Redcar Level Crossing, North Yorkshire

Official name: West Dyke Level Crossing

Date filmed: 16/07/2021
Videos filmed at: 12:49 | 12:59 | 13:09

Route: Tees Valley Line
Redcar Central Station

Crossing type: Manually-controlled Gates (MG) (Technically)

Location: West Dyke Road, Redcar
Trains:
Closure 1 (0:00):
2 Class 185s (Transpennine Express) - 1:50
Redcar Central ➡ Redcar Central
-
Closure 2 (Starts at 3:15):
1) Class 156 (Northern) - 4:33
Darlington ➡ Saltburn

2) 2 Class 185s (Transpennine Express) - 5:25
Redcar Central ➡ Redcar Central
-
Closure 3 (Starts at 6:47):
1) Class 66 (DB Cargo UK) - 9:18
Middlesbrough Dawson Ayrton ➡ Boulby Potash Reception

2) Class 66 (DB Cargo UK) - 10:10
Boulby Potash Reception ➡ Tees Dock Potash

A rather unique level crossing found within the North Sea town of Redcar, next to Redcar Central Station on one of the busier main routes into and out of the town. This level crossing is operated from the tall signal box next to it, one of numerous working signal boxes still controlling various signal blocks along this line, and has two alarms which are rather loud and screechy. One of the wigwags (warning lights) here is attached to the signal box itself due to a lack of space in that corner of the level crossing. Beyond this station, passenger trains continue towards Saltburn-by-the-Sea, and freight trains also use the line accessing the potash mine at Boulby.

This level crossing was the first, and so far only, level crossing in the country to have a Power Operated Sliding Barrier system installed at it. Manufactured by EDS, these are two bespoke large, robust, telescopic, cantilevered gates which slide across the road to completely close it off when trains are due. These have position/rotation sensors and Programmable Logic Controllers to vary their speed dependant on their position, and they are at their fastest in the middle of their opening/closing phases whilst moving at a slower pace at each end of their movement. These were installed here in late 2015 to replace older wooden gates with motorised wheels which were prone to faults due to the high winds that are fairly common in the town, and this was one of the reasons that lifting barriers were not installed here instead (mainly also as that would've required the signal box to be removed as the road is too wide for full-width barriers). The current pair of gates are wind-resistant and are rather tall.

Since their instalment in 2015, one of the gates here has become rather rusty, and one makes a lot of squeaking noise as it moves. The alarms here are active for almost a minute as it takes quite a while to fully close the gates. When the gates open, pedestrians can very often be seen walking around them, or onto the tracks waiting for them to fully open, as they are rather slow in this procedure too.

Three separate 'closures' are featured in this video, and these videos make up the remaining footage I had from this location on this date. Two freight trains are seen in the third which probably passed each other around the other nearby level crossing on Redcar Lane near Redcar East Station. These were headed to and from (respectively) the potash mine at Boulby, and were both fairly local services. The Transpennine service seen was moving from a platform of the station into a loop to let a Saltburn-bound Northern service pass through, as the station has only two platforms.

Thanks for watching!