Date filmed: 10/06/2023
Video filmed at 14:13
(The barriers weren't raised until 15:03!)
Route: Portishead Branch Line
- Closest timing point: Ashton Junction (on Realtime Trains)
Crossing type: Manually Controlled Barriers crossing with CCTV (MCB-CCTV)
Location: Ashton Vale Road, Long Ashton, Bristol
Intro - 0:00
-
Lowering - 0:13
-
66 506 & Intermodal Freight Train - 2:04
4V34 Southampton M.C.T. ➡ Portbury Automotive Flhh
-
The malfunction - 5:29
-
Barriers FINALLY raised via the emergency pedestal! - 7:27
(A special hello to whoever it was I saw on this visit who also came to see this train trundle through!)
An intermodal freight train from Southampton's Maritime Container Terminal is seen crawling over this level crossing just over a busy road from Ashton Gate Stadium on the rarely-used Portishead Branch Line, a railway which (as its name suggests) once ran all the way to Portishead (and there are proposals to re-open this line to there within the decade), but is now just kept open for sparse non-passenger and freight workings running up towards the freight terminal at Royal Portbury Dock. The level crossing is located on a traffic signal-controlled junction and cannot be lowered until all the traffic lights over it are set to red, and they stay red for the duration the crossing is active. It's monitored and controlled all the way from Thames Valley Signalling centre in Didcot around seventy miles away! The alarms sound with unusually squeaky tones, and a guided busway runs over the bridge, which overshadows the location, towards Long Ashton Park and Ride.
Such is the nature of rarely-used branch lines, not everything is kept up to scratch to work fully as it should as close to 100% of the time as possible, as the line spends most of its time un-used. This can be seen in this video where the barriers fail to raise after the day's only train passes clear of the crossing, due to either a signal or track section failure. A response unit was called, but the barriers were lowered for nearly 50 minutes in the end completely trapping road traffic on this side of the crossing - a no-through road into a small industrial estate! On-screen text has been provided as to explain what's happened. It soon became apparent that the barriers could not be raised without a response unit to come and override it locally, and I only knew when to go and film the barriers raising when I saw the response unit arrive. This crossing was quite a prized catch for me as I'd been hoping to catch a train here for a good while, but I didn't see it panning out quite like this!
Train details sourced from:
Real Time Trains: [ Ссылка ]
Open Train Times: [ Ссылка ]
Traksy: [ Ссылка ]
Thanks for watching!
