Skull Railroad Signal

[US71]

For those not on Facebook, this has been making the rounds today: it's a skull and crossbones railroad signal that was used in the 1930's near Grenada, Mississppi.



There is also a video re-creation here

[bugo]

Here is a snap of the sign prior to removal:



This may be the coolest road related thing I've ever seen in my life.  Oh, to have a time machine.  This would be the first place I would visit.

[Zeffy]

Why have gates when you have a skull and crossbones above the tracks to warn you of the potential danger with railroad tracks!

I like it though. Shame there aren't any road signs with that skull on it.

[bugo]

I should get a tattoo of that skull.  If they had color changing ink I definitely would.

[Bobby5280]

I think Tim Burton should incorporate a sign like that in his next movie. Sheesh, if I was making movies I would do it.

[bugo]

If I were a director filming a movie with a large budget, I would build a replica of this sign, regardless of the genre of the film.

[hbelkins]

Still waiting for Jeremy to advocate something like this being placed at all diverging diamonds -- or "death diamonds," as he likes to call them. :-)

[6a]

All that's missing is a wigwag in place of the lights in the middle.

[thenetwork]

That sign looked just as creepy in it's prime is in it's final days.  I assumed by the video that there was neon accompaniment to the flashing lights, but that "siren" was overkill, I think there would have been several deaths due to heart attack and not train collision!

I have freaked out on more than one occasion when the crossing gates / lights activated when crossing the tracks, and another time when I heard a stopped train blow it's whistle not far from the crossing that I was going over.