Level crossing

“ For rivers having a constant traffic of sea-going vessels of large tonnage and lofty masts the authorities will demand great height or headway as well as large spans; and if to this be added a deep water-way and bad foundations, the work to be constructed becomes one of considerable magnitude. The banks of the river must be carefully studied to find the most favourable point for crossing, and in some cases it may be prudent to make a detour of two or three miles. The crossing at a great height involves the construction of the approach lines at a great height also. ”

“ When these have been cleared away the thoroughfare is of enormous width, and in case of need, regiments could march in the centre with artillery on one side, and a supply train on the other, without impeding one another.
Level crossings for railways are more frequent than bridges. The gates are generally controlled by women in the family sort of fashion that one sees at the lodge of an English park where a right-of-way exists, and yet accidents do not seem to happen. ”

“ Since the crossing is always an effort, or, in economic terms, an expense, to be avoided as much as possible, the Road naturally avoids a double crossing, but, on the other hand, an island is a stronghold, and even a peninsula where two rivers meet is a potential stronghold. Therefore you have in the history of all early European roads a sort of dilemma, the first travellers debating, as it were, whether the occasion were sufficiently important to warrant the double crossing of the stream. ”

“ CROSSING- The term `crossing' means a location within a State, other than a location where one or more railroad tracks cross one or more railroad tracks either at grade or grade-separated, where-- ` (A) a public highway, road, or street, or a private roadway, including associated sidewalks and pathways, crosses one or more railroad tracks either at grade or grade-separated ”

“ Outside, the dawn was coming up from the east to meet us—as lovely a dawn as ever broke in rose-color and flame. As the daylight grew, we were able to see how complete the arrangements were for the safety of the run. At every crossing, whether of railway, highway, or farm road, a man was posted—1,300 men in all, it is said, along the 510 miles of line. ”

“ Of the 760 grade crossings that definitely should be eliminated, 574 are on urban sections of the system. Only 186 are on rural sections. When these figures are compared with the 1,051 urban and 1,013 rural crossings that already have been separated by the construction of underpass or overpass structures, it is apparent that the work of grade-crossing elimination to date has been much more thorough on the rural than on the urban sections of the system. ”

“ The river Bruará flows through the middle of the wood, and we had to cross it on our way. The crossing was a peculiar one. At the spot there is a rapid in the river, with a waterfall just below. Hard rock stretches from side to side, forming [103] a barrier that is cleft in the middle of the river; the water flows with very picturesque effect over the ledge and into the cleft, which is bridged by a wooden platform; the crossing is effected by the bridge, and by fording the river on each side of it. ”

“ My entire method rests on the appropriate and convenient way in which I denote the crossing of bridges, in that I use capital letters, A, B, C, D, to designate the various land areas that are separated from one another by the river. ”

“ While these operations were going on, I made two or three trips to the river to watch the crossing of the troops. It was an animated and inspiring sight, for the great mass of men, animals, and baggage was handled with the greatest intelligence. By the 17th our entire army was south of the James, and the bridge over the river by which the trains had crossed was taken up. ”

“ Generally, value of situation depends upon nearness to a sea route; to those lines of trade which, when drawn upon the ocean common, are as imaginary as the parallels of the chart, yet as really and usefully exist. If the position be on two routes at the same time, that is, near the crossing, the value is enhanced. A cross-roads is essentially a central position, facilitating action in as many directions as there are roads. ”

“ A cross-way in the road or gateway is eagerly looked for as a retiring spot to the traveller, until the pursuing squadron, or heavily-loaded brigade, may have passed by.... As there are but few wheel-carriages to pass along them, the channel for the water and the path for the pack-horse are equally in the middle of the way, which is altogether occupied by an assemblage of such large and loose stones only as the force of the descending torrents have not been able to sweep away or remove. ”

“ The crossing of great rivers is one of the most difficult of military operations, yet this is frequently necessary to be done in the face of an enemy. It is effected in different ways; sometimes a river, which cannot be crossed in a straight line, may be crossed in a slant one. ”

“ From the point located, a safe [Pg 41] crossing is afforded at the lower point of the island by a ferry in high, and a good ford at low water.
“The face of the country within the limits prescribed is generally very uneven, and in many places broken by a succession of high mountains and deep hollows, too formidable to be reduced within five degrees of the horizon, but by crossing them obliquely, a mode which, although it imposes a heavy task of hill-side digging, obviates generally the necessity of reducing hills and filling hollows, which, on these grounds, would be an attempt truly quixotic. ”

“ This point gained, the objectors advanced a step, but again came to a stand, and said, "If you can move a train on a level, that is all, —you can't go up hill." But trial proved that easy inclines (called grades) could be surmounted,—say, rising ten feet for each mile in length.
The objectors take another step, but again put down their heavy square-toed foot, and say, "There! aren't you satisfied? you can go over grades of twenty feet per mile, but no more,—so don't try." And here English engineers stop,—twenty feet being considered a pretty stiff grade. ”

“ No rapid movements are allowed, however, and man and beast must pass over at a walk. A guard of the engineers is posted at the abutment, ordering “Route step!” “Route step!” as the troops strike the bridge, and sentries, at intervals, repeat the caution further along. By keeping the cadence in crossing, the troops would subject the bridge to a much greater strain, and settle it deeper in the water. It was shown over and over again that nothing so tried the bridge as a column of infantry. ”

“ If the traveller crosses this bridge he must either have been in A before crossing or have reached A after crossing, so that according to the above method of denotation the letter A will appear exactly once. If there are three bridges, a, b, c, leading to A and the traveller crosses all three, then the letter A will occur twice in the expression for his route, whether it begins at A or not. ”

