RR Crossbuck Questions...

[thenetwork]

A couple of questions regarding railroad crossbuck signs.

1) Is there a move to make current RAILROAD CROSSING text more BOLD on the crossbucks?  Reason why I asked is I'm starting to see new Bolder text replacing the traditional text on some state highways in Western Colorado.

2) In the mid 80s, when I occasionally crossed the border into Canada (Windsor, Ontario), railroad crossing crossbucks said RAILWAY CROSSING.  They later changed over to text-less crossbucks with red borders...

When did Canada (or maybe it was just Ontario) make the switch to the generic signage?

[1995hoo]

As to question 2, it looks like the version with no text is the current standard. Presumably if it's imposed at the federal level, a sign with no words is deemed preferable due to bilingualism concerns.

[kphoger]

2) In the mid 80s, when I occasionally crossed the border into Canada (Windsor, Ontario), railroad crossing crossbucks said RAILWAY CROSSING.  They later changed over to text-less crossbucks with red borders...

When did Canada (or maybe it was just Ontario) make the switch to the generic signage?

Here's a good article for you to read:

https://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com/2017/09/red-white-crossbucks.html

[freebrickproductions]

#1. Got a link to a crossing with what you're talking about? I know crossbucks made by Harmon feature(d) a thick, blocky lettering in the style of what the old cast-iron crossbucks used, and Conrail (among other railroads) was a big user of them, along with a good few shortlines across the country. Union Pacific's also been installing new crossbucks as of late with a slightly bolder, and rather ugly-looking font on them (which some railfans have taken to calling "ugly font crossbucks"), but most railroads still use normal, thinner fonts on their crossbucks.

#2. I believe "Railway Crossing" was the standard for the English-speaking parts of Canada, you can still find the odd one on some abandoned crossings if you know where to look. IIRC, the Yukon & White Pass Route still has one left on its OOS part in Canada. Quebec used to use some very wordy crossbucks that contained both the English and French warnings written-out on them back in the day as well. I'd imagine the current red and white ones were chosen as the standard due to Canada's official bilingual nature, and the fact that the design is basically shared with any country that follows the Vienna Convention.
EDIT: Found the one on the Yukon & White Pass, sadly it's now gone:
https://www.google.com/maps/@60.6321717,-134.9963246,3a,15y,9.07h,94.2t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1snkZqw7zhMDKfz4o4iZwdYQ!2e0!5s20090701T000000!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-4.197951657952544%26panoid%3DnkZqw7zhMDKfz4o4iZwdYQ%26yaw%3D9.068766913399543!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkxNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

As a side note for #2: "Railway Crossing" is still the wording used on crossbucks in Australia and New Zealand, though the latter has theirs mounted so that they read "Crossing Railway". I believe "Railway Crossing" also some use here in the US before crossbucks were standardized with "Railroad Crossing", as I've seen a really old photo (I want to say from like the late-1800s or early-1900s) of downtown Madison, AL, where the Church Street crossing was protected by a lone crossbuck that read "Railway Crossing".

[Stephane Dumas]

I confirm, Quebec did the same thing, I mentioned a old sign in an other thread at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=2353.msg2315722#msg2315722 who was still there in 2015 but sadly, showing a recent GSV picture, it was removed. :_( https://maps.app.goo.gl/CZA4dR89TbVdtusF7

I saw another one picture taken in the 1980s on the former CP line to Maniwaki.
http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/a-rather-unusual-set-of-crossing-signals-with-bilingual-crossbucks-and-top-illuminating-danger-sign-at-one-of-the-grade-crossings-along-canadian-pacifics-line-to-maniwaki-in-1982

[thenetwork]

#1. Got a link to a crossing with what you're talking about?

Unfortunately, since I transport people on my job, I readily cannot take any photos, and they haven't made it to my area where I normally would drive my personal vehicle so I can take photos at my leisure.

I will say though, they started popping up at the beginning of summer at some crossings, and if it happens to be a test or pilot program, I have to say that I prefer the bolder font than the one that is most commonly used now.

[Dirt Roads]

Is there a move to make current RAILROAD CROSSING text more BOLD on the crossbucks?  Reason why I asked is I'm starting to see new Bolder text replacing the traditional text on some state highways in Western Colorado.

There seems to be a trend towards home-grown crossbuck signage popping up throughout some of the Western states. 
This particular set of crossbucks (R15-1) in Davenport, Iowa was constructed out of reused streetblades and was installed along with the new YIELD sign (R1-2) sometime around 2020.  There are numerous ones in Iowa and Nebraska that use the same font, but are not cobbled together from old parts.  None of these looked like they are coming from the common suppliers used by the railroads.

I'm pretty sure that the new font is coming around when the particular railroad is not [involved] with the upgrade of the crossbucks to add the new R1-2 YIELD signs; each state and each railroad has particular differences depending on a lot of financial and legal precedents.  Most railroads have a legal policy that the signage on railroad property is also property of the railroad, but the installation costs of new signage are the responsibility of the [highway authority], which in some cases is a local street department.

Here in North Carolina, the NCDOT Rail Division has a policy of [involving] the railroads and coordinating the work with the local NCDOT Division of Highways district office.  Note that North Carolina also requires the installation of a W3-2 (YIELD ahead) sign, which does not involve the railroad whatsoever.  (North Carolina also requires the use of R1-1 STOP signs and its complementary W3-1 STOP ahead sign when required by an engineering study).

For the record, the R1-2 YIELD sign was first mandated in the MUTCD dated December 1, 2009 (which became enforceable two years later).  In states like California, the R1-2 YIELD sign didn't get on the books until the new state MUTCD came out in May 2012; and even then, the California Public Utilities Commission didn't mandate the use until after October 2014 (geesh, just a month before the next state MUTCD was released).  And at that time, CPUC mandated that all crossbucks in the state be updated to meet the new MUTCD requirements by December 31, 2019.  Very few states have California's level of regulation with respect to railroad safety, so I would suspect that there are still a bunch of non-compliant crossbucks where the railroad is awaiting the state/local [highway authority] to request and pay for the new signage.

[freebrickproductions]

#1. Got a link to a crossing with what you're talking about?

Unfortunately, since I transport people on my job, I readily cannot take any photos, and they haven't made it to my area where I normally would drive my personal vehicle so I can take photos at my leisure.

I will say though, they started popping up at the beginning of summer at some crossings, and if it happens to be a test or pilot program, I have to say that I prefer the bolder font than the one that is most commonly used now.

I was asking for a street view link, lol. Mainly to see if it was a Union Pacific-owned crossing or not.