Rail crossing safety warning signs and devices
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Advance warning signs
- The advance warning sign is a round, yellow sign bearing the lettering RXR.
- The "X" is very large, covering the full diameter of the sign. It is usually the first warning you will see that you are approaching a railroad crossing.
- Slow down, look and listen for an approaching train. Look ahead to pinpoint the location of the crossing. At this point you still have plenty of time to stop if a train is coming.
Pavement markings
- As you approach the crossing you may see a large RXR painted on the pavement.
- As with the advance warning sign, the "X" will be very large in comparison to the two Rs. Behind this warning will be a stop line painted closer to the tracks.
- Stay behind this line to be safe from a train when it passes.
Crossbuck signs
- So called "crossbuck" signs have the words "RAILROAD" and "CROSSING" in black and white assembled in a large "X" configuration.
- If there is more than one set of tracks this sign will also tell how many tracks there are on a separate sign below the crossbuck.
- As you approach, look and listen for an approaching train. The crossbuck sign means the same as a yield sign, which means that if a train is approaching you must yield and let the train pass. A recently enacted state law will require that a YIELD sign be placed below the crossbuck sign at crossings that do not have stop signs or red flashing light signals. This is being done to further emphasize that a crossbuck sign means that you must yield to trains.
Red flashing lights and gates
- Many crossbuck signs have red lights and bells attached. Some even have gates which cross the traffic lane.
- If the lights begin to flash or the bells begin to ring, STOP! A train is coming.
- You must yield to the train and remain stopped until the lights have stopped flashing and the gates have lifted.
- If there are multiple tracks, make sure the train you see isn't hiding another one you don't see.
- Sometimes when the lights don't stop flashing or the gate doesn't go up immediately after the passage of a train, it means there's another train approaching. In this case, impatience to get back on the road could be deadly.