RxR Exempt? From what? I was told this sign means the rail is abandonded so busses and certain trucks, obligated to stop at all RxR, can proceed without slowing down. BUT!
This sign appears at an at-grade crossing which is still active. Granted, it is a spur from the mainline, but this spur crosses a major US highway, and the spur is very active. Sometimes, the train will cross back and forth mulitple times as cars are “hooked up” in the nearby rail yard.
The R<large>X</large>R sign does not mean that it is abandoned! On the contrary, it is an active crossing.
It stands for “Rail Road Crossing”, the “X” meaning cross.
These signs are used where the cost of an active drop bar is not warranted. Buses and trucks, however, are required to stop at all active crossings, even if they have a gate.
I grew up about 1/2 mile from open railroad tracks. Safety classes were taught quite often in school to scare us kids away from them.
Judges 14:9 - So [Samson] scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.
Judges 14:9 - So [Samson] scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.
Judges 14:9 - So [Samson] scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.
AWB: Yes, I know “RxR” is railroad crossing, but the “Exempt” sign makes no sense. You say it is explicit, but the message is lost! Who/What is “Exempt”? Why does it appear only at certain crossings?
Oops, I just read your OP. Without quotes around “RxR Exempt”, I thought you were saying “RxR” meant exempt.
I’ve never seen an “Exempt” sign personally. I could see using it for tracks that were in disuse. But if these tracks are that busy, I’d think they should be marked otherwise.
Judges 14:9 - So [Samson] scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.
I assume that exempt applies to those vehicles that have special rules about crossing rail lines.
Since it’s a spur that is used to hook up cars, there’s probably a railman at the crossing to manually warn car traffic. If not, there should be.
Judges 14:9 - So [Samson] scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.
Man, I’m watching this one. I’ve never ever seen one of these signs, either, and I grew up in Chicago, the land of railroads out the ying-yang (yes, I know the term is Yin-Yang but that’s something different). Now I NEED to know what this “exempt” shit is all about!
Hey, Nickrz…do you have an “in” with Uncle Cecil? Maybe he can enlighten us all! I have only seen it around Delaware where bike paths are very big…maybe it’s for bicyclists? Still, who’d know what it means?
Kudos to the DoT for posting encrypted signs for our safety at railroad crossings!
In most states, school busses and trucks carrying certain hazardous materials are required to stop and look both ways before crossing railroad tracks -a precaution in case the gates/lights/bells aren’t working. If the rail line is unused, the sign is to tell the drivers of such vehicles that they don’t have to stop and look. Three of the six rail lines through my town are closed down; a few crossings near industrial areas still have these signs. Usually they (I dunno who) eventually remove the section of track across the road because snowplows can’t plow well over them. At that point the sign is removed also. - MC
That didn’t take long at all. Feldman’s books don’t have indexes, so you have to read the table of contents.
Anyway, he quotes federal regulations that state that drivers of cars for hire, school buses, vehicles carrying flammable or dangerous material must stop not more that 50 feet, and not less that 15 feet from the crossing. He also quotes part of a federal regulation that states that an exeception is granted to an industrial or spur line railroad grade crossing marked with a sign reading “EXEMPT.” Such EXEMPT signs shall be erected only by or with the consent of the appropriate state or local authority.
He goes on to quote the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. It states that a stop is not required except when a train, locamotive, or other railroad equipment is approaching or occupying the crossing, or the driver’s view is blocked.
From Do Penguins Have Knees by David Felman, HaperCollins.
If this post steps over the line of fair-use, please edit/remove it.
I think it’s like describe above. I’ve seen them a few places in Houston. Only on abandoned RR.
If the train tracks are still in use, even as just part of the shipping yard, I would think it should not be marked exempt.
Maybe they can get away with it because presumably at an RR yard the cars are moving slow enough they can actually stop in a few yards, rather that with a whole train on a cross-country trek that even at 30 mph takes a mile to stop. Just a guess.
Mr Thin Skin’s detaile answer applies here on this spur to an industrial leg. But, that’s terrible! This crossing is perhaps more dangerous than a regular crossing because of the back-and-forth action in the railyard adjacent this crossing. And, from one direction, the view is blocked.
The danger is highest when the train clears the crossing and impatient drivers cross before the lights stop flashing. The train could reverse smack into them!
Actually see a lot of those Exempt signs here in upstate NY. Usually it is after trains have stopped using a line but the tracks are still there. Several area lines (Cooperstown to Colliersville NY) are being reclaimed as tourist lines after decades of disuse. So there can be many crossings where there is no longer train traffic even though tracks remain, making the Exempt sign pretty handy. As for its’ use on industrial spurs I have seen that in a couple places (back roads) in Oneonta NY but it doesn’t seem as common as the use of exempt signs on unused tracks.
My bus (yes, I go to school … . High School, and no. . .I can’t drive yet) goes over a RR track with an exempt sign every day. We never stop and the track has TREES growing up between the rails so my guess is that the sign means closed/unused. Maybe the OP’s sign was a mistake.
Well, either you’re closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge or you are not aware of the power of the presence of a pool table in your community. Ya’ got trouble my friends! -
Prof. Harold Hill
Gary Conservatory
Gold Medal Class
'05