SAFETY AT LEVEL CROSSINGS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1930, Page 3

SAFETY AT LEVEL CROSSINGS

A NEW DEVICE

CHRISTCHURCH AIA.N’.-j IN Y EA iIU.Y.

CHRISiCii LRCJI, June 26

A simple but euveti.e mecnanicai device tor clocking tra-.ic at level runway crosLj.ugs wneu , Iranis are approaching, has been invented by -».r E. R. Rucicliuist, of tts O.i.ee Road, St Albans, who has taken steps to bring iiis invention under the nonce ol tin Railway Department. .\,r nuckhurst, who gave a demonstration ol his device in the presence of a “Times' reporter yesterday, state d that he began to develop the idea only on Wednesday of last week, ami t was not until yesterday that he had vorked it out completely.

The device is operated automatically 'u- the locomotive of a train approaehng a crossing, and is worked in torn sections, two on each side ol the ra.l■vny line. .Vs the train nears tlie ci'ossnig the locomotive strikes a lever w'-icb has the effect of putting the tension on the mechanism, resulting in t!r gradual lowering of arms from eaen -ide, the extremities of which interlock forming an effective harrier to traffic on the roadway. When the train is actually on the crossing the meehan : ‘-rn is automatically released and tlm arms’ rise ouiekly to a vertical position, con+rivnnee is onerated •rope”an

being controlled by long cc- 1 springs, and no electric power is required.

> A WORKING MODEL

The demonstration given by Air

uekhurst by means of a model built to one-quan.er scale, showed the e.Lec-

i.eness of his invention. The lever et-ting the device in operation can ne situated any distance from the crossTig that may he decided upon, ana

.. Buckliurst claims that there is no possibility of it getting out of order mechanically.

e arm of the model dropped from the vertical to the horizontal position forty seconds, but the' speed can be "eg til il tod as desired. After being io--1 eased it rose to the vertical positic-' : n a few seconds. The arm is painted -hite and is provided with a red elee'nvht which can be operated either

' -ni a battery or from power lines ii' the d'sfr'et '-s reticulated with elect) l- —, The slow descent of tlie arms mid rod lights, Air Buckliurst claims should' give ample warning, to road users of the closing of the crossing.

DOUBLE TRACKS

Mr Buckliurst has provided against the contingency of a crossing being .eared by a train passing over it on one line when another train is approaching on the other line. He demonstrated how the arm could-be stopped when rising and at once forced to lesceiid when the lever is operated’ by a train oil another line. This preeauion rules out the possibility ot a motorist at a emssing such as the one ot Soekburn being caught by a tram ravelling in the opposite direction to one that has just passed. With Mr Buckliurst’s device there vill be no unnecessary delays to road Tn Tie at crossings. The lever will he ■so situated that the arms do not d - -end until the approaching train is •easonabty near the crossing and ’••• the time it ha* got dear the arms will •Ased. When in the horizontal sition the top of the arms will be 3 r t Bin above the level of the road, thus forming a complete barrier to *all velii--ulnr traffic. As a safeguard against motorists driving into the obstruction Mr Buckliurst has provided for the arms being reinfored with wire rope, which would have the effect of breaking the force fff the impact. The length of the arms can.be regulated according to the width of the

•Tossing, nnd Hie whole contrivance, being of very simple design, could easily bo manufactured in the railway workshops. Mr Buckhurst is not able to give an estimate of the cost of manufacture, but he considers that it would be comparatively small if the appliances were turned out in fairly considerable numbers. The arm is supported on a stout hardwood post about 'ft above the ground, and the mechanism is contained in a small box fitted f o the post.

LARGE TOTAL OF ACCIDENTS

In view of the* large total of accileiits at level railway crossing in the oast ten years and the exceptional number of fatalities this year, there has arisen a strong agitation for the .-.revision of safety devices where crossings cannot he eliminated. There are 2651 level crossings in New Zealand and fewer than 100 of them are equipped with signal devices. Of UcKC 54 have warning bells. 33 have —jfr.wao- signals and haff a dozen have

•atom' l tic flashing lights. Tt is roughlv estimated that it wouhl -ost up to £10,000.000 to eliminate all rossimrs, and the installation ol "ashing signals would cost approximately with an annual hill of •t £70,000 for maintenance.