A court has heard how a community council chairman risked his life by ignoring warning signs at a Perthshire level crossing.
Footage captured on cameras installed by the British Transport Police showed William Lindsay driving across the Charleston level crossing at Stanley without permission.
The main Perth to Inverness line carries up to 24 trains a day, most of which travel at around 75mph.
Red warning signs at the Charleston crossing urge those planning to cross the tracks to contact a signalman who will give permission for the manoeuvre.
Lindsay, of Taymount Mains, Stanley, twice ignored that advice and ventured across without checking if a train was expected.
The 59-year-old estate manager, who is a member of the Perth and Kinross outdoor access forum, admitted that on December 9 and 14 he failed to comply with a requirement conveyed by a sign at the crossing.
Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson said the cameras were set up due to the potentially widespread disregard of safety procedures.
“People are meant to phone the signalman at the nearest signal box to gain his permission to cross,” he told the court.
“He (Lindsay) knows when the trains are due and where they are on the relevant section of line.Safety concerns”The British Transport Police had become increasingly concerned that people were not complying with the proper procedure so they installed a camera at the site.”
Mr Richardson said, “Mr Lindsay farms near the locus and has to go back and forward across the crossing quite a lot.
“On the two occasions in question he was caught on camera not following the proper procedures, once while driving a car and once while on a quad bike.”
Mr Richardson added that the offences had occurred either when it was dark or when it was “getting there.”
Solicitor Paul Ralph insisted Lindsay had only made the crossings as he wanted to visit a friend who was seriously ill.
“The crossing gives access to just one house… and the man who lives there is a friend of Mr Lindsay’s.
“That friend was seriously unwell at the time and his condition was deteriorating.
“Mr Lindsay was crossing over the railway to check with the man’s family, to see how he was and to find out if there was anything he could do.”
The court was shown pictures of the level crossing.
A number of warning signs are evident at the site, one of which states, “Stop. Always telephone before crossing to see if there is time to cross.”
Mr Ralph said Lindsay, a married father of three, was well acquainted with the crossing, having been an estate manager locally for 37 years.
“This is a man who takes his responsibilities seriously,” he said.
“I would be astonished if we ever saw him again in a criminal court.”
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis fined Lindsay a total of £450, a penalty which the accused agreed to pay within a month.
“I take into account that you are a man in your late 50s with an unblemished record,” he said.
“I also accept that there there may be an element of local knowledge, although of course familiarity can breed contempt.
“That is just a fact of human life but can lead to people not taking things as seriously as they might otherwise.’Cavalier attitude'”A potentially cavalier attitude to these unmanned crossings has to be recognised by the courts.”
Superintendent Jim McKelvie, head of operations for the Scottish area of British Transport Police (BTP), last night welcomed details of the conviction.
“This sentence sends out a clear message that level crossing misuse is an extremely dangerous practice,” he said.
“British Transport Police remains committed to ensuring the safety of all rail users.
“William Lindsay’s offences were detected during BTP’s Operation Galley, which was a detailed and protracted inquiry.
“Operation Galley is only one part of our ongoing initiatives targeting those who risk not only their own life but the lives of train passengers and rail staff.”
Just last month, the British Transport Police announced details of a new crackdown on drivers who ignore safety procedures at level crossings.
A total of 13 fatalities were recorded at level crossings in 2009, among them three pensioners who were killed at Halkirk in Caithness in September when a train struck their car.