Centre Rd Level Crossing, Bentleigh (Before, During & After Grade Separation)

Описание: Here is some footage I took of the Centre Rd level crossing in Bentleigh, on the Frankston line, in December 2014, November 2015, January, April, July and September 2016, and November 2021. This crossing has since been grade separated, with trains running under the new Centre Rd bridge in late 2016.

If there’s one thing I regret, it's not taking more detailed footage of the crossing itself, like I do in my videos these days. I'm pretty happy with the little bits of footage I've got (although in this case, I'm disappointed I only got one shot of the crossing activating during its grade separation), given that there isn't much footage on YouTube of this crossing to begin with, but deep down I know I could've filmed so much more. I only started filming proper close-ups of crossing infrastructure in December 2016, while this footage was all taken before that.

I took footage with my old video camera (a Sony DCR TRV355e Handycam) and my new video camera (a Sony HDR CX405).

The Centre Rd level crossing was located directly in the shopping district centre of Bentleigh, where there is a tonne of car and pedestrian activity. Not only that, but Centre Rd is a thoroughfare through the surrounding suburbs, so the traffic clogging the road is more than just people going to the shops. You'll notice it was quite a tight intersection with a couple of intersecting roads in close vicinity to the crossing, making it a very dangerous location. It was the site of many accidents involving pedestrians in the lead up to its removal, including two in the 1990s, one in 2004 and one in 2005. In 2006, in light of the 2004 death of a teenage girl at the intersection, the crossing was upgraded with additional warning lights and extra fences for the pedestrian crossings on both sides. Despite this, pedestrian accidents still occurred at this crossing, with one death in 2014 and two in 2011.

It was rated the 60th most dangerous level crossing in Victoria in 2008, according the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model

From what we can see in the footage, this crossing had:

Two Westinghouse Hybrid Bells. Both bells were both programmed to sound continuously until the boom gates rose (although I believe at one point, the bell on the eastern side was programmed to sound out after the boom gates lowered, but I'm not sure when this was changed)

Westinghouse and MAYBE McKenzie & Holland cross-arms

Marked (and possibly unmarked) Westinghouse lights

McKenzie & Holland boom gate mechanisms. The mechanism on the eastern side had a McKenzie & Holland base (which was then replaced with a new unmarked base by April 2016) while the mechanism on the western side had an unmarked base

This crossing was unique in a number of ways. As previously mentioned, the pedestrian crossings had additional warning lights installed, and was the only crossing in Melbourne to have this sort of system. Unfortunately, the additional warning lights were removed by November 2015, so I didn't get much of a chance to get any shots of them. A news report which I've linked below captures these lights in action

   • Bentleigh level crossings  

The cantilevers were interesting too, with each pole installed on the opposite side of the road to the boom gate mechanisms, in a rather backwards fashion. My only guess as to why they did this was because of a lack of space on the eastern side to fit both a boom gate mechanism and a large cantilever, and then to keep symmetry they did the same on the western side.

And even after it's removal, the markings in the road warning of a crossing ahead remain, though slightly faded now

Daniel Bowen's YouTube channel (the former president of the Public Transport User's Association) has a couple of videos of the Centre Rd level crossing on his channel, including footage of an ambulance stuck at the crossing waiting for a train to pass. I recommend you check it out. I'll link a couple of his videos below

   • The crossing (with apologies to Bargearse)  

   • Ambulance at Bentleigh level crossing  

   • Ambulance stuck at level crossing, Bentlei...  

   • Level crossing removal works at Bentleigh