“ Notwithstanding the fact that thorough bridging constitutes a considerable portion of the expense of road construction, the best plan is to put in substantial structures, wide as the traveled way, and straight with it, thus lessening a grave source of danger.
Railway Crossing Accidents. —The great number of fatalities at railway crossings has for years been a theme for much talk, and many suggestions for the elimination of grade crossings have been made. The public seems to think that the railways are the ones that oppose the elimination. ”

“ It is so common to see a cross upon the roadsides, in various portions of this country, that I have endeavored to get some intelligible explanation of their design; but no one seems to have any more satisfactory solution than that these people think that they secure some immunity from all harm by the presence of a cross. They are seen very frequently at the forks of roads, at the point where a family path leads into the main road. ”

“ If obstructions occur in the form of rapids or falls, boat and cargo are carried around them. It is often easy to pass by a short portage or "carry" from one stream system across the divide to another. In regions which are not very level the easiest grades in every direction are found along the streams, and the main routes of land travel follow the stream valleys. In traversing a mountainous region, a railroad follows the windings of some river up to the crest of the divide, which it crosses through a pass, or often by a tunnel, and descends the valley of some stream on the other side. ”

“ Every crossing of a navigable river will have to be considered and dealt with according to its own individual requirements. An arrangement suitable for the one may not be admissible or prudent for the other. A frequent and important train service might be much interfered with by an opening bridge, and, in a similar manner, an opening bridge might cause much interruption and detention to the navigation of the vessels on the river. ”

“ And where, in rural areas, the traffic on the interregional highway is light or only moderately heavy, it may not be necessary, immediately at least, to go to the length of grade separation at all retained intersections But where a grade crossing permitted on the inter regional highway, the design of the intersection and its signing should enable and require operators of crossing vehicles to make a positive determination of the safety of crossing, and should reveal to operators of vehicles on the main highway the presence of vehicles about to cross or enter. ”

“ And, indeed, it does pass many churches to the north, but it always leaves 111 them (as at Chevening, Lenham, Charing, and the rest) to one side. It never goes close to their site.
The importance of this rule will be apparent when we consider, later on, the spots in which a church stands, or has stood, and where, at the same time, the track is doubtful and has to be determined.
V. In crossing a river-valley, the Road makes invariably for the point where spurs of dry ground and rising ground come closest upon either side, and leave the narrowest gap of marshy land between. ”

“ With this method I pay no attention to which bridges are used; that is to say, if the crossing from one area to another can be made by way of several bridges it makes no difference which one is used, so long as it leads to the desired area. ”

“ One crossing where we forded, the river seemed to he very wide and quite rapid; the water was so deep in places that it ran into the wagon boxes and a single team and wagon would have been swept away, so they formed the entire train in single file, and attached the teams and wagons to a chain extending through the entire length of the train. The crossing here severely tried the courage and endurance of the men, for they waded the river alongside their oxen, at times clinging to the ox yokes, and swimming ”

“ With a field-grass as many as twenty bridges can be counted crossing the racing torrents. Some of these bridges are beautiful structures of steel, making one wonder how such slender combinations can support the weight of heavy trains. ”

“ While the modern policy of railway engineering usually tends to the abolition of grade crossings, there is no hard and fast rule upon the subject; and it may well be that the exigencies of a certain street or locality may demand that travel shall descend to the level of the railway, rather than ascend to a bridge built over the track. ”

“ Rivers without bridges are a great trial of patience when journeying; it takes such a long time to transport everything, and the crossing generally takes place at the end of a stage when every one is tired, and—shall I confess it?—often cross too. ”

“ The plan shall identify specific solutions for improving safety at crossings, including highway-rail grade crossing closures or grade separations, and shall focus on crossings that have experienced multiple accidents or are at high risk for such accidents. ”

“ The necessity for a guide may be explained by the fact that although the crossing is a narrow one it is hazardous to go over without a competent guide after a storm, as the action of the water, pouring along, frequently works deep holes in the bed, and a horse stumbling into one might readily break a leg. ”

“ It is so at the crossing of the Itchen, 112 at the crossing of the Wey, at the crossing of the Mole, at the crossing of the Darent, and, as we shall see, it is useful in giving us a clue towards the much more important crossing of the Medway.
VI. Where a hill must be taken, it is taken straight and by the shortest road to the summit, unless that road be too steep for good going.
Here one has something to be found all over England where an old, has been superseded by a modern, way. I have an instance in my mind on the main road westward from Tavistock into Cornwall. ”

“ So the men who build railroads try to make the tracks run along as nearly level as possible. Next time you see a high bridge across a river, look at the rest of the country around. You’ll see that the river cuts deep down between two hills. The bridge is built on tall stilts that make a level path for the train from one hilltop to the other. ”

“ If the ordinary trail was a Road of Iron, what of the portage path—which so often led over cliffs and mountain spurs in going around a waterfall or rapid? But these were not the most difficult portages. There were many carrying places which, uniting heads of streams or lakes, ran over high mountains, through the most impenetrable fastnesses—paths fit only for mountain goats. Yet up these rough steeps the missionaries of the Cross, soldiers, and traders forced their way, slipping, sliding, seizing now and again at any object which would offer assistance. ”

“ The increase to the power of traction required by an ascent on a common road, is exactly the same in amount as that which would be required by an ascent of the same elevation on a railroad. But the power of traction necessary on a level common road is so great, that the increase caused by an elevation becomes no considerable addition; while the power of traction on a level railroad is so small, that the increase produced by the smallest inclination is severely felt. ”