Rare crossing: Ashwell Gatehouse Level Crossing, Rutland
Date filmed: Monday the 29th of April 2024
Videos filmed between 17:18 and 17:40
Route: Birmingham to Peterborough Line
Between Melton Mowbray (MMO) and Oakham (OKM) Stations
Crossing type: Manually Controlled Barrier crossing Occupier-Controlled (MCB-OC)
Filming location: Langham Road, Ashwell (LE15 7LN)
Possibly one of the earliest surviving minimally-renewed examples of crossings with lifting barriers on the main line, this 'request' crossing is located at the edge of the village of Ashwell in Rutland, found on a very lesser-used country lane. Not only does this crossing have two loud, continuously-ringing bells which ring when the barriers lower, but it also has two very rare, full-road-width Field & Grant 'Western Region'-type barriers which are nowadays only found at a small handful of crossings anywhere. These are rather oddly silent when they lower, but make their classic motor noise when they raise, and have classic red 'roundels' on them too. One appears to be delayed slightly in lowering compared to the other, and there are still no warning lights here, with the only visual indication the barriers are about to lower being the 'boom' barrier lights activate as the bells start.
When you request to cross here with the barriers down, you're instructed to press a plunger underneath the large instruction sign for that side, also where you'll find one of the two bells - on the rear of it, and if there are no trains due, the barriers should be raised straightaway, though likely won't lower again until another train approaches. However, if there is a train approaching, this level crossing is provided with two light-up signs which will illuminate and read 'train coming', and these extinguish when the barriers are about to be raised after the passage of said train. There are also pedestrian gates here for a pedestrian crossing point which have signs instructing pedestrians to phone the signaller at the nearby signal box to ask if a train is approaching, but both are padlocked and chained meaning pedestrians have to request to cross in the same way as road users. Emergency plungers are also provided should a vehicle become trapped on the crossing in the unlikely scenario.
Two Cross Country services can also be seen as well as crossing operation in this video, making up Rutland's hourly service between Stanstead Airport / Cambridge and Birmingham. During the first lowering, the barriers were lowered incredibly early, and once I'd requested for them to be raised on the behalf of an approaching walker, the 'train coming' sign was lit for a train that was yet to stop at Oakham a few miles away at the time. A good 5 minutes or so separated that point from the train arriving in the end, noticeably longer than usual. Something in the special box instructions (reasonable adjustments and alterations to the standard rules in place for a specific signal box for various logical reasons) probably explain why, and the second train off of Melton Mowbray was much closer when the barriers were lowered second time. Finally, I apologise about the wind noise on this rather windy day, but I hope you enjoy the video!
Video guide:
Intro - 0:00
-
Lowering 1 & Request to Cross sequence 1 (1:15):
170 398 (Cross Country) - 2:15
1N61 Cambridge ➡ Birmingham New Street | 3 minutes late
Barriers raised & walk-across 1 - 2:50
-
Lowering 2 (3:52):
Request to Cross sequence 2 - 5:06
170 109 (Cross Country) - 5:51
1L48 Birmingham New Street ➡ Stanstead Airport | 1 minute late
Barriers raised & walk-across 2 - 6:02
Train details sourced from:
Real Time Trains: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sear...
Filmed on: Panasonic HC-VX1 in 4K 25fps
Thanks for watching!