Level Crossings [Hardcover]

It now seems crazy that railways were constructed with so many level crossings, but most of those level crossings were constructed during the era of horse-drawn road transport, when trains were much slower than today's trains. This book makes clear that level crossings were always dangerous places, even before the invention of motorised road vehicles. Despite many safety improvements, they attract bigger headlines these days because they provide the setting for the majority of (though not usually the most serious) contemporary accidents involving trains Public awareness of the issue is therefore higher than it once was and that makes a book devoted to the subject most welcome, as well as (hopefully) being viable for the publisher.

I do not have specialist technical knowledge, but as somebody who has relied on trains for transport throughout my adult life and had an interest (albeit sometimes dormant) in trains since childhood, I've sometimes wondered about those level crossings. It always seemed to me that the traditional (and elegant) gated crossings were safer than the (usually boring) barrier crossings that replaced so many of them, though gated crossings still survive in some places.

While the book is primarily about British level crossings, author Stanley Hall called in Peter Van Der Mark to write an international chapter. The front cover might imply that they are equal co-authors, but Stanley wrote ten of the eleven chapters. Despite protestations from one reviewer about Peter's English, I found it to be excellent. Sure, he made some minor errors, but the biggest English error that I noticed was tradegy instead of tragedy - and that was Stanley's error. Still, I'm not going to mark the book down for such minor details as I still understood everything.

If there is any difficulty, it may be in assimilating some of the technical details. Even though it is necessary to get technical at times, the authors clearly kept in mind that this book was for anybody who is interested in the subject, not just the specialists, and managed to keep jargon to a minimum. You may have to slow down your reading a little to understand it properly, but you should find it clear enough.

That wider public includes people who have lost family and friends in level crossing accidents, as well as people who have had near-misses or witnessed accidents at first-hand. Some people may wish that more pictures were shown from the immediate aftermath of accidents, but I am pleased for the sake of those with bad experiences that they have chosen just to show the crossings at which accidents happened using pictures taken in calmer times. I don't think it was laziness; I think it was deliberate.

Elegant they may be compared to more modern crossings, but this book explains the problems that gated level crossings caused. They took too long to open and close, and the staff who operated them made too many errors, partly because they had so little else to do. So while they may look safe and reassuring, incorrect operation sometimes led to disaster. Those factors alone created a need for their replacement, but there was also the cost factor of employing staff to open and close them.

There is no completely satisfactory replacement for gated crossings, whether of the traditional British design or the German trolley gates, but barrier crossings have replaced gated crossings entirely in some countries, while a majority of surviving British crossings now use barriers rather than gates. The automatic half-barrier crossing has proved to be very safe if motorists stick to the rules, but they don't always. Zigzagging is a serious issue and has caused many accidents. Installing a kerb or hump between the two road lanes appears to be a possible solution (and there`s a picture of one in the book), but whether such an idea becomes widespread remains to be seen. Another possibility, which seems to be more popular, is to convert these crossings to automatic full-barrier crossings. The safest level crossings are manually-operated full-barrier crossings. They are expensive to run, because somebody has to be paid just to control the level crossing, which is therefore prone to the same human errors that beset gated crossings.

The only perfect solution is closure. Sometimes a road or footpath can be diverted over the railway by building a bridge, or under it via an underpass. At other times, the problem is solved by the closure of either the railway or the road or footpath that crosses it. Whatever else one may say about Beeching, the mass closure programme that he initiated meant that a lot of level crossings vanished into history. A few came back into use on preserved lines, while a few more came back as a result of closed lines re-opening, but the majority are gone forever.

The disasters at Hixon in 1967, Lockingham in 1986, Ufton in 2004 and Elsenham in 2005 all feature heavily in this book. Calamitous as they were, they pale by comparison with some other British railway disasters that have occurred during the same period, and which had far higher death tolls. Level crossing accidents are common compared to other types of railway accident, but rarely result in a high death toll, at least in Britain. Experience elsewhere shows that level crossings can be the scene of major disasters. If the accident involves just one train, fatalities are usually few, but if a second train crashes into the first, the death toll escalates.

This is a fascinating book that tells you everything you need to know about level crossings, the problems they cause and potential future problems. In Britain, we haven't got the problem of double articulated lorries, let alone road trains, because our roads couldn't cope with them even if there weren't any level crossings. But seeing what can happen in North America and Australia, I hope such vehicles are never allowed in Britain. If you are interested in the subject, you should definitely read this book. Whatever imperfections some people may perceive, I can't imagine that a rival book on the subject is likely to be published any time soon,

Finally, it is worth noting that the book hints at internet footage filmed at level crossings. I visited Youtube and had a quick look. Some of it is quite scary - or funny, depending on how you think about what you see. It's definitely worth viewing. My message to the author after viewing them is - that's another fine mess they got themseleves into, Stanley.

If only every road user and pedestrian who uses level crossings could read this book. Well researched and easy to read yet depthy. A good reference book yet also top-drawer bedtime reading for the railway engineer, operator, safety manager, enthusiast and others with an interest in these vital and often controversial types of railway infrastructure.

An excellent all-round book. Covers the history of level crossings in the UK, and explains the historical problems associated with introducing half barrier automatic crossings in welcome detail. Extremely well illustrated and researched, with high quality photographs, with examples of all current and historical level crossing types. Takes the story right through to the present day with comments on ERTMS and grade crossing predictors. Also compares UK practice with European level crossing systems. Recommended reading both for train buffs and railway signalling professionals alike, and excellent value for money!