Post renovation
Jully 2020. The line has been refurbished for three years, operates and the horn is still used.
I record the newness of it at the same locations than in 2016, at the same time of year.
Another map, other pictures (the train too has changed) will give an account of the dissimilarities.
Not really knowing what this collecting work will move towards, I now station several systems simultaneously, two or three.
For the collecting operation should probably recount some other aspects too (I’m starting to think about it) :
- interviewing the residents
- broadening the range of viewpoints (in order to better document)
- history of line
- events (there are crashes on these crossings which justify the horn)
- parallel with the Trieux, the river following parts of the same route
- … ?
Another representation
As several viewpoints are available, we should , ideally, be able to trigger a synchronous reading of the files and switch from one to the other as we usually do on a multitrack workstation to compare them. But I don’t know of no any equivalent for streaming audio files.
Some Google Earth screenshots with the dummies’ position for a handful of listening stations (those are the same sounds as in the above map). Maybe such a representation is more practical ? Complementary ?
Here, a neighbour of the train station is taking an interest in whatever I seem to be up to. I give her a business card so that we may set up an interview (I’m waiting for her call).
Here, a couple living nearby break off their bicycle ride. I learn through them that the train crashed into a car in December 2000, causing the death of two people on this very crossing.
Here, the westside barrier is a bit loose : it gently falls like someone dozing off. A motor catches it up by a few degrees, very steadily. Right by it stands LU, the dummy.
I need to enquire about accidents between trains and cars. It seems so unlikely not to see the train coming or not to be able to clear such small level crossings in time…
A friend tells me that she precisely almost smashed into a train on a unprotected crossing : she was chatting with her friends in the car. She did pull up on the stop sign, but only saw the train right before she chose to drive on.
Here, the neighbour’s dog comes and gives my early presence a sniff.
I find some articles about the past years accidents. I learn that the level crossing barriers are designed to be easily broken through : a trapped car needs to rush ahead !