Passive Crossing With Two Tracks
You are westbound on a gravel county road at 45 mph approaching a passive railroad crossing. The only warning devices are a white crossbuck, a '2 Tracks' sign beneath it, and a yellow 'Yield' sign. There are no gates, no flashing lights, and no bell. The crossing angle is shallow, and a line of trees limits your view down the near track to about 300 feet. A coal train has just cleared the crossing on the near track and is still visible to your left. You cannot yet see the second track clearly. Your stopping distance from 45 mph on gravel is about 160 feet. Another pickup ahead of you crossed without stopping. You must decide whether to stop and how to check the second track.
1. Does the crossbuck mean you must stop?
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A crossbuck means yield to trains, not necessarily stop in every case. At this passive crossing you must slow, look, and listen, and you must stop if a train is approaching or if you cannot confirm the track is clear. The '2 Tracks' sign is critical: after the coal train clears the near track, a second train could approach on the far track in either direction. The just-cleared train does not make the crossing safe. Approach slowly enough to stop before the rails if your view remains blocked.
2. The pickup ahead crossed without stopping. Can you follow it?
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No. The pickup's clearance does not prove the second track is clear. Its driver may have had a different view, may have accepted a risk, or may simply have been lucky. Following another vehicle through a passive crossing is especially dangerous because you focus on its taillights instead of the tracks. Make your own stop, look, and listen check. If the pickup's action pressures you to hurry, recognize that pressure and slow further rather than matching it.
3. At 45 mph with only 300 feet of view, can you stop if a train appears?
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Your 160-foot stopping distance leaves about 140 feet of margin if the train is visible at 300 feet, but that margin shrinks quickly because a train may be moving fast and may be closer than it appears. A train at 50 mph covers 300 feet in about four seconds. The better plan is to slow well before the trees limit your view, perhaps to 20 or 25 mph, so you can stop comfortably and scan the second track. Do not rely on the arithmetic working out; reduce speed so the decision is not forced at the last moment.