Lights Change Back within One Second! Warnham Level Crossing, West Sussex

Warnham (Footpath) Level Crossing, Warnham, West Sussex on the Sutton and Mole Valley Lines.
Location: Station Road, Warnham
Date Filmed: 04-04-2021
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Nearest Station: Warnham
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Trains:
Class 377 (Southern)
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Class 377 (Southern)
Unique footpath level crossing at Warnham station, near Horsham, West Sussex. This crossing use to be a public highway manually gated crossing, which was opened on request during peak hours but closed on weekends. It became disused in the early 2000s, and later converted to its current state, a footpath crossing. The footpath crossing still retains very rare halogen miniature warning lights. There are also two alarms on each side, and telephones provided.
On a different Sunday timetable, two trains were scheduled to pass here a few minutes apart. I managed to film quite a unique moment in which the lights change to red for the second train less than a second after they turn green after the first train. If the train was around 1-2 seconds earlier, the lights would've remained red for the second train.
Thanks For Watching!

[@SouthEastLevelCrossings]

That was quite a cool catch even though it wasn't a double! That second train 'struck-in' just a fraction of a second too late for that. I love the sounds of the track joints as the trains pass through there at speed. Awesome video!

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Thanks 😎 Yeah, it was very close indeed. Probably one of my most unique captures.

[@NWLevelCrossings]

Brilliant Catch!👍🏻😎 That was surprising to see, nice to still have the Halogen Warning lights!

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Thank you 😎

[@SgtChip]

Now that was pretty cool. It was a "oops nevermind" moment for that crossing.

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Yes it was lol. Took less than a second to change its mind.

[@BRLCAMUK]

You were so close to getting a double stay!

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Quite literally one second lol

[@BRLCAMUK]

@@UKLevelCrossingsChannellol

[@TheRealTrains806UK]

It must have surprised you

[@TheRealTrains806UK]

Seven likes wow

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Yes it did. I knew that two trains would be crossing around the same time so I was expecting it to stay red - but I think this was a bit cooler to capture :)

[@jayo1212]

@1:57 It actually sounded its horn! Of course, the proper sequence for a crossing is 2 long blasts, followed by one short, then one more long...

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Not in the UK. At most crossings, trains do not sound their horn at all ;)

[@BXLevelCrossings]

I’ve never seen those lights designs before

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

These are one of the old style halogen types. I believe this is the last one on a mainline railway to still operate so it is very unique.

[@BXLevelCrossings]

@@UKLevelCrossingsChannel Ah okay

[@among_usfan_oh_lol]

Nice!

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Thanks.

[@TheRealTrains806UK]

Still has halogens? Cool!

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Yes, still has them since quite recently 😊

[@patrickcharleswood]

I think AHB level crossings are programmed so that when the barriers raise they must be up for ten seconds, I don't know about this type.

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Yes, that's what I believe. After a 'strike-in' there's a delay of a few seconds before the crossing activates. This accounts for any scenario where another train strikes-in just as the barriers are being raised.

[@SouthWestCrossingsUK]

Oh, wierd! Nice video!

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Thanks 😁

[@CHINZIG_UK]

Damn, must have hit that treadle straight after the other one left that block.

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Yeah, literally the strike it would've been a second after

[@NorthWestLevelCrossingsChannel]

Great video 👍

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Thank you.

[@leveltrains1295]

Vert Nice

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

👍

[@K-o-R]

How would this situation work on a barriered crossing? If the second train hit the start switch while the barriers were going up but before the red lights stopped flashing? Would it "abort" the barriers going up (and drop them immediately again) or would it start a new sequence, with potentially not enough time between amber light and train passing?

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

I believe that after a 'strike-in' there is an added delay of a few seconds before the crossing activates. Therefore, if the barriers start to raise just as another train strikes in the other direction, there is a few seconds leeway for the barriers to be raised and the sequence to restart. I imagine it would be quite confusing for the barriers to start lowering again half-way, or the red lights to continue flashing.

[@pineappleroad]

Reminds me of the interesting behaviour of the automatic open level crossings of the Tyne and Wear metro when there are 2 trains Even if both trains strike in within seconds of each other, the second train has to wait for the crossing to shut off and re-activate (although the crossings allow enough time for a couple of vehicles to cross between trains, I have even walked across while a train was waiting for the crossing to re-activate, the crossings are interlocked with the signals in some way, and I found out what happens when the crossing times out before the train moves (thanks to a train having door issues, I had just got off at the station just before the crossing, and when the driver closed the doors, the interlock didn’t make, it seems the door I left through was being temperamental)

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Oh that's interesting, so all the crossings are programmed to only activate for one train only. I guess it makes sense as having another train approaching on a crossing without barriers is a bit more risky.

[@SebastianMartinez460]

Thought that was a double stay.

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

It was very close to being one!

[@greatbritainlevelcrossings8149]

That’s rare

[@UKLevelCrossingsChannel]

Yeah it is. I think the last halogen set on a mainline crossing.