Скачать или смотреть Parkers Rd Level Crossing, Parkdale (Before & After Upgrade)

This is the Parkers Rd level crossing in Parkdale, on the Frankston Railway Line, with footage I took in November 2017 and February 2021

At November 2017, this crossing had:

Two General Signals E-Bells. Both bells were programmed to sound continuously until the boom gates rose. The bell on the western side was covered in duct tape for some reason

Westinghouse cross-arms

Marked incandescent Westinghouse lights

Westinghouse boom gate mechanisms with unmarked bases

Westinghouse pedestrian boom gate mechanisms

Unmarked bases on all individual signals

In this footage, you can see signs hanging up around the crossing. These signs said that the crossing's pedestrian boom gates were going to get upgraded shortly with new automatic gates retrofitted with electromagnetic latches, a safer option to the existing boom gate arms. The crossing was upgraded soon after I took this footage.

I finally managed to get around filming the new crossing in February 2021. By this point, the crossing was upgraded way beyond the pedestrian crossings that were stated in the signs. The new crossing has:

New General Signals E-Bells, replacing the old one's... I THINK. It's kind of hard to tell, because the bells do look worn in the 2021 footage, and the western bell looks like it might be the old one, just with the tape removed, but by then the bells were almost four years old, so their looks are consistent with their age. They were also programmed to sound quieter than the previous bells, although they are still both programmed to sound continuously until the boom gates rise

Western Cullen Hayes boom gate mechanisms, replacing the old Westinghouse one's

New LED Westinghouse lights

New Westinghouse cross-arms

Magnetic Autocontrol Swing Gates with push button release escape exits for the pedestrian crossings

New lights integrated into the western boom gate mechanism, with the individual signal on that side removed

Another thing I noticed at this crossing were signs up warning about the closure of the nearby Elm Grove pedestrian crossing. This pedestrian crossing has been fenced off due to it not having any active protection, and until any new gates are funded and installed, it will remain closed. I'm guessing the reason this one is closed, while others on the Metro network that also don't have active protection remain open, is because the Frankston line has trains every 10 minutes, and the sheer frequency of trains on this line renders this crossing dangerous and a hot spot for near misses. I'm sure at some point in the future it will be reopened, because it is quite an inconvenience to locals, who now need to use either Parkers Rd or another nearby pedestrian crossing to cross over the Frankston line. But like I said until it gets upgraded, it will remain closed

Background song is 'You Had To Be' by E's Jammy Jams