32678 takes water at Northiam

A day on the crossing gates at Northiam. It was meant to be a day in the signalbox on a learning turn but I've been persuaded to learn the box at Tenterden instead so today I was on the gates. The Terrier was piloting the diesel on the premier Wealden Pullman Sunday Lunch train owing to the failure of Norwegian which was the rostered engine. There had to be a steam loco but the Terrier was not capable of working the train on its own.

Regular readers of this journal will know that this means a day of leisure punctuated by a few minutes of critical activity as you walk to the gates, look for a gap in the traffic, close the gates over the road, watch the train over the crossing, close the gates over the railway and walk back to the station, repeat 16 times.

Working the gates at Northiam is rather more interesting than Cranbrook Road as at Northiam there are a couple of levers to pull once the gates are closed; one electrically locks the gates, the other works the signal protecting the gates. And afterwards you retire to the station and talk to the staff and drink tea. At Cranbrook you retire to your little hut and await the next train in a 6 x 6 building. Both have their attractions!