How does Helpston Level Crossing Work?
When you're waiting at one of the level crossings in our area, have you ever spared a thought about how they work?
The likes of Helpston, Tallington, Greatford, Lolham, Maxey and Woodcroft level crossings are all controlled from Helpston Signal Box by a team of signallers working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to ensure the safety of both road users and the railway.
Between 300 and 350 trains a day, going to a variety of destinations including London, Leeds, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Birmingham, Hull, Bradford, Sunderland, Norwich and Stansted Airport, cross Glinton Road at Helpston Level Crossing.
Freight trains, including container services going to and from the Port of Felixstowe, also use the unique crossing as it is the widest on the British railway network with six tracks.
Four tracks make up the East coast mainline running between London King's Cross, Leeds and Edinburgh with the other two lines making up the Peterborough to Leicester line that serves both Stamford and Oakham.
Line speeds vary from 125mph on the two fast East coast lines, 80mph on the slow lines and 75mph on the Peterborough to Leicester line.
Signaller Martin Fuller, from Peterborough, explained how a series of audible and visual warnings such as beeps and live track diagrams alert them to a train entering their section.
When they get these warnings, the signaller will check each crossing's CCTV and Helpston manually to make sure it is clear and safe before setting the signal to clear the train through.
They have a few minutes to carry out this process and people are normally kept waiting for up to five minutes.
Martin, who has worked in Helpston Signal Box for almost 12 years having worked on the tracks previously, explained why the barriers may stay down after a train has crossed the crossing:
"Sometimes you may have it where there are trains following each other and there is more than one train in the section.
"We keep the barriers down otherwise they will go up automatically when a train passes.
"Trains normally will be following each other because of a delay.
"A problem further up the line, at York for example, can cause huge knock-on delays, even say six hours after it has happened because not only do the trains have to pass here, they will also have to come back."
When asked about the job and the technology in the signal box, Martin remained on track:
"Like all jobs, working in the signal box has got its ups and downs," he added.
"The panel we use to control our section is 20 years old but there's nothing wrong with it.
"You can't just change something for the sake of changing it - it would cost too much.
"If it isn't broken, why fix it?"
Lee Kendall, 46, from Helpston, has been working the eight to 12-hour shifts at Helpston Signal Box for 13 years.
He estimated the level crossing is closed for an average of 20 minutes each hour.
Lee, who enjoys fishing in his spare time, said: "On a summer's night, when you've got people cycling or going to the pub, you do sometime wish you were them.
"Sometimes you can leave the box at the end of a shift and you're head is throbbing but a lot of jobs are like that.
"While our job is a balance between ensuring the safety of the railway and the public, we are here mainly for the railway.
"Ultimately, we are accountable to Network Rail and the train operating companies.
"That crossing clear button is your lifeline.
"You've got to use your experience, especially when it comes to horses.
"They can take up to five minutes to cross so you've got to be aware of that.
"You can't just shut the crossing gates infront of them because they'll get scared.
"You've also got to be mindful of the fact that they can bolt if their hooves touch the rail because they've got a small current running through them for the track circuit."
He recalled one unfortunate incident where a horse got stuck on the crossing and refuse to budge which meant he could not close the barriers and trains came to a standstill until the animal had cleared the crossing.
Both Lee and Martin are also keen to show people around Helpston Signal Box on open days where they explain to the local community how they control the level crossings and keep people safe.
Over 200 visited during the most recent one
Lee added: "A lot of people who come to these open days say they feel much safer with a human in the box as opposed to an automatic system although they are surprised places like this still exist.
"We can not only keep an eye on the crossing but also on the village and the schoolchildren going to school.
"I remember saying to one woman 'I known your number plate' off by heart because she used to drive over the crossing so regularly.
"It's all about educating people and making sure they are safe.
"We want to get the schoolchildren up here and Delaine Buses as well so they know how this works.
"We used to get a lot of abuse from drivers about the wait but when they came up, they understood why we keep the barriers down.
"We still do get abuse every day but it's not as bad as it was."
Martin and Lee were very composed at the panel and dedicated at keeping everything running smoothly.
They were not flustered and their levels of concentration were very high as you would expect in a job such as this.
Maybe next time, spare a thought for them when you're waiting at a level crossing.
