Level crossing at Hill Farm, Northwood Lane

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Northwood Crossing viewed from the North.

This level crossing is immediately south of and adjacent to Northwood Halt and allows access, via a private single track road, to Hill Farm from Northwood Lane.

During the BR era, the crossing was the site of two separate fatal collisions. Following an inspection in April 1972 in advance of the SVRSevern Valley Railway re-opening this section of the line, Maj. Olver of the Railway Inspectorate recommended that the crossing should be fitted with gates capable of closing across the road and the line as appropriate. The gates and posts from the level crossing near Burlish Halt were retrieved for this purpose[1], although there is no record that they were ever installed.

From re-opening, a hand signalman was required to be present during operations. To remove the need for this, a successful application was made to the Department of Transport in 1979 for Northwood to be made an 'open' crossing[2]. Equipment for this was duly installed, and the crossing was commissioned in July 1980[3]. The crossing has no gates or barriers, but is protected by flashing lights displayed to road traffic together with an audible warning (the only crossing on the SVRSevern Valley Railway protected in this fashion). The warning lights are operated automatically by track circuits and treadles, with a white light displayed to the train to indicate that they are operating correctly. Modern-style warning boards consisting of a black cross on a white square background are positioned on the approach to the crossing in both directions.

Despite these measures, in November 2000 the crossing was the site of a collision between 8FThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. 48773 and a van. HM Railway Inspectorate later confirmed that the Railway was not at fault.


Sources

  1. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 28
  2. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 52
  3. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 57

See Also

Towards Kidderminster
List of infrastructure
Towards Bridgnorth