It is painful to reminisce about tragedy on the railways but the accident at Hixon in January 1968 began a long running and controversial debate about the safety of automatic level crossings.
The haulage company Wynns were moving a huge transformer from Stafford for storage at the former Hixon airfield.
Hixon Station closed in 1947
The route was tortuous; north to Stone then back south on the A51. The long and heavy low loader with tractor units front and rear turned left off the A51 ...
... and very quickly found itself on the level crossing. The approaching train (from Manchester to London) triggered lights and barriers but the vehicle could not get out of the way in time.
The train, travelling at 95 mph, struck the rear of the unit and threw the transformer to one side ...
... leaving the loco and front carriages of the badly damaged. Eleven people lost their lives. It was clear that the drivers of the transporter and the escort police had not been adequately briefed about safety issues ...
... and did not warn "the signalman". Signs and procedures were improved, but still there is anxiety every time there is an accident at an automatic crossing.
It was not until 2002 that the Hixon Crossing was replaced by a bridge. From the west the old piece of road is now a farm track ...
... and the site of the crossing can be glimpsed from the diverted road.
Where once there were gates controlled by a signal box, and later the ill-fated barriers, there is just a very strong grey fence.
But when Streetview nipped down the cu-de-sac from the east, the old road markings were still present.
The problem at Banbury Lane (south of Rothersthorpe on bus service 87 between Northampton and Towcester) was more likely to be sheep rather than huge low loaders.
Getting a herd of recalcitrant ovine beasties over a level crossing will also involve a call to the signalman and, fbb guesses, strong pressure to choose a time when the busy main line is quieter than usual.
And might that be a Basfords of Greens Norton bus on the far side of the crossing?
But here, too, the crossing has been replaced by a bridge. Here is the working crossing with its barriers and flashing lights viewed from the hump backed bridge over the canal.
Here is the closed and fenced-off crossing still working!
And a view from the new bridge back towards the "white cottage".
Turning to the right, the graceful, nay picturesque, new bridges over canal and railway can be seen.
A map extract explains all.
But there is an oddity here. Why is there single lane and apparently permanent traffic light control over the two new bridges?
Are they falling down already?
We will complete our bus ride tomorrow.
Next Towcester Trundle blog : Sunday 22nd October
This may be apocryphal, but I'm told that there have been problems with wording at some of these open crossings. In those parts of the country where "while" means "until", the phrase "Do not cross while red lights flash" is unhelpful, not to say dangerous. "When" is a much safer word.
ReplyDelete"Those parts of the country" of course are only 1 part - Yorkshire... the rest of us use the word as intended, and on official signage even those with cloth cap and whippet should understand that the usual, correct and proper use of the word is likely to be the intended meaning... ey oop, ecky thump, whatever next!
DeleteAnon, your apocryphal thought was certainly part of the debate in Sheffield back in the early 70s. I remember talking about it to a chum while the bus came.
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