[modeleng] Welsh Highland Railway crash
- From: "R.L. Roebuck" <rlr20@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 13:55:48 +0000 (GMT)
PS I heard something on the radio the other day about a crash between a
loco and van on the Welsh Highland Railway in Portmadog - did anyone else
hear anything about that? Has there been some confusion - I didn't think
that there was any crossings on the Portmadog stretch of Welsh Highland
railway line?
On Thu, 16 Dec 2004, R.L. Roebuck wrote:
> Hi there Paul,
>
> Surely the automatic crossings only cost 335000 pounds for the type that
> the fullsize railways use because of all of the extra safety features that
> they use to make sure that barriers don't fail to come down properly.
>
> BUT
>
> In the case of RHDR where you are operating without barriers anyway,
> anything would be better than nothing. Surely someone could design
> something that would make the situation a bit safer for the loco driver
> and passengers for onbly a handful of thousand pounds a time, and these
> could be installed on the 'worst' crossings.
>
> OR
>
> Is the 335000 pounds to do with some department of transport related
> costs?
>
> Don't get me wrong, I 100% agree with you that we shouldn't have to go
> down this route, it is the idiots in the cars who try to jump the lights
> that are to blame, but I always like to do my best in life to not let the
> idiots have any kind of 'say' as to whether I live or die; and I do have
> this fear that our steam 'activities' may one day get severely curtailed
> as a knock on effect of the idiots, unless we are incredibly careful.
>
>
> Yours,
>
>
> Rich.
>
>
> On Thu, 16 Dec 2004, Paul Sherriff wrote:
>
> > I used to be involved with the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway a few
> > years and having been on the footplate a few times, I can say that when =
> > you
> > approached the 'notorious' crossings, your heart was in your mouth. One
> > crossing in particular was on the approach to Hythe and seemed to be =
> > where
> > all the recent accidents have been. Don't know why...
> >
> > I was on the footplate with one well known driver on the railway, Mike
> > Jaques, when a landrover shot across the front of us a mere 10-15' =
> > away. He
> > said there would be a phone call to the office from an angry local =
> > resident
> > complaining that the lights were not working and he was nearly hit by a
> > train.
> >
> > Crap... The lights come on when the train is about 200yds from the =
> > crossing
> > and we see a flashing white light from the footplate, a mirror on the =
> > lamp
> > the motorists see... Along with full sized A4 style (and 2 original A4)
> > whistles, blasting away as a matter of course there is no excuse.
> >
> > The RHDR can't afford barriered crossings, they cost =A335,000 each and =
> > the
> > railway doesn't make that much spare cash in 2 years...and there are 16
> > crossings.
> >
> > A loco (Black Prince) was taken off the tracks a couple of years ago, =
> > no one
> > was seriously injured but last year, Kevin Crouch, a lovely lad who was =
> > a
> > regular signalman at Hythe with me was killed when driving 'Samson'
> >
> > Would you believe that a woman, impatient to wait behind several cars =
> > that
> > had parked up waiting for the train to cross, overtook them and =
> > collided
> > with the loco. She lived, although how she did in a Ford Escort as =
> > opposed
> > to 22 tons of engine, 32 tons of carriages and 4 or 5 tons of people =
> > still
> > beggars belief. Kevin was killed in between the 'scissored' engine and
> > tender.
> >
> > I just don't understand the mentality of people like this and the more =
> > I
> > learn about these people the more I love my dog...
> >
> > Sorry for sounding off but at least I have delurked now...
> >
> > Rgds
> >
> > Paul
> > MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST.
> >
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> >
> >
>
>
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