I caught a car !

[haggis]

On our way back from Liverpool, I went to operate Maghull swing bridge ( which had just been closed in our face but that's another story) and for the first time ever, I caught a car ! The road was quite busy and I waited till the traffic had cleared in both directions before pressing the "OPEN" button. As the barriers came down a car shot past under the barrier and onto the bridge. Fortunately, the brakes were good enough to stop the car before it hit the barrier on the other side . I continued to open the bridge which swung with the car on top. 

And yes, it was a lady driver

I was very relieved when the bridge went back into place and the wedges went in

Haggis

Edited July 17, 2020 by haggis

[Richard10002]

You would have thought it would be failsafe in this day and age. I dont know how they would achieve that, but it ought not be possible for a vehicle to pass the falling barrier, and the bridge still open.

[Iain_S]

It is fairly failsafe, provided that car drivers do not get their licence from a Cornflakes packet, and do have some knowledge of traffic lights. It's as fail safe as railway level crossings, with far lower consequences for idiocy.

 

e.t.a. Just read your post more carefully. She passed the red light and falling barrier when the bridge was in the "open to road" position. 

Edited July 17, 2020 by Iain_S

[IanD]

We nearly caught a car on the prop once, coming out onto the River Lee. Swerved in the dark (private boat!) to avoid what looked like a log in the water, as the stern passed it I could just read "Ford Escort 1.3" on the tip of the boot lid which was all that was visible...

[Tracy D'arth]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

We nearly caught a car on the prop once, coming out onto the River Lee. Swerved in the dark (private boat!) to avoid what looked like a log in the water, as the stern passed it I could just read "Ford Escort 1.3" on the tip of the boot lid which was all that was visible...

Was it a car boot sale?

TD'

[Dyertribe]

14 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Was it a car boot sale?

TD'

Or a car boot sail????

[Victor Vectis]

We've caught two cars and a Sky van on the liftbridge at Shirley.

 

(Not all at once, three seperate occasions)

 

The bloke driving one of the cars said it was my fault because "I could see he was on the bridge when I started to lift it" (!)

[Guest]

Someone went flying across Thrupp lift bridge as we'd started lifting it. Made a bit of bang! Not sure if that was the bridge or her suspension, or both. 

[Dharl]

1 hour ago, haggis said:

On our way back from Liverpool, I went to operate Maghull swing bridge ( which had just been closed in our face but that's another story) and for the first time ever, I caught a car ! The road was quite busy and I waited till the traffic had cleared in both directions before pressing the "OPEN" button. As the barriers came down a car shot past under the barrier and onto the bridge. Fortunately, the brakes were good enough to stop the car before it hit the barrier on the other side . I continued to open the bridge which swung with the car on top. 

And yes, it was a lady driver

I was very relieved when the bridge went back into place and the wedges went in

Haggis

Any pictures?? 
 

along the K&A once,  Mrs Dharl was opening a swing bridge when a boy racer came flying up , much faster than 30mph , and started Ffng and blinding at her to get it open as soon as possible.   With great presence of mind she ignored him and when the boat was through , left the bridge up and camly walked to the landing where I jumped ashore to close it and retrieve the key.  
 

 When I got there a chap in his 4x4 was behind the young guy and was loudly telling him off as he had heard him shouting at my wife!
 

Whilst I closed up , the older guy came up and apologised, apparently the younger man was his son! Not sure what happened there, part of a larger story, we carried on a bit , moored up and opened the bar early to calm the nerves.    

Edited July 17, 2020 by Dharl
Fat finger spelling

[Tracy D'arth]

Got one!

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/11442317.taxi-trapped-on-canal-bridge-as-it-swings-out-over-the-waterway/

 Used to happen regularly at Fool's Nook bridge on the Macc.

TD'

[Guest]

Once had a car do this on the Selby, last bridge before the lock basin.

 

How the heck he got his loaded roof rack under I will never know. Fortunately for him the barrier on the far side lagged behind the one he got under so cleared that one too. Frightened the bejesus out of me.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2020 by The Happy Nomad

[haggis]

I must admit it was a bit scary till she stopped. I thought she was going to try and get under the other barrier too. 

 

Haggis.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, haggis said:

I must admit it was a bit scary till she stopped. I thought she was going to try and get under the other barrier too. 

 

Haggis.

The thing is they are definitely breaking the law and driving dangerously.

 

There is a decent time lag between the lights going red, the sounders activating and the barriers starting to lower.

[Victor Vectis]

2 hours ago, Dharl said:

Any pictures??

I was tempted but thought the bloke might have come over and thumped me if I did.

 

After all, it was my fault, according to him.

[Rick-n-Jo]

Nearly got one some years ago when I was a seasonal bridge keeper on the Gloucester Sharpness. Fretherne swing beridge, big powered one. The wig-wag lights and sirens come on 15 seconds or so before the barriers start to descend, and Charlie decides to floor it to beat them. Comes up the sloped approach like the proverbial bat out of hell, gets slightly airbourne, unfortunately (for him, tee hee) left side wheels land on the kerb in a shower of sparks. Car continues under other barrier, but comes to a halt several hundred yards down the road, no doubt to contemplate his dented rims and possibly deflating tyres. O how I Larfed!

