Level Crossing - modern road plate version

[Feuer Zug]

I gave the new road plates a try and found I enjoy them thoroughly. Now that I've modified my city layout to use the road plates and put a solid foundation under my buildings to account for this height, I had to build a new level crossing. On the crossing gates, the arms do swing up and down, but all the "lights" are either red or trans-red round plates. The new ramps work well in creating the hump to go from the level of the road plates to the level of the tracks. Thusly, I submit for your consideration, the level crossing.

Now with a car stopped at the crossing gates and the Emerald Night passing through.

[Toastie]

This is construction-wise very nice!

However, the "mirror effect" - to me - is something I don't like. No road looks like that, does it? After serious rain, yes. But on average?

Best
Thorsten

[Feuer Zug]

14 hours ago, Toastie said:

This is construction-wise very nice!

However, the "mirror effect" - to me - is something I don't like. No road looks like that, does it? After serious rain, yes. But on average?

Best
Thorsten

I will agree the "mirror effect" is not the best. Dead on with a flash seems to be the worst from the top photo. Overall, I am impressed and enjoy the new road plates.

[Toastie]

7 hours ago, Feuer Zug said:

Overall, I am impressed and enjoy the new road plates.

And this is all what counts!

Yes, the flash may very well have amplified the mirror effect to an extent that is not visible in an ambient light setting.

Whatever: You enjoy the plates, you are really making progress: All is good!

Best
Thorsten

[Aanchir]

Nicely done! Although, shouldn't the gates go all the way across the road? I feel like most of the ones I see in real life are designed that way to discourage drivers from thinking they can pull off some crazy stunt driving to get across the tracks before the gates close completely.

This may be a regional thing, though… here in North America, rail travel is a lot less widespread than in Europe, and I wouldn't be surprised if that leads to fewer drivers having a healthy understanding of railroad crossing safety. It's also possible that reckless driving of that sort might just be a bigger problem in America than it is in Germany, particularly considering how many Americans drive huge pickup trucks or SUVs with four-wheel drive, which can lead drivers to feel way more "invincible" than they actually are.

Also, are you planning to add any traffic lights or signs to your layout? It seems like the intersection in this photo could use some to ensure that drivers going straight on that main road and ones turning towards the tracks don't get in a collision!

[Merlict]

On 6/25/2021 at 12:26 PM, Aanchir said:

Although, shouldn't the gates go all the way across the road? I feel like most of the ones I see in real life are designed that way to discourage drivers from thinking they can pull off some crazy stunt driving to get across the tracks before the gates close completely.

Nah in Australia at least I've never seen a modern one that blocks the whole road, so that slow / stuck cars can get off the tracks quickly. 

 

[Aanchir]

7 hours ago, Merlict said:

Nah in Australia at least I've never seen a modern one that blocks the whole road, so that slow / stuck cars can get off the tracks quickly.

Oh, that actually makes a lot of sense now that you mention it! I hadn't even thought about designing for that possibility. Guess that's why I'm not a civil engineer, lol.

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by Aanchir

[JopieK]

Not bad at all! @Aanchir, half-barriers are also typical in other countries including Holland. We have places where they use entire barriers but then they are supervised by humans to see if cars get stuck.

[zephyr1934]

The US is also dominated by gates that only block the approach direction (half road). I think the most common countermeasure for "drive around" are raised medians on the last 20-40 ft of approach (but most crossings don't even have this). For higher speed crossings they do use four quadrant gates, but the "far side" gates come down a few seconds after the near side so that any vehicles in the crossing can clear. Of course there are also still a few crossing without gates and on really low volume roads, without flashing lights. I'm not sure if the following is true, but I've heard that the majority of crossing accidents in the US is actually autos running into trains, which kind of makes sense since the side of a train is so much longer than the side of a car.

[Feuer Zug]

On 6/24/2021 at 10:26 PM, Aanchir said:

Nicely done! Although, shouldn't the gates go all the way across the road? I feel like most of the ones I see in real life are designed that way to discourage drivers from thinking they can pull off some crazy stunt driving to get across the tracks before the gates close completely.

This may be a regional thing, though… here in North America, rail travel is a lot less widespread than in Europe, and I wouldn't be surprised if that leads to fewer drivers having a healthy understanding of railroad crossing safety. It's also possible that reckless driving of that sort might just be a bigger problem in America than it is in Germany, particularly considering how many Americans drive huge pickup trucks or SUVs with four-wheel drive, which can lead drivers to feel way more "invincible" than they actually are.

Also, are you planning to add any traffic lights or signs to your layout? It seems like the intersection in this photo could use some to ensure that drivers going straight on that main road and ones turning towards the tracks don't get in a collision!

