Great Western Coffee Shop

anybody know a relevant contact at this time of night to get myself and 10 other cars let out of long rock car park

Level crossing been down for about 30 mins. I want to go home now!

If I remember rightly it is a Cornwall Council car park - their number is 0300 1234 222 option 1.

I resorted to tweeting FGW and they contacted network rail. It was down for about 40 minutes in the end.

Cornwall Council is no use for a level crossing stuck down but thanks for the suggestion. The only access is via level crossing.

Glad you got out ok but for the record councils do tend to have numbers for Network Rail as part of their emergency planning.

Network Rail have a 24 hour helpline for such incidences. Sorry I was unable to post sooner.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/1346.aspx

03457 11 41 41

If only such numbers were available at the level crossing. I couldn't see any contact details visible but maybe I didn't look hard enough

Depending on the type of crossing don't auto crossing have telephones to contact the signalman?

This was instituted after the Hixon disaster. Agreed it's mainly for drivers of exceptional loads that may ground on the crossing but I'm sure it's use would be acceptable if the crossing stays down.

Google Street View (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.128208,-5.502245,3a,47.9y,353.8h,81.84t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1siKRcv2_8WLehirLtxpo31Q!2e0?hl=en)

Indeed there are no phones or signs with phone numbers on them. Plus the CCTV is at such an angle that anyone stuck in the car park can't be seen.

What type of crossing is it? If it's got CCTV then it must be monitored in the local signal box.

It has CCTV but it doesn't aim at the queuing traffic.

Its a Manned Controlled Barrier supervised by Closed Circuit Television 'MCB (CCTV)' level crossing supervised by Penzance signalbox.  The CCTV is adjusted to show between the Stop Lines only but usually the first vehicles each side can normally be seen.  I would guess that the crossing had failed down and that they had to wait for the local MOM based at Par to arrive and put the crossing into local control.

A man in high vis turned up and we were on our way. It wasn't failed down for long enough for him to have come all they way from Par though, I don't think anyway.

It came down just after 2010 and was down until 2055 roughly.
Thinking about it, the barrier came down too early for the train that passed just after 2020 I think, It was down for about 10 minutes before that train came, as I rushed with my camera along to get a shot of the passing train.

Longrock does have an unusually long down time at the best of times - I've timed it at 7 minutes the times I've been down there. I assume that's because of the signalling infrastructure there?

Correct.  The Down Distant signal is located halfway back to St.Erth and the barriers are usually lowered when the train passes St.Erth Down Advance Starting signal to ensure it encounters a 'green aspect' at the distant.  In the Up direction the barriers are lowered just before the train is timed to leave the Platform at Penzance Station.

The MOM might have been 'out and about' already or alternatively the man you saw was a Pway Level Crossing Attendant who lived locally.