one of the runways. And new jet planes required longer runways, so the solution was to extend the runway and build a level crossing. The interesting solution here was that train had priority.

 

[steamybrian]

Correct me if I am wrong but.

Was a now disused freight only branch crossed Hamble Airfield in Hampshire ?

 

[Gloster]

Correct me if I am wrong but.

Was a now disused freight only branch crossed Hamble Airfield in Hampshire ?

Looking at maps it appears to go across the apron or taxiways, but not the main airfield.

 

[D6130]

I think Gatwick has a similar system at the East end of the runway due to the proximity of the mainline railway.

....as does Teesside Airport.

 

[Gloster]

Quite a lot of wartime airfields alongside railways had a basic system with a wire above ground level that would either warn an adjacent signal box or, less commonly, I think, put signals back to danger if broken by a careering plane. It was nothing new, being reminiscent of Anderson’s Piano.