Slow tractor before a passive crossing and curve
You are westbound on a two-lane Missouri rural route posted 55 mph. Ahead, a tractor is moving at 18–20 mph. You have followed it for a mile. The road has a solid yellow line on your side that begins 500 feet before a passive railroad crossing and continues through a curve beyond it. At the crossing there is a crossbuck, no gates, and no flashing lights. Just past the tracks, a yellow diamond shows a curve arrow and '35 MPH.' Sight distance through the curve is about 300 feet. The tractor is 150 feet ahead of you; an oncoming pickup is visible about a quarter mile away. You are driving a loaded pickup towing a small utility trailer. The tractor's left turn signal begins flashing as it approaches a field drive just before the tracks. You need to decide whether to pass, and how to handle the crossing and curve.
1. Should you begin a pass now? Use the markings, sight distance, and the tractor's signal in your answer.
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No. The solid yellow line on your side is a no-passing marking for your direction, and it begins well before the crossing and continues through the curve. Passing would require crossing that line. Sight distance through the curve is only about 300 feet, and an oncoming pickup is already visible about a quarter mile away, so the margin is closing. The tractor has also started signaling left toward a field drive just before the tracks; it may slow sharply or turn across your path, and you cannot be sure which side of the drive it will use. Your loaded pickup and trailer reduce acceleration and increase the distance needed to complete a pass. The correct choice is to stay behind, increase following distance, and pass only where a dashed line and clear sight distance allow it.
2. What is the correct sequence at the passive crossing and then the curve?
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Treat the crossbuck as a yield-to-trains warning. Approach slower than the 55 mph route speed, look and listen, and be prepared to stop. If no train is visible and the tracks are clear, proceed across without stopping on the rails; make sure there is room beyond the tracks for your truck and trailer before you enter the crossing. After crossing, the yellow 35 mph sign with the curve arrow is an advisory, not a legal speed limit, but it is strong evidence that 35 mph or less is the safe speed for the curve. With a trailer, slow before the curve rather than braking hard in it, keep to your lane, and do not accelerate until the curve opens up. If a train appears, stop at the stop line if there is one, or no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail.
3. The tractor turns into the field drive just before the tracks. What should you do as you reach the crossing?
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Do not use the tractor's turn as an invitation to accelerate past it. The tractor may swing wide or stop partly in the roadway, and the crossing itself still requires a separate look-and-listen check. Slow enough to stop if the tractor blocks your lane or if a train becomes visible. Once the tractor is clear, proceed across only when the tracks are clear and there is space on the far side for your trailer. If the tractor's trailer or implement is still across your path, wait rather than steering around it near the rails. The solid yellow line remains in effect through the curve, so any later pass must wait for a dashed line and adequate sight distance.