Cutsyke Level Crossing, West Yorkshire

Date filmed: 17/04/2023
Videos filmed at: 12:17 | 12:26

Route: The Pontefract Line
Between Glasshoughton and Castleford Stations

Crossing type: Manually Controlled Barriers crossing (MCB)

Location: A639 Leeds Road, Castleford
Trains featured:
Lowering 1 (0:00):
150 203 (Northern) - 1:40
2F13 Leeds ➡ Knottingley (Via Glasshoughton)
-
Lowering 2 (2:08)
150 214 (Northern) - 3:29
2F54 Knottingley ➡ Leeds (Via Glasshoughton)

The pair of hourly passenger services for this short line between Pontefract Monkhill and Castleford via Glasshoughton are seen crossing over the busy A639 at this skewed level crossing in the Cutsyke area of Castleford in the Wakefield district of West Yorkshire. The level crossing was extensively renewed to its current form at some point in 2019. Whereas previously it had the odd number of three motor-driven wooden gates which were driven open and shut via a tyre each, it now has an even number of four lifting barriers, as well as the same number of loud alarms all making quite a tumultuous noise when it's lowered.

This was the last mainline level crossing to have this kind of gate, best known to have previously been installed at the level crossing in Redcar on West Dyke Road, before their replacement. There is still no footway on one side of the road here, and there's a sign in place instructing pedestrians to cross over and use the other side's footway, though numerous walked across on the side with no footway in the short time I was there. The sole LED pedestrian light that has been installed here is very oddly on a bracket. The small gate box here controls this level crossing, and one of the Keep Crossing Clear signs is on the wrong way around facing onto the level crossing rather than towards the approaching traffic. There's also still a longer than usual amber light timer of about 5 seconds here (as opposed to two or three seconds), and if you look carefully at the gate box in the first clip you'll see the button on the crossing controls still needs to be held in when it's lowered, once again highlighting the re-use of older logic and controls here.

Train details sourced from:
Real Time Trains: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sear...
Open Train Times: https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps
Traksy: https://traksy.uk/live

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