The Middleton Railway currently runs from the edge of Middleton Park to Moor Road in Hunslet. Of course when it was a working railway it continued on into the centre of Leeds. The line into Leeds, known as the Balm Road branch, still exists but in all the times I've visited the railway or been past I've never seen it in use. The problem is that on leaving the station it crosses Moor Road. There is no level crossing, no barriers, and no warning lights just the rails embedded in the tarmac.
When we visited the railway in June the branch was open and in use. Traffic was stopped simply by two men with red flags, a bit like a school crossing. When we boarded the train for the short trip down the branch I overheard a conversation between one of the railways volunteers and another visitor. It turns out that the reason the branch isn't used very often is that because of the nature of the road crossing they are only allowed to take fare paying passengers across it on eight days during the year. If they wanted to use it more often than that then they would have to pay to upgrade the safety of the crossing, something that they can't afford.
Eight days a year seems an odd and arbitrary number. If it's safe on those eight days why is it not safe on, say, 16 days. Hmmm.
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