Smithy Bridge Level Crossing

Did you mean barristers? Or was that a play on the word 'barrier' - as in 'to bar one's progress'?
Either way - I take your point. I'm afraid this 'one' appears to have no holds 'barred' - so to speak. No doubt we need multiple fatalities before action 'some day' is instituted. We shall see.

A barista is a person that makes fancy coffee, being a barista is what is nowadays considered to be a career.

The Smithy Bridge level crossing is obviously very dangerous, and makes me wonder if standards of training, education and qualifications for electro-mechanical engineering are good enough.

Electro-mechanical devices and systems are the basis of the technology we all increasingly rely on. Anyone who is a real wizard with designing, understanding, repairing and maintaining them is a very useful person, it's an underestimated skill. Not everyone can do it. Intercultural telepathic language skills are needed to cope with parts of equipment manufactured abroad and supplied with the usual badly-translated instructions.

"Place the colored wire exactly as in re-dismantling procedure, moving the loop in desired situation. Do not operate in harsh vibration underlying linear pulse magnetic field condition. In case of high malfeasance, turn off three seconds at unit control and turn on again five seconds. Observing flashing light program dissequence 3-2-2-3-1. If label is dissipated, call number on label consumer assist stand. Spare wire housing in bottom boxing. Thankyou for buying our level crossing up-down kit, fridge magnets also available."

It's quite obvious that this 'installation' is not fit for purpose and as such should be ripped out and re-done so that it is. It's not rocket science. The original installers should be given a 'final' notice on the grounds that faulty equipment/installations can produce fatalities on a grand scale and that in such circumstances they could be arraigned for corporate manslaughter. It's the duty of the contractors to install and the RI to inspect the installation in testing - but we all know that neither is infallible. Time someone made a bigger noise about this before a real big catastrophe happens. Other than making a stink in the Ob and RO I don't think you would have much success.

If they can't fix the level crossing, they should shut the road.

That rests with the council. IF they took that route I haven't the slightest doubt all hell would break out - - but it would get something done. Alternative routes being Littleborough and Milnrow -? That would be something to see. Not to mention the grid-lock at either end.

Level crossing not working properly yet, will it ever?

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/98945/smithy-bridge-level-crossing-failed-again

When someone gets killed. Then something will get done. But not before. It might be a good idea for someone who is nearer the problem and knows who to write to in the Railways Inspectorate to send a letter stating the problem (and the number of times the thing has been out of commission) and threaten legal/criminal action against the corporate body on manslaughter charges in the event of -. Perhaps then they just might sit up and take notice.

There was a chap fixed my car radio after I had a new car battery fitted, by pulling out a silicon chip and licking the contacts, That bypassed the security code which was only known to a previous owner. Perhaps if he went down to the level crossing and licked a few of the relays it might bypass the glitches in the analog-emulation computer code that seems to be causing problems.

Well there's a thing! Analog-emulation contact lickers. What sort of CV does one need for that job I wonder? Does it come under the scope of 'genius'? Or - basic electrics - shorting out the electrical flow? Clever Montgomery. Very clever.

Perhaps not technically genius, but such men are rare, as anyone who has lost the code for their car radio will know. The combination of being interested in the workings of the ever-changing array of electronic gadgets with the right sort of saliva, and knowing exactly where to put it is a useful sort of serendipity.

Working with all the information available to the public about this level crossing - approximately nothing - and, bearing in mind that the finest electromechanical engineers in the railway industry, with years of training and experience with the most exquisitely expensive and sophisticated testing and diagnostic equipment working intensively for many months under the greatest pressure from management to prevent massive and deadly collisions, and to preserve their own reputations for competence, as well as that of the rail industry, cannot fix this level crossing, it only seems fair for the general public to make a few guesses about what the problem might be.

If the rail engineers do continue to fail, perhaps a gifted amateur such as Electrosalivaman might have more success, and save the day?

Indeed, indeed. But the trick is getting the 'powers that be' to approve such a scheme. Their own failure cannot be seen to have been such. Therefore a 'solution' has to come from them - or not at all. Thus maintaining the status-quo, i.e. that all managers and above are paragons of virtue with unique powers of deduction and that nothing, absolutely nothing, is beyond their abilities. You do see don't you? It's the politics that matters not the people. (Or any unfortunate side-swiped vehicle that happens to get in the way of the trackbed).

Exactly so. European technical safety standards will be applied to all installation procedures and components of the level crossing apparatus. Electro-Salivaman need not apply.

The mystery of why the barriers don't always work as they should remains. There are several possible explanations, all of which we can assume have been rigorously investigated by now.

There are other possibilities which, although remote, must come to the fore as every other possible technical cause is eliminated.

The history of building of the railways in Britain is peppered with negotiations about land. Compromises sometimes had to be arrived at, and before the development and use of ground penetrating radar, railways were sometimes built over ancient archeological sites, stone circles, burial mounds and the like, or places associated with local tales of boggarts in more superstitious times. Even hidden underground streams may have electromagnetic effects on sensitive electrical gadgets, not properly understood or appreciated, according to the society of dowsers.

I am not suggesting anything paranormal is happening at Smithy Bridge, as it may have done in other railway-related locations, but, we still await a scientific explanation for these unexpected, so-far inexplicable and, lets face it, potentially catastrophic electro-mechanical abberations.

OOOOooooooo! Spooky Edna. Spooky!

Meanwhile back at the ranch -. Creeping mildew. That's the actual cause. Happens when local residents get steamed up over a continuous niggly intractable problem the resultant vapour settling surreptitiously amongst the delicate workings of the administrative mind. Only draconian measures will be effective amongst which are :- copious gallonage's of local brewed beers poured down local inhabitants throats at the cost of Network rail. Then and only then will the action begin.

No seriously - I kid you not. Go see :-

Smithy Bridge level crossing has it's own facebook page, where people relate the random ups and downs of the barriers. Things that go bump in the night, or don't.

Over quite some time now there have been several reported barrier malfunctions.
It's time rail management accepted this is an 'accident waiting to happen' and sorted it out before too much beer and paranormal activity gets involved.

You will just have to wait until someone gets killed.

Bit like the ancient Aztects and Incas then, using human sacrifice to ensure the smooth running of their societies.

That has always been the case - but not 'overtly' so. There have always been the 'expendable' few when the need arises. It's the name of the game.

What's been done?  Anything??