Step along there ...

Now this really IS a level ('grade') crossing. It's at Tsurumi about 15 miles south of Tokyo and this is what used to be the lane up to Sojiji Temple.

Reading from this side .. two tracks to Yokosuka, two tracks Keihin local, four tracks Tokaido line and two tracks freight to Yokohama. So step along please - you have ten tracks to get across before those barriers come down! Actually all these lines are so busy I guess that the barriers stay down around 80% of the time.

Whizzing by in this picture is a kaisoku semi-fast on the Tokaido Line - it's a 113 Class but a different colour scheme to the Chiba lines - what I like to think of as the 'Irish Flag' orange and green version.

Oh! And that isn't all the gricing to be had here. Just beyond the crossing that low bridge is a private railway down to Yokohama and I'm actually standing under the Tsurumi Line to take this picture - so there are fourteen tracks in total here ...