[Momac]

14 hours ago, haggis said:

On our way back from Liverpool, I went to operate Maghull swing bridge ( which had just been closed in our face but that's another story) and for the first time ever, I caught a car ! The road was quite busy and I waited till the traffic had cleared in both directions before pressing the "OPEN" button. As the barriers came down a car shot past under the barrier and onto the bridge. Fortunately, the brakes were good enough to stop the car before it hit the barrier on the other side . I continued to open the bridge which swung with the car on top. 

And yes, it was a lady driver

I was very relieved when the bridge went back into place and the wedges went in

Haggis

 

 

I don't know the bridge in question but  think you were lucky the bridge operated with a car on it . Despite the car being in the wrong you could , presumably, have reversed the barrier operation ?

 

[LadyG]

44 minutes ago, MartynG said:

 

 

I don't know the bridge in question but  think you were lucky the bridge operated with a car on it . Despite the car being in the wrong you could , presumably, have reversed the barrier operation ?

 

I am not sure if the instructions cover every possibility, I think one can stop movement, but not reverse them?

[haggis]

1 hour ago, MartynG said:

 

 

I don't know the bridge in question but  think you were lucky the bridge operated with a car on it . Despite the car being in the wrong you could , presumably, have reversed the barrier operation ?

 

I did wonder what would happen if I abandoned the "OPEN" procedure and hit the "CLOSE" button but I made the decision to carry on as it was a fairly light car and it was sitting centrally on the bridge therefore the pressure would be fairy evenly distributed. There are only 3 buttons. OPEN, CLOSE and EMERGENCY. The EMERGENCY is, I understand if the bridge stops working in mid operation or if it won't operate. 

 

Haggis

[Guest]

2 hours ago, MartynG said:

 

 

I don't know the bridge in question but  think you were lucky the bridge operated with a car on it . Despite the car being in the wrong you could , presumably, have reversed the barrier operation ?

 

My understanding is that that the sequence has to be completed in order on those bridges.

 

The Open button activates the lights, then the sounders then the bridge.

 

The Close button does the reverse, bridge, sounders, lights.

 

I dont think you can close the bridge if it hasn't actually opened, though perhaps you can by pressing the Emergency button which possibly resets the sequence??

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

For most things, emergency stop does just that. Disables all movement and tries to bring things to a halt as fast as possible. The sort of thing you'd press if someone was about to get squished by something big and heavy. How you'd go from there to put things right I don't know as I've never had to use it on a CaRT structure.

 

Jen

 

[TheBiscuits]

19 hours ago, haggis said:

On our way back from Liverpool, I went to operate Maghull swing bridge ...

 

Congratulations, it's on my bucket list to achieve the swing a car trophy!

 

Maghull is quite a likely place for it too, as you discovered.

 

For future reference, you can at any point let go of the open button and then press the close button without having to go through the complete sequence.

 

You could consider just leaving the bridge fully open with the car on it, hit the emergency stop button and then just boat away.

 

This would mean leaving your CRT key in the panel and the driver with a very awkward conversation when the police turn up.

 

 

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Congratulations, it's on my bucket list to achieve the swing a car trophy!

 

Maghull is quite a likely place for it too, as you discovered.

 

For future reference, you can at any point let go of the open button and then press the close button without having to go through the complete sequence.

 

You could consider just leaving the bridge fully open with the car on it, hit the emergency stop button and then just boat away.

 

This would mean leaving your CRT key in the panel and the driver with a very awkward conversation when the police turn up.

 

 

 

I know that works with the big lift bridges like the one at Barnby Dun but does it definitely work with the electric swing bridges?

[TheBiscuits]

Just now, The Happy Nomad said:

I know that works with the big lift bridges like the one at Barnby Dun but does it definitely work with the electric swing bridges?

Yes, or at least this is the case on all the ones between Liverpool and Parbold.

 

Let go of the button at any time and the process stops.  You can then either press the same button again to continue or the other one to reverse the action.

 

[Midnight]

17 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Got one!

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/11442317.taxi-trapped-on-canal-bridge-as-it-swings-out-over-the-waterway/

 Used to happen regularly at Fool's Nook bridge on the Macc.

TD'

I caught a car on there a few years ago - lady driver naturally! ?

[rgreg]

19 hours ago, haggis said:

On our way back from Liverpool, I went to operate Maghull swing bridge ( which had just been closed in our face but that's another story) and for the first time ever, I caught a car ! The road was quite busy and I waited till the traffic had cleared in both directions before pressing the "OPEN" button. As the barriers came down a car shot past under the barrier and onto the bridge. Fortunately, the brakes were good enough to stop the car before it hit the barrier on the other side . I continued to open the bridge which swung with the car on top. 

And yes, it was a lady driver

I was very relieved when the bridge went back into place and the wedges went in

Haggis

Exactly the same thing happened to us a few years ago; I think it was at Royal Oak Swing Bridge on the Macclesfield. Lady in a Range Rover came flying round the corner and my other half began swinging the bridge with the car on it. Emergency stop and reverse process, plus one very shocked and embarrassed driver!