European Railroad Discussion > Question: Ukraine grade crossings - on-track markings

Can someone explain these? The first image I posted several months ago under the International group. They are both in Ukraine, on what appear to be secondary lines, where nearly every crossing at grade with a road has them, regardless of road speed, railway speed, and warning or protection devices, or lack of them. For a certain line, they are consistently either the arrow style or the "dart" style. Some bridges have similar markings. They are best seen from above, or from the locomotive cab.
My latest guess is that they warn track inspectors whose attention may not be far ahead, who are on vehicles that don't activate automatic crossing protection, and who have little physical protection from road vehicles. It seems they might also be handy for rail-grinding operations, where the usual mode needs to be interrupted.
The first is from a video by UkTraine via YouTube. The second is from a video by Oleh Hudzeliak also via YouTube.

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show the  length crossing circuits?   or for snowplows like you were saying?

I don't know what they are for.  But here is a better quality image.  Dual gauge line between Chop and Mukachevo, October 2019.  

It would be interesting to know if Russia or other former Soviet republics use them.  I have taken trains in almost all of the former republics, but I wasn't on the lookout for tie markings.  Google aerial view might be useful.  

Ted in UT 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/21 14:50 by gobbl3gook.

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The markings appear much too short for crossing circuit limits, and are at crossings with no bells, lights, or gates. I hadn't thought of snow equipment. But white marks on the tracks seem a poor choice for that, compared with lineside poles. Fouling points are often marked by short, banded "posts" between the rails.
I have noticed in my virtual travels via YouTube that throughout western and eastern Europe, trains rarely blow horns for crossings. If they do, it's for those with no automatic devices, and it's often a single, short toot. It's almost like those Old World folks know to approach crossings with caution, prepared to stop in case a train is coming --often electrically powered and not making a lot of noise.
____ ____ __ _____________.

https://goo.gl/maps/YH2GNCZ6HYbpFoaPA
https://goo.gl/maps/Yg1VZeoEaNL68gs67
https://goo.gl/maps/hY3wT7jddZizxBNy5

Here are a couple more around Mukachevo.  On the Hungarian Plain, south side of the Carpathians.  

Note that they seem to be pointy in one direction, blunt in the other direction.  Pretty consistently.  

Here are some from Stry, same railroad line, north side of the Carpathians.  
https://goo.gl/maps/3wzPYr7NvD3XndNr6
https://goo.gl/maps/YRKmfStKtfsyG2wdA
(Also note that the guard shacks are smaller here) 

Lviv crossing has none.  Not sure if this is a main line or not. 
https://goo.gl/maps/L38xi3mH9WyPDTSJ8
But has a cute pizza hut style guard shack.  

Ted in UT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/21 23:52 by gobbl3gook.

mile250 Wrote:
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> I have noticed in my virtual travels via YouTube
> that throughout western and eastern Europe, trains
> rarely blow horns for crossings. If they do, it's
> for those with no automatic devices, and it's
> often a single, short toot. It's almost like those
> Old World folks know to approach crossings with
> caution, prepared to stop in case a train is
> coming --often electrically powered and not making
> a lot of noise.
>
I've noticed the same thing while watching those videos of train travel in Norway, shot from the locomotive cab. Horn is sounded only rarely. Of course, much of the route is through somewhat sparsely populated areas, but there are still quite a few grade crossings. 

Thanks, Ted. I remember seeing the directional markings in other videos and thinking they must be related to current of traffic. Pizza Hut indeed!
Glen in California

Glad you like the Pizza Hut guard shack.  

I took a fair bit of interest in the guard shacks.  And a photo essay book came out on them not long after my 2019 trip.  Have you seen this story?  
https://www.wired.com/story/women-ukraine-railroads/

I'll find more if the crossings on street view one of these nights.  See if I notice any more patterns.  

I hope to return sometime. Next big trip for me is planned to be Estonia to Sakhalin Island.  But maybe if I'm not feeling that adventurous I'll just return to the Carpathians in Ukraine.  

I've posted a few Ukraine photos and videos over the years.  Search images and video for gobbl3gook and you can find them.  Maybe I'll post more sometime. I have a lot of them on Facebook, too.  Send me a PM if you'd like and I'll steer you to my FB page.  

Ted in UT

The key to these markings might be that bridges are also included.  It is my understanding -- which is very limited ! -- that the track structure at such locations [ as level / grade crossings and bridges ] is more rigidly fixed in place, especially vertically, than on plain line;  thus track maintenance personnel must give these areas on either side different attention when correcting differences in alignment, etc.  That might also explain directional indications.

Just a possibility.

SZ

SZ, that sounds reasonable. Undercutting, tamping, and other m-o-w methods must change where track support conditions change. If I watch more of these videos I'll try to see if there's a difference between ballasted and open-deck bridges. I've found that asking a question in the comments area under a video rarely gets a response, especially if the video is more than a few months old. 

Here's a few more -- 

Branch lines in Lviv? Pointy in both directions.  Also, nice guard shacks.  
https://goo.gl/maps/TSXgz6PqnnRrowgE6
https://goo.gl/maps/hwVqqcekY3BjQnJm8
https://goo.gl/maps/FuXTSRfe8eGAniYv5
https://goo.gl/maps/oe4kNdwBZiziyNWa9

Branch line around Lviv without markings.  And without guard shack
https://goo.gl/maps/Hsqm9LXqwvTEtvNQ6





 

The Old World is perfectly capable of breeding drivers who don't stop at level crossings. Though we do tend to have fewer Open Crossings, though that may be because we have fewer wide open spaces.

I'm liking this interest in this thread.  So I'm going to start a "trains in Ukraine" series.  Any requests?  Freight trains?  Passenger, trams? Mountains, plains?  Electric, diesel? Riding, watching?  Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, countryside, mountains?  Stations, inside or outside?  

I'll start tossing a few out today...  

(I've been trying to get motivated to do this for a couple years now)

Ted in Utah



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/21 08:56 by gobbl3gook.

gobbl3gook Wrote:
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> I'm liking this interest in this thread.  So I'm
> going to start a "trains in Ukraine" series.  Any
> requests?  Freight trains?  Passenger, trams?
> Mountains, plains?  Electric, diesel? Riding,
> watching?  Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, countryside,
> mountains?  Stations, inside or outside?  
>
> I'll start tossing a few out today...  
>
> (I've been trying to get motivated to do this for
> a couple years now)
>
> Ted in Utah

Yes.
I think it's always nice to see how railroading works and looks like in other countries.
That's why I also posted some pictures lately.
I have some more German and Dutch stuff waiting for me getting motivated too...

Good.
In the last year I've watched a lot of YouTube cab rides on European trains and trams, even one in Moldova --which I had thought was a made-up country name used in movies. There's a line that climbs into mountains using mainly the ridges, like CP-SP over Donner Pass but not as "Alpine."