1920s
Previously, level crossing installations were always equipped with full barriers. These were often manually operated. The windlass depicted here was a commonly used type. The barriers were lowered and raised using line wheels and mechanical cables.

The windlass is equipped with a crank, which automatically disengages from the windlass when the handle is released. This eliminates the risk of the crank striking someone if they manually lift a barrier.

A pointer resembling a miniature semaphore wing stands vertically when the windlass is fully wound up and at a 45-degree angle during lowering and raising. When the barriers are in the lowered position, the pointer stands horizontally.