Station Name: MARCHWOOD [Source: Nick Catford] 55.jpg) A view from the end of Marchwood's platform towards Main Road level crossing in November 2014. The gates, surmounted by battery-powered lamps, are of mainly metal construction and appear quite flimsy in comparison with traditional wooden swinging gates. The posts are made from lengths of RSJ (Rolled Steel Joist). The devices between the rails bear the word 'Strail'. KRAIBURG STRAIL GmbH & Co. KG is a German company supplying level crossing panels, walkways, fencing and so on. Level crossing panels can be rubber, wood or concrete. The purpose of boxes between and facing the rails is unclear but they might be axle counters to inform the signalman when the rear of a train, which may stop in either of the loops through the station, is clear of the level crossing. Point rodding can be seen on the left; this passes beneath the road via a conduit in the usual manner. With Network Rail's currently ongoing scheme to replace mechanical signal boxes, point rodding and signal wires are rapidly becoming things of the past insofar as the national network is concerned. The process is, however, no new thing and had been ongoing well before British Railways days albeit confined to specificareas and locations. Photo by Nick Catford  Home Page
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