![Level_crossing_danger_2[1].jpg](http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/Level_crossing_danger_2%5B1%5D.jpg)
"G'day Brian," says AtkiPete with road safety and level crossing firmly on his mind... "We've had some dreadful accidents in Australia in recent years involving trucks at level crossings and authorities are always quick to blame the truck driver. However, many of the crossings are poorly laid out but this one near Warrigal seems to get it all wrong, especially if you are driving a heavy vehicle. No boom gates and not enough room between the rail and give way sign to stop in a large vehicle without fouling the crossing. The steep jump up means it will be difficult to get started and scrape marks on the pavement suggest low trailers and school buses are bottoming out. Regards Pete."
Interesting post too. How about in the UK? Does anyone out there have a particularly 'unfavourite' level crossing in Britain they have to traverse with a truck? From my own experience the one on the A259 into Rye looks to be is quite a handful especially for a low loader driver unfamiliar with it. So what's your experience driving trucks over UK level crossings - unmanned or otherwise?
Not quite what you you may have been thinking of, but years ago in Zambia I was shifting a drill rig from near Chingola down to Iteshi Teshi dam.
Had to deviate via a bush track due to low underpass at Chingola. Getting back on to the main road necessitated crossing the railway which is not a problem really, except for the fact that it is bordered by multitudinous telephone lines.
We always took a couple of guys along with us armed with brooms to lift phone lines up and over the derrick and pass them back over the rig.
Well this was quite a slow process requiring creeping forward with many dabs on the brakes. Now that big red Kenworth had a remarkably small air tank (who needs brakes in a desert?). Well the inevitable happened, and there was I slap bang on the tracks with the drill-rig brakes locked up screaming the engine like mad to make some air.
Worse still, the railway was on a sharp bend at that point, so we couldn't see a train coming, nor could they see us going nowhere.
Hopefully it all ended well Bruce. I have done a bit of searching on this particular level crossing ( Lardners Track ) and was amazed to find it is # 253 on a list of crossings to be ungraded. Lardners Track is now a busy country road and the rail line carries freight as well as high speed passenger trains.
I found your blog on Google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.