 

On 6/27/2021 at 5:48 AM, JopieK said:

Not bad at all! @Aanchir, half-barriers are also typical in other countries including Holland. We have places where they use entire barriers but then they are supervised by humans to see if cars get stuck.

Thank you both. As to the crossing gates, where I reside in West Virginia, the gates only go across the approach side of the road, if they have gates at all. The local crossings range from a sign alone, to signs with flashing lights, to the occasional crossing with a gate.

[Aanchir]

Well, hearing all these accounts of crossing gates in North America being designed this way, maybe my mental image of what the crossing gates I've seen IRL are like is just totally inaccurate! Next time I go to the train station I'll have to pay extra close attention so I know just how embarrassed to be about how I remember those crossing gates looking.

 

[zephyr1934]

20 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I'll have to pay extra close attention so I know just how embarrassed to be about how I remember those crossing gates looking.

No reason to be embarrassed, as long as you notice the gates while you approach them everything is working as intended. I once read a study that made a big deal out of the fact that drivers could not remember the most recent traffic sign they passed. That was a horrible study, drivers can pass dozens of signs in a minute or two and typical working memory is 7 things.

 

 

[Aanchir]

3 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

No reason to be embarrassed, as long as you notice the gates while you approach them everything is working as intended. I once read a study that made a big deal out of the fact that drivers could not remember the most recent traffic sign they passed. That was a horrible study, drivers can pass dozens of signs in a minute or two and typical working memory is 7 things.

Honestly, my mental image of how much of the road crossing gates cover is probably skewed by the fact that I don't actually drive (which is a big part of why I love to take the train places any time that it's an option). So when I encounter them, it's usually as a pedestrian.

[zephyr1934]

19 hours ago, Aanchir said:

So when I encounter them, it's usually as a pedestrian.

While they are very rare, there are these cute little crossing gates for pedestrians too,

[Vilhelm22]

7 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

While they are very rare, there are these cute little crossing gates for pedestrians too,

Interesting - never seen those before.  Where I am we generally just have bridges or tunnels.  The options for actually crossing the track at the track itself are very rare, and aren’t that safe where they are.  You’re expected just to use common sense - but this means that they’re unfortunately easy places for suicidal people.  I’d be in favour of installation of these in parts of the U.K. where it’s not that safe.

[Stuartn]

17 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

While they are very rare, there are these cute little crossing gates for pedestrians too,

 

Interesting, here we normally have gates which have to be opened so pedestrians stop,  or the footpath has several bends so cyclists or pedestrians can’t go straight through, otherwise there are bridges or tunnels as @Vilhelm22 said 

[Aanchir]

On 7/1/2021 at 6:04 PM, Vilhelm22 said:

Interesting - never seen those before.  Where I am we generally just have bridges or tunnels.  The options for actually crossing the track at the track itself are very rare, and aren’t that safe where they are.  You’re expected just to use common sense - but this means that they’re unfortunately easy places for suicidal people.  I’d be in favour of installation of these in parts of the U.K. where it’s not that safe. 

I took the train to pick up some prescriptions yesterday, and it turns out they DO have those mini crossing gates along the sidewalk! I suppose in that case it's at least partly because the pedestrian footpath doubles as a bike trail, which would make a footbridge ABOVE the tracks a considerable inconvenience for cyclists.

And yes, the road crossing gates at that station DO only go across half the road, so I guess I don't have a great visual memory for that sort of thing.

[Feuer Zug]

Nice to know you have the pedestrian crossing gates. Where I live, walking along the road (none have sidewalks) is ill advised. I won't be adding sidewalk crossing gates to my layout. The sidewalks are all on the other side of the street with the modular buildings. I am working on better traffic lights than those that came with 60304. Since the modulars come with street lamps, I'm repurposing them for use with the traffic lights. More to come soon.

[Feuer Zug]

I've got a traffic signal I'm happy with. This does well for a 3-way stop. I've included crosswalk signals as well.

[legoboy3998]

On 6/27/2021 at 9:34 AM, zephyr1934 said:

I think the most common countermeasure for "drive around" are raised medians on the last 20-40 ft of approach (but most crossings don't even have this). For higher speed crossings they do use four quadrant gates, but the "far side" gates come down a few seconds after the near side so that any vehicles in the crossing can clear.

These "upgraded" crossings are typically found in "Quiet Zone's" where trains are not to blow horns for crossings. 

PSA! if you ever find yourself caught between the crossing arms, remember, the crossing arms are designed to break away at the mounting point, with little damage, so vehicles can "escape".  I have seen this in action.  a few scratches is a far better outcome than a totaled car, or worse.

Sal
WFB, WI