At both the North and South ends of the old B & O now CSX yard have the pictured sign. I drive past them most days of the week and finally had my camera with me.
I thought I’d share this as even an amature like me can make these signs.
Also I often wondered how many men were injured before they were installed, hopefully none.
Bob
Its good they are putting up said signs.Not everyone knows that yard a has a tight clearance here or there.Sure its in the timetable,but seriously? Some new conductors dont look,or worse look but then forget as the dreaded pucker factor takes effect.I have been there , its always 3 am foggy,snowing, or raining and NO ONE on the crew has worked the job.UGH! So while worrying about paperwork and what the hogger and brakie are doing at least a friendly sign like that will remind you " Watch out".
I was wondering if they mean if the trees are the problem. If they are, why not cut them back or remove them completely.
Since the sign says, “Yard tracks,” I doubt that the trees (located on a single track tangent) are the problem. I would suspect that the real problem is around the bend - switch and derail stands close to the rails being the most likely.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September,1964)
Since the yard (which I haven’t visited) has been there at least since B&O times, it’s likely that the track centers are closer together than CSX now prefers. Cars having gotten wider, they leave less space for people between cars on adjacent tracks.
So long,
Andy
Not only car clearances are an issue in yards, there may be structures, platforms, utilities such as electrical transformers, or signal poles that are tight to the tracks. As Andy pointed out, rolling stock is wider, but the older yards are the same, and structures don’t move. It’s important to the railroad that the cargo gets where it needs to go, the human doesn’t have to ride, he can walk.
Worked this yard from 1988 until retiring in August of 2006…it was/is used by B&O/CSXT and Winchester & Western crews for interchange, blocking and run-thru operations. In earlier days, there was an active scale track, a warehouse track, a fire track and four other sidings in the yard. As Andy suggested, the tracks were on less-than-adequate centers: you could not safely ride the side of a car up the Zero-Pak siding, or adjacent to another train occupying the next track. I am not aware of any record of injuries incurred prior to the erection of these signs (the other one is at the intersection of Kent and Picadilly streets in downtown Winchester, VA.), but suspect the B&O emplaced them prior to merger with Cars Sometime, Xcept Today…(no disrespect intended). RetGM