I saw a sign today and was wondering exactly what it meant- it was the standard round yellow/balck X and RR railroad crossing sign but below it was a small rectangular yellow and black “exempt” sign-my guess was it was for School bus drivers-any other ideas? (the section of track is not abandoned but hasn’t been used for about 2-3 years)
You’re pretty close to correct. It applies to any vehicle required to stop at RR crossings (also includes fuel tankers)- at this crossing they don’t have to.
Why would they exempt a crossing? Just becasue its abandonded rail or are there other exceptions?
The ones I’ve noticed tend to be for tourist lines or shortlines who run occasionally at best - in other words railroads who aren’t going to have a train show-up at any time 24/7.
Could it be that a crossing would be exempted if the train (be it a tourist train or whatever) approaches the crossing prepared to yield to vehicular traffic? That would mean that a school bus or tanker truck could zoom right through the crossing without stopping because the train would stop instead.
trains cant stop at moments notice though. unless it all depends on the weight of the rolling stock in comparison to how much power the whole locomotive consist has?
I would assume that any service on a line which uses an exempt crossing would be infrequent and very low-speed. In such a situation, the Special Instructions would state that a crewman would need to flag the train over the grade crossing.
I’ve asked this question before and the answer I got was…
The exemption is for school buses, tankers, etc which are required to stop at all rail crossings. The line that is exempted must have been severed at some point. Not that the tracks have been ripped up for miles or anything irreparable, but severed enought that a train CANNOT run on that line without some work to make it happen. Enought that a train cannot run on the line ‘accidentally’.
Just my $.02.
Marc
A crossing near me that is now exempt still has all the rail - except for the connection to the active line, where the switch was straight-railed a couple of years ago. So it has, in fact, been severed. I suspect that it’s just a matter of time before the rails are pulled.
The WSOR branch line here in Delavan genedrally sees no more than the local passing up and back once a day. The crossing on the main drag is protected by flashing lights and is marked exempt. Crossings not protected by train activated lights have regular traffic stop signs at the crossing. Seem easy enough.
I know of a local grade crossing that is marked “exempt”. It says that both below the advance warning (RXR) sign and it also says exempt below the crossbucks (the crossing has flashing lights, too). Within 10 feet after crossing the road, there is absolutely NOTHING below the tracks for a few feet. All of the roadbed washed out years ago. There a good number of trees growing on the tracks as well. A train will never cross this road again. (unless the new business across the road needs rail service, in that case, new trackage must be laid) The other side of the road is still “live” tracks., but only to serve an industrial spur and to store cars.