Railroad Forums 

Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1475330  by MACTRAXX
 
Norton and Everyone:

The Newsday editorial (subject to the usual Newsday paywall) does have a good picture of the
crossing delineator posts and white lines in use at the Willis Avenue crossing in Mineola.

Zebra stripes can be added on both sides behind the solid white line across the tracks.
I have seen pictures of this added feature in use which could help further identify the
track area at crossings. If this extra striping can help it is worthwhile to use it.

MACTRAXX
 #1475360  by ExCon90
 
Sir Ray wrote:
vince wrote:Swinging grade crossing gates as are used in the UK. Tracks are blocked when gates are open to road traffic AND would stop the run-around-the-gate deaths that occur with any partial gate system as used in the US
I think the UK has gotten away from that design with their later automatic gated level crossings, which use the typical drop arm barriers as seen in the US (normally 4 quadrant, but still drop arms). Gate barriers do still exist on heritage railways and the like, but perhaps the barrier arms are too long to stow across the ROW when not in use vs the generally smaller gates.
Yes, while the half barriers are automatically operated (off the track circuits, I assume), those full barriers In the UK all required a crossing guard to be present to operate the gates (if there happened to be an interlocking at that location, the block operator would control the gates manually from the tower -- and the towers are also rapidly disappearing). The main obstacle to anything like that in the US is that in the UK, and elsewhere in Europe, the gates are interlocked with the signal system, meaning that the nearest home signal in each direction cannot be cleared until the gates have been closed. This means that to avoid delaying trains the gates have to be completely closed and the locking on the home signal released before an oncoming train comes within sighting distance of the distant signal beyond -- a good 3 or 4 minutes every time a train is due. I don't see Long Islanders, or any other motorists in the US, waiting patiently at the crossing for 3 or 4 minutes when absolutely nothing is happening. Safe, but at a cost of more time than most people would be willing to give up.
 #1475451  by GooStats
 
NJT has had them years at 16th Avenue on the Belmar/ Lake Como border. there are two side streets on either side of the tracks, along with an adjacent huge bar/ nightclub that attracts large crowds in the Summer.
 #1475455  by frankie
 
Perhaps not aesthetically pleasing, but very effective on CTA's Skokie Swift line which is all street level.
 #1475465  by Backshophoss
 
There's not enough room for cattle guards at most LIRR grade crossings,the plastic pole markers are normally used on Freeways to mark where
pavement ends on the shoulders when plowing snow during storms,where "grass" starts as well.
They are mounted on "breakaway" mounts to allow quick and easy replacement after wrecks and derailments.
Using them to mark the lane edge on the crossing might cut down on vehicles on the ROW.
 #1475563  by frankie
 
I guess this is nothing new. Metra (Chicago) uses crash posts at most of their grade crossings. This is Franklin Park.
 #1475767  by Ken W2KB
 
vince wrote:Excuse by the RR's? Cost!
I wonder where they came up with what are human lives worth? A 4 quadrant gate is somewhat less (75%?) than a two gate system.

regards,
vince
Don't know how they did it, but the value of a human life is routinely determined in wrongful death tort litigation. Basis includes age, current earnings, earnings potential and so forth. Perhaps the average wrongful death recovery in jury trials and settlements was used.
 #1476512  by frankie
 
Instead of crash posts, these are at the crossings in Ashland, VA. Maybe another effective way of keeping vehicles off the tracks.
 #1476516  by MACTRAXX
 
FS and Everyone:

The crossings in Ashland, VA have the added feature of zebra striping on the sides behind the solid
white line and delineator posts that are present. I also have noted reflective road markers that are
attached to the pavement used along with these posts placed at LIRR crossings.

The "cattle catchers" used on three routes with road crossings by Chicago's CTA have been in use
for many years - it is another way to protect the right of way and for anyone using those crossings
to be made aware that live (uncovered) third rail is in use on those tracks by use of warning signs.

MACTRAXX
 #1476554  by frankie
 
Thanks MACTRAXX for the comments. Unfortunately the third rail on the CTA is exposed and not protected with the wooden shield due to their different methods of collecting current. While we use shoes, their collectors are directly dropped from the top to the rail making it very vulnerable for any two or four legged creature to make contact.